NEW YORK (AP) — SmileDirectClub is shutting down — just months after the struggling teeth-straightening company filed for bankruptcy protection.

<a href="https://smiledirectclub.com/">Click here to read </a>the announcement on the company web site.

In an announcement, SmileDirectClub said it had made an “incredibly difficult decision to wind down its global operations, effective immediately.”

That leaves existing customers in limbo. SmileDirectClub’s aligner treatment through its telehealth platform is no longer available, the Nashville, Tennessee, company&nbsp;<a href="https://smiledirectclub.com/" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;while urging consumers to consult their local dentist for further treatment. Customer care support for the company has also ceased.

Customer orders that haven’t shipped yet have been cancelled and “Lifetime Smile Guarantee” no longer exists, the company said. SmileDirectClub apologized for the inconvenience and said additional information about refund requests will arrive “once the bankruptcy process determines next steps and additional measures customers can take.”

SmileDirectClub also said that Smile Pay customers are expected to continue to make payments, leading to further confusion and frustration online. When contacted by The Associated Press Monday for additional information, a spokesperson said the company couldn’t comment further.

SmileDirectClub filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the end of September. At the time, the company reported nearly $900 million in debt. On Friday, the company said it was unable to find a partner willing to bring in enough capital to keep the company afloat, despite a monthslong search.

When SmileDirectClub went public back in 2019, the company was valued at about $8.9 billion. But its stock soon tumbled and plummeted in value over time, as the company proved to be unprofitable year after year and faced multiple legal battles. In 2022, SmileDirectClub reported&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/earnings-0d66b4f95579aa8d0aed238ff9eff436" target="_blank">a loss of $86.4 million</a>.

SmileDirectClub, which has served over 2 million people since its 2014 founding, once promised to revolutionaize the oral care industry by selling clear dental aligners (marketed as a faster and more affordable alternative to braces) directly to consumers by mail and in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-ri-state-wire-ca-state-wire-business-91b2f283975a45b9b935c53db5dbf2f6" target="_blank">major retailers</a>. But the company has also seen pushback from within and beyond the medical community.

Last year, District of Columbia attorney general’s office sued SmileDirectClub for “unfair and deceptive” practices — accusing the company of unlawfully using non-disclosure agreements to manipulate online reviews and keep customers from reporting negative experiences to regulators. SmileDirectClub denied the allegations, but agreed to a June settlement agreement that required the company to release over 17,000 customers from the NDAs and pay $500,000 to DC.

The British Dental Association has also been critical about SmileDirectClub and such remote orthodontics — pointing to cases of advanced gum disease provided with aligners, misdiagnosis risks and more in a Sunday&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TheBDA/status/1733776815414485084" target="_blank">post</a>&nbsp;on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“It shouldn’t have taken a bankruptcy to protect patients from harm,” the British Dental Association&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TheBDA/status/1733776086645830066" target="_blank">wrote</a>, while calling on U.K. regulators for increased protections. “Dentists are left to pick up the pieces when these providers offer wholly inappropriate treatment.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702322656809.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — SmileDirectClub is shutting down — just months after the struggling teeth-straightening company filed for bankruptcy protection.<a href="https://smiledirectclub.com/">Click here to read </a>the announcement on the company web site.In an announcement, SmileDirectClub said it had made an “incredibly difficult decision to wind down its global operations, effective immediately.”That leaves existing customers in limbo. SmileDirectClub’s aligner treatment through its telehealth platform is no longer available, the Nashville, Tennessee, company&nbsp;<a href="https://smiledirectclub.com/" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;while urging consumers to consult their local dentist for further treatment. Customer care support for the company has also ceased.Customer orders that haven’t shipped yet have been cancelled and “Lifetime Smile Guarantee” no longer exists, the company said. SmileDirectClub apologized for the inconvenience and said additional information about refund requests will arrive “once the bankruptcy process determines next steps and additional measures customers can take.”SmileDirectClub also said that Smile Pay customers are expected to continue to make payments, leading to further confusion and frustration online. When contacted by The Associated Press Monday for additional information, a spokesperson said the company couldn’t comment further.SmileDirectClub filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the end of September. At the time, the company reported nearly $900 million in debt. On Friday, the company said it was unable to find a partner willing to bring in enough capital to keep the company afloat, despite a monthslong search.When SmileDirectClub went public back in 2019, the company was valued at about $8.9 billion. But its stock soon tumbled and plummeted in value over time, as the company proved to be unprofitable year after year and faced multiple legal battles. In 2022, SmileDirectClub reported&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/earnings-0d66b4f95579aa8d0aed238ff9eff436" target="_blank">a loss of $86.4 million</a>.SmileDirectClub, which has served over 2 million people since its 2014 founding, once promised to revolutionaize the oral care industry by selling clear dental aligners (marketed as a faster and more affordable alternative to braces) directly to consumers by mail and in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-ri-state-wire-ca-state-wire-business-91b2f283975a45b9b935c53db5dbf2f6" target="_blank">major retailers</a>. But the company has also seen pushback from within and beyond the medical community.Last year, District of Columbia attorney general’s office sued SmileDirectClub for “unfair and deceptive” practices — accusing the company of unlawfully using non-disclosure agreements to manipulate online reviews and keep customers from reporting negative experiences to regulators. SmileDirectClub denied the allegations, but agreed to a June settlement agreement that required the company to release over 17,000 customers from the NDAs and pay $500,000 to DC.The British Dental Association has also been critical about SmileDirectClub and such remote orthodontics — pointing to cases of advanced gum disease provided with aligners, misdiagnosis risks and more in a Sunday&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TheBDA/status/1733776815414485084" target="_blank">post</a>&nbsp;on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.“It shouldn’t have taken a bankruptcy to protect patients from harm,” the British Dental Association&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TheBDA/status/1733776086645830066" target="_blank">wrote</a>, while calling on U.K. regulators for increased protections. “Dentists are left to pick up the pieces when these providers offer wholly inappropriate treatment.”

Telehealth orthodontics company shuts down

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-board-of-regents-chair-not-concerned-amid-multiple-leadership-transitions/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;The chair of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents said last week he is not concerned in the face of multiple high-ranking leadership transitions across NU.

University of Nebraska at Kearney Chancellor Doug Kristensen announced he&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/06/unk-chancellor-announces-retirement-22-years-after-taking-central-nebraska-role/">plans to retire</a>&nbsp;at the end of the academic year after 22 years of service at UNK. In response, Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln told the Nebraska Examiner on Friday that there is always a “next chapter” and NU will find a successful replacement for Kristensen who will move the university forward.

“He has been a public servant and not a backbencher guy —&nbsp;a guy that’s out front. I think we as a state, we as a university, are better, in part, because of Doug,” Clare said.

“I’m not concerned about it whatsoever,” Clare added.

Kristensen is the longest-serving chancellor in NU history and is the longest currently serving leader of any higher education institute in the state. He previously served 14 years in the Nebraska Legislature.

Next year, Kristensen’s departure will mark the third high-ranking administrator to leave in just under a year, joining a national trend of higher education&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/college-presidents-are-less-experienced-than-ever-and-eyeing-the-exit">administrators’ shrinking tenures</a>.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/30/retiring-unl-chancellor-reflects-on-seven-years-of-challenges-and-opportunities/">Chancellor Ronnie Green retired</a>&nbsp;at the end of June, after seven years of service. NU Ted Carter is on his way out the door Dec. 31 to lead The Ohio State University, after four years in Nebraska.

NU’s “next chapter” could bring a different lens to NU as regents eye longevity, at least in the search for Carter’s successor.

That search, with Clare chairing the regents’ advisory search committee, has a goal to find a leader deeply committed to Nebraska and willing to remain in the president’s seat for a decade or more.

This summer, Rodney Bennett of the University of Southern Mississippi succeeded Green and said during a candidate forum he plans to work at Nebraska for&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/unl-chancellor-priority-candidate-meets-with-nebraska-students/">about 10 years</a>.

In addition to Bennett and Kristensen’s successor, University of Nebraska at Omaha Chancellor Joanne Li and University of Nebraska Medical Center Chancellor Jeffrey Gold remain at the helm of NU’s two Omaha campuses. Li joined UNO in July 2021. Gold has served in the UNMC role since early 2014, including four years as chancellor concurrently of UNO and UNMC.

Applications or nominations for the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nu-president-leadership-profile-released-applications-due-jan-1/">next NU president are due by Jan. 1</a>. Chris Kabourek, NU’s chief financial officer and interim president beginning Jan. 1, said he’ll quickly formulate a process to identify UNK’s next leader.

“We’ve got too many good things that are positive for the university, and we’re going to get things continuing to move up and forward,” Clare said. “I’m excited about our future.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702305738513.jpeg" alt="Regent Tim Clare, at right, joins Jay Lemons, leader of the consulting firm Academic Search, during an advisory committee meeting to find NU’s next president. Clare leads the advisory committee Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Lincoln. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Regent Tim Clare, at right, joins Jay Lemons, leader of the consulting firm Academic Search, during an advisory committee meeting to find NU’s next president. Clare leads the advisory committee Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Lincoln. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-board-of-regents-chair-not-concerned-amid-multiple-leadership-transitions/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;The chair of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents said last week he is not concerned in the face of multiple high-ranking leadership transitions across NU.University of Nebraska at Kearney Chancellor Doug Kristensen announced he&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/06/unk-chancellor-announces-retirement-22-years-after-taking-central-nebraska-role/">plans to retire</a>&nbsp;at the end of the academic year after 22 years of service at UNK. In response, Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln told the Nebraska Examiner on Friday that there is always a “next chapter” and NU will find a successful replacement for Kristensen who will move the university forward.“He has been a public servant and not a backbencher guy —&nbsp;a guy that’s out front. I think we as a state, we as a university, are better, in part, because of Doug,” Clare said.“I’m not concerned about it whatsoever,” Clare added.Kristensen is the longest-serving chancellor in NU history and is the longest currently serving leader of any higher education institute in the state. He previously served 14 years in the Nebraska Legislature.Next year, Kristensen’s departure will mark the third high-ranking administrator to leave in just under a year, joining a national trend of higher education&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/college-presidents-are-less-experienced-than-ever-and-eyeing-the-exit">administrators’ shrinking tenures</a>.University of Nebraska-Lincoln&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/30/retiring-unl-chancellor-reflects-on-seven-years-of-challenges-and-opportunities/">Chancellor Ronnie Green retired</a>&nbsp;at the end of June, after seven years of service. NU Ted Carter is on his way out the door Dec. 31 to lead The Ohio State University, after four years in Nebraska.NU’s “next chapter” could bring a different lens to NU as regents eye longevity, at least in the search for Carter’s successor.That search, with Clare chairing the regents’ advisory search committee, has a goal to find a leader deeply committed to Nebraska and willing to remain in the president’s seat for a decade or more.This summer, Rodney Bennett of the University of Southern Mississippi succeeded Green and said during a candidate forum he plans to work at Nebraska for&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/unl-chancellor-priority-candidate-meets-with-nebraska-students/">about 10 years</a>.In addition to Bennett and Kristensen’s successor, University of Nebraska at Omaha Chancellor Joanne Li and University of Nebraska Medical Center Chancellor Jeffrey Gold remain at the helm of NU’s two Omaha campuses. Li joined UNO in July 2021. Gold has served in the UNMC role since early 2014, including four years as chancellor concurrently of UNO and UNMC.Applications or nominations for the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nu-president-leadership-profile-released-applications-due-jan-1/">next NU president are due by Jan. 1</a>. Chris Kabourek, NU’s chief financial officer and interim president beginning Jan. 1, said he’ll quickly formulate a process to identify UNK’s next leader.“We’ve got too many good things that are positive for the university, and we’re going to get things continuing to move up and forward,” Clare said. “I’m excited about our future.”

Nebraska Board of Regents chair ‘not concerned’ amid multiple leadership transitions

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">Special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;on Monday asked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">the Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;to take up and rule quickly on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results.

A federal judge ruled the case could go forward, but Trump, 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner, signaled he would ask the federal appeals court in Washington to reverse that outcome.

Smith is attempting to bypass the appeals court. The request filed Monday for the Supreme Court to take up the matter directly reflects Smith’s desire to keep the trial, currently set for March 4, on track and to prevent any delays that could push back&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">the case</a>&nbsp;until after next year’s presidential election.

“This case presents a fundamental question at the heart of our democracy: whether a former President is absolutely immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office or is constitutionally protected from federal prosecution when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">has been impeached</a>&nbsp;but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">not convicted</a>&nbsp;before the criminal proceedings begin,” prosecutors wrote.

The earliest the court would consider the appeal would be Jan. 5, 2024, the date of the justices' next scheduled private conference.

Underscoring the urgency for prosecutors in securing a quick resolution that can push the case forward, they wrote: “It is of imperative public importance that respondent’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-immunity-9528a29b2dbebb6ee4a4ebd26780f98c">claims of immunity</a>&nbsp;be resolved by this Court and that respondent’s trial proceed as promptly as possible if his claim of immunity is rejected.”

At issue is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-immunity-donald-trump-a98872759762c95fa925ff831df27388">a Dec. 1 ruling</a>&nbsp;from U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan that rejected arguments by Trump’s lawyers that he was immune from federal prosecution. In her order, Chutkan, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, wrote that the office of the president “does not confer a lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”

“Former Presidents enjoy no special conditions on their federal criminal liability,” Chutkan wrote. “Defendant may be subject to federal investigation, indictment, prosecution, conviction, and punishment for any criminal acts undertaken while in office."

If the justices get involved, they would have an opportunity to rule for the first time ever on whether ex-presidents enjoy immunity from prosecution. Justice Department policy prohibits the indictment of a sitting president. Though there’s no such bar against prosecution for a former commander in chief, lawyers for Trump say that he cannot be charged for actions that fell within his official duties as president — a claim that prosecutors have vigorously rejected.

Smith’s team stressed that if the court did not expedite the matter, there would not be an opportunity to consider and resolve the question in the current term.

“The United States recognizes that this is an extraordinary request. This is an extraordinary case,” prosecutors wrote. “The Court should grant certiorari and set a briefing schedule that would permit this case to be argued and resolved as promptly as possible.”

Prosecutors are also asking the court to take up Trump’s claim, also already rejected by Chutkan, that he cannot be prosecuted in court for conduct for which he was was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">already impeached</a>&nbsp;— and acquitted — before Congress.

Trump faces charges accusing him of working&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-hearings-trump-capitol-10351fe6d555eaee7554379ceed8bb24">to overturn the results</a>&nbsp;of the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">violent riot</a>&nbsp;by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol. He has denied any wrongdoing.

A Supreme Court case usually lasts several months, from the time the justices agree to hear it until a final decision. Smith is asking the court to move with unusual, but not unprecedented, speed.

Nearly 50 years ago, the justices acted within two months of being asked to force President Richard Nixon to turn over Oval Office recordings in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/john-dean-richard-nixon-government-and-politics-crime-c7a7b99cca7c685cfc239f5e08b53378">the Watergate scandal</a>. The tapes were then used later in 1974 in the corruption prosecutions of Nixon's former aides.

It took the high court just a few days to effectively decide the 2000 presidential election for Republican George W. Bush over Democrat Al Gore.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698261736155.png" alt="File&nbsp;-Former President Donald Trump during a break in his civil business fraud trial at New York Supreme Court in October. -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File&nbsp;-Former President Donald Trump during a break in his civil business fraud trial at New York Supreme Court in October. -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">Special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;on Monday asked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">the Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;to take up and rule quickly on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results.A federal judge ruled the case could go forward, but Trump, 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner, signaled he would ask the federal appeals court in Washington to reverse that outcome.Smith is attempting to bypass the appeals court. The request filed Monday for the Supreme Court to take up the matter directly reflects Smith’s desire to keep the trial, currently set for March 4, on track and to prevent any delays that could push back&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">the case</a>&nbsp;until after next year’s presidential election.“This case presents a fundamental question at the heart of our democracy: whether a former President is absolutely immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office or is constitutionally protected from federal prosecution when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">has been impeached</a>&nbsp;but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">not convicted</a>&nbsp;before the criminal proceedings begin,” prosecutors wrote.The earliest the court would consider the appeal would be Jan. 5, 2024, the date of the justices' next scheduled private conference.Underscoring the urgency for prosecutors in securing a quick resolution that can push the case forward, they wrote: “It is of imperative public importance that respondent’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-immunity-9528a29b2dbebb6ee4a4ebd26780f98c">claims of immunity</a>&nbsp;be resolved by this Court and that respondent’s trial proceed as promptly as possible if his claim of immunity is rejected.”At issue is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-immunity-donald-trump-a98872759762c95fa925ff831df27388">a Dec. 1 ruling</a>&nbsp;from U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan that rejected arguments by Trump’s lawyers that he was immune from federal prosecution. In her order, Chutkan, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, wrote that the office of the president “does not confer a lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”“Former Presidents enjoy no special conditions on their federal criminal liability,” Chutkan wrote. “Defendant may be subject to federal investigation, indictment, prosecution, conviction, and punishment for any criminal acts undertaken while in office."If the justices get involved, they would have an opportunity to rule for the first time ever on whether ex-presidents enjoy immunity from prosecution. Justice Department policy prohibits the indictment of a sitting president. Though there’s no such bar against prosecution for a former commander in chief, lawyers for Trump say that he cannot be charged for actions that fell within his official duties as president — a claim that prosecutors have vigorously rejected.Smith’s team stressed that if the court did not expedite the matter, there would not be an opportunity to consider and resolve the question in the current term.“The United States recognizes that this is an extraordinary request. This is an extraordinary case,” prosecutors wrote. “The Court should grant certiorari and set a briefing schedule that would permit this case to be argued and resolved as promptly as possible.”Prosecutors are also asking the court to take up Trump’s claim, also already rejected by Chutkan, that he cannot be prosecuted in court for conduct for which he was was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">already impeached</a>&nbsp;— and acquitted — before Congress.Trump faces charges accusing him of working&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-hearings-trump-capitol-10351fe6d555eaee7554379ceed8bb24">to overturn the results</a>&nbsp;of the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">violent riot</a>&nbsp;by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol. He has denied any wrongdoing.A Supreme Court case usually lasts several months, from the time the justices agree to hear it until a final decision. Smith is asking the court to move with unusual, but not unprecedented, speed.Nearly 50 years ago, the justices acted within two months of being asked to force President Richard Nixon to turn over Oval Office recordings in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/john-dean-richard-nixon-government-and-politics-crime-c7a7b99cca7c685cfc239f5e08b53378">the Watergate scandal</a>. The tapes were then used later in 1974 in the corruption prosecutions of Nixon's former aides.It took the high court just a few days to effectively decide the 2000 presidential election for Republican George W. Bush over Democrat Al Gore.

Supreme Court will decide if Trump is immune from Jan. 6 prosecution

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man has been arrested in the stabbing death of a Catholic priest who was attacked over the weekend in a church rectory in a small Nebraska community, authorities said.

The Rev. Stephen Gutgsell was assaulted Sunday “during an invasion” of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, the Archdiocese of Omaha said in a statement.

Gutgsell was taken to an Omaha hospital, where he died from his injuries, church officials said. Fort Calhoun, with a population of about 1,000 people, is roughly 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Omaha.

Police received a 911 call about an attempted break-in at the church just after 5 a.m. When officers arrived, they found Gutgsell injured and a suspected attacker inside. Kierre L. Williams, 43, was arrested on charges of homicide and using a weapon to commit a felony, Washington County Sheriff Mike Robinson said in a statement.

It is not clear if Williams, who is from Sioux City, Iowa, about 85 miles (137 kilometers) north of Fort Calhoun, has a lawyer. A message left at the county jail was not immediately returned.

In 2007, Gutgsell pleaded guilty to theft by deception for embezzling $127,000 from an area church. He was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution. He was later reassigned to another church. At the time, church leaders said Gutgsell learned his lesson, admitted wrongdoing and sought forgiveness.

Earlier this year, his brother, the Rev. Michael Gutgsell, also pled guilty to theft charges. He served as chancellor of the Omaha archdiocese from 1994 until 2003.

Robinson&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wowt.com/app/2023/12/10/washington-county-sheriffs-office-investigating-priests-death/">told WOWT-TV</a>&nbsp;that authorities did not believe Stephen Gutgsell's death was related to his criminal history. Robinson did not respond Sunday to questions on the topic from The Associated Press.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man has been arrested in the stabbing death of a Catholic priest who was attacked over the weekend in a church rectory in a small Nebraska community, authorities said.The Rev. Stephen Gutgsell was assaulted Sunday “during an invasion” of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, the Archdiocese of Omaha said in a statement.Gutgsell was taken to an Omaha hospital, where he died from his injuries, church officials said. Fort Calhoun, with a population of about 1,000 people, is roughly 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Omaha.Police received a 911 call about an attempted break-in at the church just after 5 a.m. When officers arrived, they found Gutgsell injured and a suspected attacker inside. Kierre L. Williams, 43, was arrested on charges of homicide and using a weapon to commit a felony, Washington County Sheriff Mike Robinson said in a statement.It is not clear if Williams, who is from Sioux City, Iowa, about 85 miles (137 kilometers) north of Fort Calhoun, has a lawyer. A message left at the county jail was not immediately returned.In 2007, Gutgsell pleaded guilty to theft by deception for embezzling $127,000 from an area church. He was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution. He was later reassigned to another church. At the time, church leaders said Gutgsell learned his lesson, admitted wrongdoing and sought forgiveness.Earlier this year, his brother, the Rev. Michael Gutgsell, also pled guilty to theft charges. He served as chancellor of the Omaha archdiocese from 1994 until 2003.Robinson&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wowt.com/app/2023/12/10/washington-county-sheriffs-office-investigating-priests-death/">told WOWT-TV</a>&nbsp;that authorities did not believe Stephen Gutgsell's death was related to his criminal history. Robinson did not respond Sunday to questions on the topic from The Associated Press.

Iowa man arrested in the death of a Nebraska priest

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/07/speaker-says-legislature-pursuing-bill-not-lawsuit-to-resolve-separation-of-powers-dispute/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

Editor’s note: this story has been corrected to reflect that senators recently visited a youth treatment facility in Kearney, not Geneva, where a similar state facility has been closed.

LINCOLN — State lawmakers are for now pursuing a legislative, rather than a legal, resolution to a battle with the Pillen administration over a separation of powers dispute involving two inspectors general offices.

&nbsp;The Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature, State Sen. John Arch, said Thursday that legislative leaders are in negotiation with the administration over how state statutes might be changed to retain the oversight powers of the inspectors general of child welfare and corrections, without a contentious court battle.

A bill would be introduced during the 2024 session that begins in January in hopes of resolving the dispute between the legislative and executive branches.

“I would not say that (a lawsuit) is off the table. But we’re trying to find a way to accomplish what we need to accomplish … and not end up in court,” Arch said.

That comment, during an annual, pre-session retreat of state legislators, brought concerns from some lawmakers who questioned whether legislative leaders were acquiescing to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ago.nebraska.gov/sites/ago.nebraska.gov/files/docs/opinions/Opinion%20No.%2023-008.pdf">the nonbinding opinion</a>&nbsp;of Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers.

“If legislation is already being drafted, that seems to acknowledge the accuracy of the AG’s opinion,” said Lincoln Sen. George Dungan, an attorney. “To me, that suggests we’ve made the decision not to go to court.”

Another attorney, Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad, pointed out that such a legal opinion doesn’t change state law and noted that would require a decision in a lawsuit.

“The law is the law is the law,” Conrad said.

The investigative powers of the inspectors general’s offices have been in flux since August, when Hilgers issued&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/08/16/attorney-generals-opinion-casts-doubt-on-powers-of-legislatures-inspectors-general/">a nonbinding legal opinion</a>&nbsp;that the investigative powers given the offices violated the separation of powers clause of the State Constitution. Those powers granted “virtually untrammeled power to impede, control, and access” records of executive branch agencies, the state’s top lawyer said.

The two offices were created by the State Legislature to provide stronger oversight over the state Departments of Corrections and Health and Human Services in the wake of scandals involving four murders committed by a released inmate, Nikko Jenkins, and a failed experiment in privatizing child welfare services.

But since the legal opinion was issued, the inspectors general have been blocked from accessing data about cases of abuse involving state wards and disturbances within state prisons. The State Ombudsman’s Office, which includes the IG offices, has also been blocked from former paths of discovery and from visiting state institutions.

Omaha Sen. Michaela Cavanaugh expressed concern that vulnerable populations under state supervision are facing abuse and neglect without lawmakers being aware of it.

Earlier this fall, Cavanaugh and fellow Sen. Jen Day of Gretna traveled to the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Kearney after hearing reports of abuse of teens there, and learning that the Inspector General for Child Welfare was being denied reports about incidents there.

“I’m very concerned about what’s going to happen,” Cavanaugh said.

She added that the issue also raises concern about the powers of two other oversight entities, the Legislature’s Performance Audit Committee and the Foster Care Review Office.

State Ombudsman Julie Rogers, whose office includes the IGs, said that her employees are “finding different ways” to probe citizen complaints about performance of all state agencies, as well as Corrections and DHHS, “but it’s taking longer.”

Arch said that there’s been friction between the “co-equal” legislative and executive branches for some time,but that he has found the inspectors general to be very helpful in addressing concerns about the state YRTCs and the controversial child welfare management contract with Saint Francis Ministries.

&nbsp;He said going to court always comes with uncertainties, but there’s also a matter of wisely spending state funds — a lawsuit could be expensive.

&nbsp;The Executive Board, after Hilgers’ opinion came out, hired Lincoln attorney Marnie Jensen to represent the Legislature, to work on both the “short-term implications” of the legal opinion and a “long-term legislative solution.”

Hilgers, in his opinion, stated that the powers granted to the inspectors general infringed on the right of state executives and courts to oversee their own branches and that “dynamic compromise” ought to determine what data is shared between branches.

Arch said there have been several discussions with Pillen administration officials over possible legislative solutions to the dispute. A bill, if introduced, would then be reviewed by the Executive Board, which is generally considered to be the top leadership in the Legislature.

&nbsp;If those talks break down, Arch said, or lawmakers can’t agreed on a legislative solution, then a lawsuit would be considered.

At least two senators, Dungan and Cavanaugh, expressed frustration that the issue of whether to pursue legal action hadn’t been discussed with lawmakers earlier.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702304387421.jpeg" alt=" State senators work on the final day of the 2023 session of the Nebraska Legislature (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> State senators work on the final day of the 2023 session of the Nebraska Legislature (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Paul Hammel&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/07/speaker-says-legislature-pursuing-bill-not-lawsuit-to-resolve-separation-of-powers-dispute/">Nebraska Examiner</a>Editor’s note: this story has been corrected to reflect that senators recently visited a youth treatment facility in Kearney, not Geneva, where a similar state facility has been closed.LINCOLN — State lawmakers are for now pursuing a legislative, rather than a legal, resolution to a battle with the Pillen administration over a separation of powers dispute involving two inspectors general offices.&nbsp;The Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature, State Sen. John Arch, said Thursday that legislative leaders are in negotiation with the administration over how state statutes might be changed to retain the oversight powers of the inspectors general of child welfare and corrections, without a contentious court battle.A bill would be introduced during the 2024 session that begins in January in hopes of resolving the dispute between the legislative and executive branches.“I would not say that (a lawsuit) is off the table. But we’re trying to find a way to accomplish what we need to accomplish … and not end up in court,” Arch said.That comment, during an annual, pre-session retreat of state legislators, brought concerns from some lawmakers who questioned whether legislative leaders were acquiescing to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ago.nebraska.gov/sites/ago.nebraska.gov/files/docs/opinions/Opinion%20No.%2023-008.pdf">the nonbinding opinion</a>&nbsp;of Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers.“If legislation is already being drafted, that seems to acknowledge the accuracy of the AG’s opinion,” said Lincoln Sen. George Dungan, an attorney. “To me, that suggests we’ve made the decision not to go to court.”Another attorney, Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad, pointed out that such a legal opinion doesn’t change state law and noted that would require a decision in a lawsuit.“The law is the law is the law,” Conrad said.The investigative powers of the inspectors general’s offices have been in flux since August, when Hilgers issued&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/08/16/attorney-generals-opinion-casts-doubt-on-powers-of-legislatures-inspectors-general/">a nonbinding legal opinion</a>&nbsp;that the investigative powers given the offices violated the separation of powers clause of the State Constitution. Those powers granted “virtually untrammeled power to impede, control, and access” records of executive branch agencies, the state’s top lawyer said.The two offices were created by the State Legislature to provide stronger oversight over the state Departments of Corrections and Health and Human Services in the wake of scandals involving four murders committed by a released inmate, Nikko Jenkins, and a failed experiment in privatizing child welfare services.But since the legal opinion was issued, the inspectors general have been blocked from accessing data about cases of abuse involving state wards and disturbances within state prisons. The State Ombudsman’s Office, which includes the IG offices, has also been blocked from former paths of discovery and from visiting state institutions.<h2>Vulnerable populations involved</h2>Omaha Sen. Michaela Cavanaugh expressed concern that vulnerable populations under state supervision are facing abuse and neglect without lawmakers being aware of it.Earlier this fall, Cavanaugh and fellow Sen. Jen Day of Gretna traveled to the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Kearney after hearing reports of abuse of teens there, and learning that the Inspector General for Child Welfare was being denied reports about incidents there.“I’m very concerned about what’s going to happen,” Cavanaugh said.She added that the issue also raises concern about the powers of two other oversight entities, the Legislature’s Performance Audit Committee and the Foster Care Review Office.State Ombudsman Julie Rogers, whose office includes the IGs, said that her employees are “finding different ways” to probe citizen complaints about performance of all state agencies, as well as Corrections and DHHS, “but it’s taking longer.”Arch said that there’s been friction between the “co-equal” legislative and executive branches for some time,but that he has found the inspectors general to be very helpful in addressing concerns about the state YRTCs and the controversial child welfare management contract with Saint Francis Ministries.&nbsp;He said going to court always comes with uncertainties, but there’s also a matter of wisely spending state funds — a lawsuit could be expensive.&nbsp;The Executive Board, after Hilgers’ opinion came out, hired Lincoln attorney Marnie Jensen to represent the Legislature, to work on both the “short-term implications” of the legal opinion and a “long-term legislative solution.”Hilgers, in his opinion, stated that the powers granted to the inspectors general infringed on the right of state executives and courts to oversee their own branches and that “dynamic compromise” ought to determine what data is shared between branches.Arch said there have been several discussions with Pillen administration officials over possible legislative solutions to the dispute. A bill, if introduced, would then be reviewed by the Executive Board, which is generally considered to be the top leadership in the Legislature.&nbsp;If those talks break down, Arch said, or lawmakers can’t agreed on a legislative solution, then a lawsuit would be considered.At least two senators, Dungan and Cavanaugh, expressed frustration that the issue of whether to pursue legal action hadn’t been discussed with lawmakers earlier.

Speaker says Legislature pursuing bill, not lawsuit, to resolve separation of powers dispute

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will meet at the White House on Tuesday as the U.S. administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-immigration-ukraine-6bdcc5dde4dadb48b43ace75b5a55242">steps up the pressure</a>&nbsp;on Congress to provide&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-aid-military-russia-002fde812843fc1fc0e969b653ce83a8">billions more in aid to Kyiv</a>&nbsp;in its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">war with Russia</a>.

The visit is intended “to underscore the United States’ unshakeable commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia’s brutal invasion,” the White House said in a statement Sunday. “As Russia ramps up its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine, the leaders will discuss Ukraine’s urgent needs and the vital importance of the United States’ continued support at this critical moment.”

Zelenskyy's office confirmed that he had accepted Biden's invitation. He also has been asked to speak to a meeting of all senators.

Biden has asked Congress for a $110 billion package of wartime funding for Ukraine ($61.4 billion) and Israel, along with other national security priorities. But the request is caught up in a debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-argentina-cape-verde-496dc646174e1b89a145826963bb8bb3">Zelenskyy traveled to Buenos Aires</a>&nbsp;to witness&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/argentina-milei-inauguration-president-46b73d6a705e1c4652303022a37dbbb0">the swearing-in</a>&nbsp;on Sunday of Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei. The Ukrainian leader had been scheduled to address U.S. senators by video last week, but had to cancel the appearance, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.

Congress already has allocated $111 billion to assist Ukraine, and Biden’s budget director, Shalanda Young,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2023/12/04/letter-to-congressional-leadership-regarding-the-need-for-urgent-action-to-support-ukraines-defense/">said in a letter</a>&nbsp;this past week to House and Senate leaders that the U.S. will run out of funding to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine by the end of the year, which would “kneecap” Ukraine on the battlefield.

“It’s time to cut a deal that both sides can agree to,” Young said Sunday.

The stakes are especially high for Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during two television interviews Sunday, given that “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-military-assistance-economy-557cbced7f7c1242ea08c52dadefc33b">we are running out of funding</a>&nbsp;” for the Ukrainians. “This is a time to really step up because if we don’t, we know what happens. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will be able to move forward with impunity and we know he won’t stop in Ukraine.”

Earlier, he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-us-emergency-sale-tank-ammunition-war-d3e9b41528433f2da9814d3293996cd5">defended the emergency sale</a>&nbsp;to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition and also called for quick congressional approval of the foreign assistance. Blinken said the needs of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's military operations in Gaza</a>&nbsp;justify the rare decision to bypass Congress. “Israel is in combat right now with Hamas,” he said. “And we want to make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Hamas."

The tank ammunition and related support constitute only a small portion of military sales to Israel, Blinken said, and that the rest remains subject to congressional review. "It’s very important that Congress‘ voice be heard in this,” he said.

The decision to proceed with the sale of more than $106 million for tank shells came as the administration's larger aid package is caught up in a larger immigration debate.

Blinken noted that Biden has said he is willing to make&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-aid-military-russia-002fde812843fc1fc0e969b653ce83a8">significant compromises</a>&nbsp;to get the aid package moving. ``It’s something the president is fully prepared to engage on," Blinken said.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said there is bipartisan agreement that something has to be done to address record numbers of migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico.

“We want to solve that, to secure the border. I just saw the president of the United States say that we’ve got to secure the border. He’s right. So, any effort that doesn’t do that will be rejected by Republicans,” Romney said.

Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, said the administration has yet to justify additional aid to Ukraine. “So what we’re saying to the president and really to the entire world is, you need to articulate what the ambition is. What is $61 billion going to accomplish that $100 billion hasn’t?” Vance said.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said the money would make a difference because Russia is struggling to fund its war effort. “It can change the outcome of this war,” Murphy said. “Because at the very same time that we are making a renewed commitment to Ukraine, Russia’s ability to continue to fight this war is in jeopardy.”

Romney said he also supports the aid to Ukraine. “My own view is that it’s very much in America’s interest to see Ukraine successful and to provide the weapons that Ukraine needs to defend itself. Anything other than that would be a huge dereliction of our responsibility, I believe, to the world of democracy but also to our own national interest,” he said.

Blinken appeared on ABC's “This Week” and CNN's “State of the Union.” Romney and Murphy were on NBC's “Meet the Press.” Vance was on CNN. Young was on CBS' “Face the Nation.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — A deal to provide further U.S. assistance to Ukraine by year-end appears to be increasingly out of reach for President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>. The impasse is deepening in Congress despite dire warnings from the White House about the consequences of inaction as Republicans insist on pairing the aid with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-zelenskyy-border-security-8592ddcb1627fc6d0b43349bac3fe329">changes</a>&nbsp;to America's immigration and border policies.

After the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-aid-military-russia-002fde812843fc1fc0e969b653ce83a8">Democratic president said</a>&nbsp;this past week he was willing to “make significant compromises on the border,” Republicans quickly revived demands that they had earlier set aside, hardening their positions and attempting to shift the negotiations to the right, according to a person familiar with the talks who was not authorized to publicly discuss them and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The latest proposal, from the lead GOP negotiator, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., came during a meeting with a core group of senators before they left Washington on Thursday afternoon. It could force the White House to consider ideas that many Democrats will seriously oppose, throwing new obstacles in the difficult negotiations.

Biden is facing the prospect of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb">cornerstone of his foreign policy</a>&nbsp;— repelling Russian President Vladimir Putin from overtaking Ukraine — crumbling as U.S. support for funding the war wanes, especially among Republicans. The White House says a failure to approve more aid by year's end could have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-military-assistance-economy-557cbced7f7c1242ea08c52dadefc33b">catastrophic consequences</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine and its ability to fight.

To preserve U.S. backing, the Biden administration has quietly engaged in Senate talks on border policy in recent weeks, providing assistance to the small group of senators trying to reach a deal and communicating what policy changes it would find acceptable.

The president is trying to satisfy GOP demands to reduce the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-mexico-border-crossings-asylum-immigration-def50446bc397ebfba36ab272dbc0a27">historic number of migrants</a>&nbsp;arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border while alleviating Democrats' fears that legal immigration will be choked off with drastic measures.

As talks sputtered to a restart this past week, Democrats warned Republicans that time for a deal was running short. Congress is scheduled to depart Washington in mid-December for a holiday break.

“Republicans need to show they are serious about reaching a compromise, not just throwing on the floor basically Donald Trump’s border policies,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday before Republicans made their counteroffer.

But the new Republican proposal dug in on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-border-security-asylum-872a1e126677d7e203bb51bdb23a7975">policy changes</a>&nbsp;that had led Democrats to step back from the negotiations, according to the person familiar with the talks. The GOP offer calls for ending the humanitarian parole program that's now in place for existing classes of migrants — Ukrainians, Afghans, Cubans, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Haitians. That idea had been all but dashed before.

Additionally, those groups of migrants would not be allowed to be paroled again if the terms of their stay expire before their cases are adjudicated in immigration proceedings.

GOP senators proposed monitoring systems such as ankle bracelets for people, including children, who are detained at the border and are awaiting parole. Republicans want to ban people from applying for asylum if they have transited through a different country where they could have sought asylum instead. GOP lawmakers also want to revive executive powers that would allow a president to shut down entries for wide-ranging reasons.

Further, after migrant encounters at the border recently hit historic numbers, the GOP proposal would set new guidelines requiring the border to be essentially shut down if illegal crossings reach a certain limit.

Lankford declined to discuss specifics after the Thursday meeting, but said he was trying to “negotiate in good faith." He said the historic number of migrants at the border could not be ignored. The sheer number of people arriving at the border has swamped the asylum system, he said, making it impossible for authorities to adequately screen the people they allow in.

"Do you want large numbers of undocumented individuals and unscreened individuals without work permits, without access to the rest of the economy?” Lankford said.

The lead Democratic negotiator, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, did not quickly respond to the GOP proposal.

Senators had made some progress in the talks before Thursday, finding general agreement on raising the initial standard for migrants to enter the asylum system — part of what’s called the credible fear system. The administration has communicated that it is amenable to that change and that it could agree to expand expedited removal to deport immigrants before they have a hearing with an immigration judge, according to two people briefed on the private negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Immigration advocates and progressives in Congress have been alarmed by the direction of the talks, especially because they have not featured changes aimed at expanding legal immigration.

Robyn Barnard, director of refugee advocacy with Human Rights First, called the current state of negotiations an “absolute crisis moment.” She warned that broadening the fast-track deportation authority could lead to a mass rounding up of immigrants around the country and compared it to the situation during the Trump administration. “Communities across the country would be living in fear,” she said.

But Republican senators,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-immigration-asylum-border-congress-7507034034ba49a8f170777600cad46e">sensing that Biden, who is campaigning for a second term, wants to address</a>&nbsp;the historic number of people coming to the border, have taken an aggressive stance and tried to draw the president directly into negotiations.

“The White House is going to have to engage particularly if Senate Democrats are unwilling to do what we are suggesting be done,” said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., at a news conference Thursday.

The White House has so far declined to take a leading role in negotiations. “Democrats have said that they want to compromise. Have that conversation,” said White House press secretary Karine-Jean Pierre.

After every GOP senator this past week voted not to move ahead with legislation that would provide tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance for Ukraine, many in the chamber were left in a dour mood. Even those who held out hope for a deal acknowledged it would be difficult to push a package through the Senate at this late stage.

Even if senators reach a deal, the obstacles to passage in the House are considerable.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ukraine-border-security-zelenskyy-bf932727abd5e8ff3cf5c9c848a3cf78">Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has signaled</a>&nbsp;he will fight for sweeping changes to immigration policy that go beyond what is being discussed in the Senate. Also, broad support from House Democrats is far from guaranteed, as progressives and Hispanic lawmakers have raised alarm at curtailing access to asylum.

“Trading Ukrainian lives for the lives of asylum seekers is morally bankrupt and irresponsible,” Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, as part of a coordinated campaign by Hispanic Democrats.

The unwieldy nature of the issue left even Lankford, who was one of the few senators optimistic that a deal could be reached this year, acknowledging the difficulty of finding an agreement in the coming days.

“There’s just a whole lot of politics that have been bound up in this,” he said as he departed the Capitol for the week. “Thirty years it hasn’t been resolved because it’s incredibly complicated."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695327062140.png" alt="Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a September visit with President Biden-photo White House" />
 <figcaption>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a September visit with President Biden-photo White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will meet at the White House on Tuesday as the U.S. administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-immigration-ukraine-6bdcc5dde4dadb48b43ace75b5a55242">steps up the pressure</a>&nbsp;on Congress to provide&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-aid-military-russia-002fde812843fc1fc0e969b653ce83a8">billions more in aid to Kyiv</a>&nbsp;in its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">war with Russia</a>.The visit is intended “to underscore the United States’ unshakeable commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia’s brutal invasion,” the White House said in a statement Sunday. “As Russia ramps up its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine, the leaders will discuss Ukraine’s urgent needs and the vital importance of the United States’ continued support at this critical moment.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Border first. America first. <a href="https://t.co/vvQSuLkYVM">pic.twitter.com/vvQSuLkYVM</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1733596885028655521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Zelenskyy's office confirmed that he had accepted Biden's invitation. He also has been asked to speak to a meeting of all senators.Biden has asked Congress for a $110 billion package of wartime funding for Ukraine ($61.4 billion) and Israel, along with other national security priorities. But the request is caught up in a debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-argentina-cape-verde-496dc646174e1b89a145826963bb8bb3">Zelenskyy traveled to Buenos Aires</a>&nbsp;to witness&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/argentina-milei-inauguration-president-46b73d6a705e1c4652303022a37dbbb0">the swearing-in</a>&nbsp;on Sunday of Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei. The Ukrainian leader had been scheduled to address U.S. senators by video last week, but had to cancel the appearance, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.Congress already has allocated $111 billion to assist Ukraine, and Biden’s budget director, Shalanda Young,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2023/12/04/letter-to-congressional-leadership-regarding-the-need-for-urgent-action-to-support-ukraines-defense/">said in a letter</a>&nbsp;this past week to House and Senate leaders that the U.S. will run out of funding to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine by the end of the year, which would “kneecap” Ukraine on the battlefield.“It’s time to cut a deal that both sides can agree to,” Young said Sunday.The stakes are especially high for Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during two television interviews Sunday, given that “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-military-assistance-economy-557cbced7f7c1242ea08c52dadefc33b">we are running out of funding</a>&nbsp;” for the Ukrainians. “This is a time to really step up because if we don’t, we know what happens. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will be able to move forward with impunity and we know he won’t stop in Ukraine.”Earlier, he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-us-emergency-sale-tank-ammunition-war-d3e9b41528433f2da9814d3293996cd5">defended the emergency sale</a>&nbsp;to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition and also called for quick congressional approval of the foreign assistance. Blinken said the needs of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's military operations in Gaza</a>&nbsp;justify the rare decision to bypass Congress. “Israel is in combat right now with Hamas,” he said. “And we want to make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Hamas."The tank ammunition and related support constitute only a small portion of military sales to Israel, Blinken said, and that the rest remains subject to congressional review. "It’s very important that Congress‘ voice be heard in this,” he said.The decision to proceed with the sale of more than $106 million for tank shells came as the administration's larger aid package is caught up in a larger immigration debate.Blinken noted that Biden has said he is willing to make&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-aid-military-russia-002fde812843fc1fc0e969b653ce83a8">significant compromises</a>&nbsp;to get the aid package moving. ``It’s something the president is fully prepared to engage on," Blinken said.Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said there is bipartisan agreement that something has to be done to address record numbers of migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico.“We want to solve that, to secure the border. I just saw the president of the United States say that we’ve got to secure the border. He’s right. So, any effort that doesn’t do that will be rejected by Republicans,” Romney said.Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, said the administration has yet to justify additional aid to Ukraine. “So what we’re saying to the president and really to the entire world is, you need to articulate what the ambition is. What is $61 billion going to accomplish that $100 billion hasn’t?” Vance said.Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said the money would make a difference because Russia is struggling to fund its war effort. “It can change the outcome of this war,” Murphy said. “Because at the very same time that we are making a renewed commitment to Ukraine, Russia’s ability to continue to fight this war is in jeopardy.”Romney said he also supports the aid to Ukraine. “My own view is that it’s very much in America’s interest to see Ukraine successful and to provide the weapons that Ukraine needs to defend itself. Anything other than that would be a huge dereliction of our responsibility, I believe, to the world of democracy but also to our own national interest,” he said.Blinken appeared on ABC's “This Week” and CNN's “State of the Union.” Romney and Murphy were on NBC's “Meet the Press.” Vance was on CNN. Young was on CBS' “Face the Nation.”------------------------WASHINGTON (AP) — A deal to provide further U.S. assistance to Ukraine by year-end appears to be increasingly out of reach for President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>. The impasse is deepening in Congress despite dire warnings from the White House about the consequences of inaction as Republicans insist on pairing the aid with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-zelenskyy-border-security-8592ddcb1627fc6d0b43349bac3fe329">changes</a>&nbsp;to America's immigration and border policies.After the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-aid-military-russia-002fde812843fc1fc0e969b653ce83a8">Democratic president said</a>&nbsp;this past week he was willing to “make significant compromises on the border,” Republicans quickly revived demands that they had earlier set aside, hardening their positions and attempting to shift the negotiations to the right, according to a person familiar with the talks who was not authorized to publicly discuss them and spoke on condition of anonymity.The latest proposal, from the lead GOP negotiator, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., came during a meeting with a core group of senators before they left Washington on Thursday afternoon. It could force the White House to consider ideas that many Democrats will seriously oppose, throwing new obstacles in the difficult negotiations.Biden is facing the prospect of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb">cornerstone of his foreign policy</a>&nbsp;— repelling Russian President Vladimir Putin from overtaking Ukraine — crumbling as U.S. support for funding the war wanes, especially among Republicans. The White House says a failure to approve more aid by year's end could have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-military-assistance-economy-557cbced7f7c1242ea08c52dadefc33b">catastrophic consequences</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine and its ability to fight.To preserve U.S. backing, the Biden administration has quietly engaged in Senate talks on border policy in recent weeks, providing assistance to the small group of senators trying to reach a deal and communicating what policy changes it would find acceptable.The president is trying to satisfy GOP demands to reduce the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-mexico-border-crossings-asylum-immigration-def50446bc397ebfba36ab272dbc0a27">historic number of migrants</a>&nbsp;arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border while alleviating Democrats' fears that legal immigration will be choked off with drastic measures.As talks sputtered to a restart this past week, Democrats warned Republicans that time for a deal was running short. Congress is scheduled to depart Washington in mid-December for a holiday break.“Republicans need to show they are serious about reaching a compromise, not just throwing on the floor basically Donald Trump’s border policies,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday before Republicans made their counteroffer.But the new Republican proposal dug in on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-border-security-asylum-872a1e126677d7e203bb51bdb23a7975">policy changes</a>&nbsp;that had led Democrats to step back from the negotiations, according to the person familiar with the talks. The GOP offer calls for ending the humanitarian parole program that's now in place for existing classes of migrants — Ukrainians, Afghans, Cubans, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Haitians. That idea had been all but dashed before.Additionally, those groups of migrants would not be allowed to be paroled again if the terms of their stay expire before their cases are adjudicated in immigration proceedings.GOP senators proposed monitoring systems such as ankle bracelets for people, including children, who are detained at the border and are awaiting parole. Republicans want to ban people from applying for asylum if they have transited through a different country where they could have sought asylum instead. GOP lawmakers also want to revive executive powers that would allow a president to shut down entries for wide-ranging reasons.Further, after migrant encounters at the border recently hit historic numbers, the GOP proposal would set new guidelines requiring the border to be essentially shut down if illegal crossings reach a certain limit.Lankford declined to discuss specifics after the Thursday meeting, but said he was trying to “negotiate in good faith." He said the historic number of migrants at the border could not be ignored. The sheer number of people arriving at the border has swamped the asylum system, he said, making it impossible for authorities to adequately screen the people they allow in."Do you want large numbers of undocumented individuals and unscreened individuals without work permits, without access to the rest of the economy?” Lankford said.The lead Democratic negotiator, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, did not quickly respond to the GOP proposal.Senators had made some progress in the talks before Thursday, finding general agreement on raising the initial standard for migrants to enter the asylum system — part of what’s called the credible fear system. The administration has communicated that it is amenable to that change and that it could agree to expand expedited removal to deport immigrants before they have a hearing with an immigration judge, according to two people briefed on the private negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity.Immigration advocates and progressives in Congress have been alarmed by the direction of the talks, especially because they have not featured changes aimed at expanding legal immigration.Robyn Barnard, director of refugee advocacy with Human Rights First, called the current state of negotiations an “absolute crisis moment.” She warned that broadening the fast-track deportation authority could lead to a mass rounding up of immigrants around the country and compared it to the situation during the Trump administration. “Communities across the country would be living in fear,” she said.But Republican senators,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-immigration-asylum-border-congress-7507034034ba49a8f170777600cad46e">sensing that Biden, who is campaigning for a second term, wants to address</a>&nbsp;the historic number of people coming to the border, have taken an aggressive stance and tried to draw the president directly into negotiations.“The White House is going to have to engage particularly if Senate Democrats are unwilling to do what we are suggesting be done,” said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., at a news conference Thursday.The White House has so far declined to take a leading role in negotiations. “Democrats have said that they want to compromise. Have that conversation,” said White House press secretary Karine-Jean Pierre.After every GOP senator this past week voted not to move ahead with legislation that would provide tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance for Ukraine, many in the chamber were left in a dour mood. Even those who held out hope for a deal acknowledged it would be difficult to push a package through the Senate at this late stage.Even if senators reach a deal, the obstacles to passage in the House are considerable.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ukraine-border-security-zelenskyy-bf932727abd5e8ff3cf5c9c848a3cf78">Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has signaled</a>&nbsp;he will fight for sweeping changes to immigration policy that go beyond what is being discussed in the Senate. Also, broad support from House Democrats is far from guaranteed, as progressives and Hispanic lawmakers have raised alarm at curtailing access to asylum.“Trading Ukrainian lives for the lives of asylum seekers is morally bankrupt and irresponsible,” Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, as part of a coordinated campaign by Hispanic Democrats.The unwieldy nature of the issue left even Lankford, who was one of the few senators optimistic that a deal could be reached this year, acknowledging the difficulty of finding an agreement in the coming days.“There’s just a whole lot of politics that have been bound up in this,” he said as he departed the Capitol for the week. “Thirty years it hasn’t been resolved because it’s incredibly complicated."___

Ukraine's leader returning to Washington for more financial aid

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Trouble with playground bullies started for Maria Ishoo’s daughter in elementary school. Girls ganged up, calling her “fat” and “ugly.” Boys tripped and pushed her. The California mother watched her typically bubbly second-grader retreat into her bedroom and spend afternoons curled up in bed.

For Valerie Aguirre’s daughter in Hawaii, a spate of middle school “friend drama” escalated into violence and online bullying that left the 12-year-old feeling disconnected and lonely.

Both children received help through telehealth therapy, a service that schools around the country are offering in response to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-health-pandemics-teens-cd01cd672539d6a3dbada46bfa47203a" target="_blank">soaring mental health struggles</a>&nbsp;among American youth.

Now at least 16 of the 20 largest U.S. public school districts are offering online therapy sessions to reach millions of students, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. In those districts alone, schools have signed provider contracts worth more than $70 million.

The growth reflects a booming new business born from America’s youth mental health crisis, which has proven so lucrative that venture capitalists are funding a new crop of school teletherapy companies. Some experts raise concerns about the quality of care offered by fast-growing tech companies.

As schools cope with shortages of in-person practitioners, however, educators say teletherapy works for many kids, and it’s meeting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mental-health-crisis-schools-768fed6a4e71d694ec0694c627d8fdca" target="_blank">a massive need</a>. For rural schools and lower-income students in particular, it has made therapy easier to access. Schools let students connect with online counselors during the school day or after hours from home.

“This is how we can prevent people from falling through the cracks,” said Ishoo, a mother of two in Lancaster, California.

Ishoo recalls standing at her second-grader’s bedroom door last year and wishing she could get through to her. “What’s wrong?” the mother would ask. The response made her heart heavy: “It’s NOTHING, Mom.”

Last spring, her school district launched a teletherapy program and she signed up her daughter. During a month of weekly sessions, the girl logged in from her bedroom and opened up to a therapist who gave her coping tools and breathing techniques to reduce anxiety. The therapist told her daughter: You are in charge of your own emotions. Don’t give anyone else that control.

“She learned that it’s OK to ask for help, and sometimes everyone needs some extra help,” Ishoo said.

The 13,000-student school system, like so many others, has counselors and psychologists on staff, but not enough to meet the need, said Trish Wilson, the Lancaster district’s coordinator of counselors.

Therapists in the area have full caseloads, making it impossible to refer students for immediate care, she said. But students can schedule a virtual session within days.

“Our preference is to provide our students in-person therapy. Obviously, that’s not always possible,” said Wilson, whose district has referred more than 325 students to over 800 sessions since launching the online therapy program.

Students and their parents said in interviews they turned to teletherapy after struggling with feelings of sadness, loneliness, academic stress and anxiety. For many, the transition back to in-person school after distance learning was traumatic. Friendships had fractured, social skills deteriorated and tempers flared more easily.

Schools are footing the bill, many of them using federal pandemic relief money as experts have warned of alarming rates of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/teens-girls-mental-health-social-media-928d45094e94fccb81e1fa9aca30fcdf" target="_blank">youth depression, anxiety and suicide</a>. Many school districts are signing contracts with private companies. Others are working with local health care providers, nonprofits or state programs.

Mental health experts welcome the extra support but caution about potential pitfalls. For one, it’s getting harder to hire school counselors and psychologists, and competition with telehealth providers isn’t helping.

“We have 44 counselor vacancies, and telehealth definitely impacts our ability to fill them,” said Doreen Hogans, supervisor of school counseling in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Hogans estimates 20% of school counselors who left have taken teletherapy jobs, which offer more flexible hours.

The rapid growth of the companies raises questions about the qualifications of the therapists, their experience with children and privacy protocols, said Kevin Dahill-Fuchel, executive director of Counseling in Schools, a nonprofit that helps schools bolster traditional, in-person mental health services.

“As we give these young people access to telehealth, I want to hear how all these other bases are covered,” he said.

One of the biggest providers, San Francisco-based Hazel Health, started with telemedicine health services in schools in 2016 and expanded to mental health in May 2021, CEO Josh Golomb said. It now employs more than 300 clinicians providing teletherapy in over 150 school districts in 15 states.

The rapid expansions mean millions of dollars in revenue for Hazel. This year, the company signed a $24 million contract with Los Angeles County to offer teletherapy services to 1.3 million students for two years.

Other clients include Hawaii, which is paying Hazel nearly $4 million over three years to work with its public schools, and Clark County schools in the Las Vegas area, which have allocated $3.25 million for Hazel-provided teletherapy. The districts of Miami-Dade, Prince George’s and Houston schools also have partnered with Hazel.

Despite the giant contracts, Golomb said Hazel is focused on ensuring child welfare outweighs the bottom line.

“We have the ethos of a nonprofit company but we’re using a private-sector mechanism to reach as many kids as we can,” Golomb said. Hazel raised $51.5 million in venture capital funding in 2022 that fueled its expansion. “Do we have any concerns about any compromise in quality? The resounding answer is no.”

Other providers are getting into the space. In November, New York City launched a free telehealth therapy service for teens to help eliminate barriers to access, said Ashwin Vasan, the city’s health commissioner. New York is paying the startup TalkSpace $26 million over three years for a service allowing teens aged 13 to 17 to download an app and connect with licensed therapists by phone, video or text.

Unlike other cities, New York is offering the service to all teens, whether enrolled in private, public or home schools, or&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-children/index.html" target="_blank">not in school at all</a>.

“I truly hope this normalizes and democratizes access to mental health care for our young people,” Vasan said.

Many of Hawaii’s referrals come from schools in rural or remote areas. Student clients have increased sharply in Maui since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-fires-timeline-maui-lahaina-road-block-c8522222f6de587bd14b2da0020c40e9" target="_blank">deadly August wildfires</a>, said Fern Yoshida, who oversees teletherapy for the state education department. So far this fall, students have logged 2,047 teletherapy visits, a three-fold increase from the same period last year.

One of them was Valerie Aguirre’s daughter, whose fallout with two friends turned physical last year in sixth grade, when one of the girls slapped her daughter in the face. Aguirre suggested her daughter try teletherapy. After two months of online therapy, “she felt better,” Aguirre said, with a realization that everyone makes mistakes and friendships can be mended.

In California, Ishoo says her daughter, now in third grade, is relaying wisdom to her sister, who started kindergarten this year.

“She walks her little sister to class and tells her everything will be OK. She’s a different person. She’s older and wiser. She reassures her sister,” Ishoo said. “I heard her say, ‘If kids are being mean to you, just ignore them.’”

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Trouble with playground bullies started for Maria Ishoo’s daughter in elementary school. Girls ganged up, calling her “fat” and “ugly.” Boys tripped and pushed her. The California mother watched her typically bubbly second-grader retreat into her bedroom and spend afternoons curled up in bed.For Valerie Aguirre’s daughter in Hawaii, a spate of middle school “friend drama” escalated into violence and online bullying that left the 12-year-old feeling disconnected and lonely.Both children received help through telehealth therapy, a service that schools around the country are offering in response to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-health-pandemics-teens-cd01cd672539d6a3dbada46bfa47203a" target="_blank">soaring mental health struggles</a>&nbsp;among American youth.Now at least 16 of the 20 largest U.S. public school districts are offering online therapy sessions to reach millions of students, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. In those districts alone, schools have signed provider contracts worth more than $70 million.The growth reflects a booming new business born from America’s youth mental health crisis, which has proven so lucrative that venture capitalists are funding a new crop of school teletherapy companies. Some experts raise concerns about the quality of care offered by fast-growing tech companies.As schools cope with shortages of in-person practitioners, however, educators say teletherapy works for many kids, and it’s meeting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mental-health-crisis-schools-768fed6a4e71d694ec0694c627d8fdca" target="_blank">a massive need</a>. For rural schools and lower-income students in particular, it has made therapy easier to access. Schools let students connect with online counselors during the school day or after hours from home.“This is how we can prevent people from falling through the cracks,” said Ishoo, a mother of two in Lancaster, California.Ishoo recalls standing at her second-grader’s bedroom door last year and wishing she could get through to her. “What’s wrong?” the mother would ask. The response made her heart heavy: “It’s NOTHING, Mom.”Last spring, her school district launched a teletherapy program and she signed up her daughter. During a month of weekly sessions, the girl logged in from her bedroom and opened up to a therapist who gave her coping tools and breathing techniques to reduce anxiety. The therapist told her daughter: You are in charge of your own emotions. Don’t give anyone else that control.“She learned that it’s OK to ask for help, and sometimes everyone needs some extra help,” Ishoo said.The 13,000-student school system, like so many others, has counselors and psychologists on staff, but not enough to meet the need, said Trish Wilson, the Lancaster district’s coordinator of counselors.Therapists in the area have full caseloads, making it impossible to refer students for immediate care, she said. But students can schedule a virtual session within days.“Our preference is to provide our students in-person therapy. Obviously, that’s not always possible,” said Wilson, whose district has referred more than 325 students to over 800 sessions since launching the online therapy program.Students and their parents said in interviews they turned to teletherapy after struggling with feelings of sadness, loneliness, academic stress and anxiety. For many, the transition back to in-person school after distance learning was traumatic. Friendships had fractured, social skills deteriorated and tempers flared more easily.Schools are footing the bill, many of them using federal pandemic relief money as experts have warned of alarming rates of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/teens-girls-mental-health-social-media-928d45094e94fccb81e1fa9aca30fcdf" target="_blank">youth depression, anxiety and suicide</a>. Many school districts are signing contracts with private companies. Others are working with local health care providers, nonprofits or state programs.Mental health experts welcome the extra support but caution about potential pitfalls. For one, it’s getting harder to hire school counselors and psychologists, and competition with telehealth providers isn’t helping.“We have 44 counselor vacancies, and telehealth definitely impacts our ability to fill them,” said Doreen Hogans, supervisor of school counseling in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Hogans estimates 20% of school counselors who left have taken teletherapy jobs, which offer more flexible hours.The rapid growth of the companies raises questions about the qualifications of the therapists, their experience with children and privacy protocols, said Kevin Dahill-Fuchel, executive director of Counseling in Schools, a nonprofit that helps schools bolster traditional, in-person mental health services.“As we give these young people access to telehealth, I want to hear how all these other bases are covered,” he said.One of the biggest providers, San Francisco-based Hazel Health, started with telemedicine health services in schools in 2016 and expanded to mental health in May 2021, CEO Josh Golomb said. It now employs more than 300 clinicians providing teletherapy in over 150 school districts in 15 states.The rapid expansions mean millions of dollars in revenue for Hazel. This year, the company signed a $24 million contract with Los Angeles County to offer teletherapy services to 1.3 million students for two years.Other clients include Hawaii, which is paying Hazel nearly $4 million over three years to work with its public schools, and Clark County schools in the Las Vegas area, which have allocated $3.25 million for Hazel-provided teletherapy. The districts of Miami-Dade, Prince George’s and Houston schools also have partnered with Hazel.Despite the giant contracts, Golomb said Hazel is focused on ensuring child welfare outweighs the bottom line.“We have the ethos of a nonprofit company but we’re using a private-sector mechanism to reach as many kids as we can,” Golomb said. Hazel raised $51.5 million in venture capital funding in 2022 that fueled its expansion. “Do we have any concerns about any compromise in quality? The resounding answer is no.”Other providers are getting into the space. In November, New York City launched a free telehealth therapy service for teens to help eliminate barriers to access, said Ashwin Vasan, the city’s health commissioner. New York is paying the startup TalkSpace $26 million over three years for a service allowing teens aged 13 to 17 to download an app and connect with licensed therapists by phone, video or text.Unlike other cities, New York is offering the service to all teens, whether enrolled in private, public or home schools, or&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-children/index.html" target="_blank">not in school at all</a>.“I truly hope this normalizes and democratizes access to mental health care for our young people,” Vasan said.Many of Hawaii’s referrals come from schools in rural or remote areas. Student clients have increased sharply in Maui since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-fires-timeline-maui-lahaina-road-block-c8522222f6de587bd14b2da0020c40e9" target="_blank">deadly August wildfires</a>, said Fern Yoshida, who oversees teletherapy for the state education department. So far this fall, students have logged 2,047 teletherapy visits, a three-fold increase from the same period last year.One of them was Valerie Aguirre’s daughter, whose fallout with two friends turned physical last year in sixth grade, when one of the girls slapped her daughter in the face. Aguirre suggested her daughter try teletherapy. After two months of online therapy, “she felt better,” Aguirre said, with a realization that everyone makes mistakes and friendships can be mended.In California, Ishoo says her daughter, now in third grade, is relaying wisdom to her sister, who started kindergarten this year.“She walks her little sister to class and tells her everything will be OK. She’s a different person. She’s older and wiser. She reassures her sister,” Ishoo said. “I heard her say, ‘If kids are being mean to you, just ignore them.’”

US schools turn to the booming business of online therapy

LONDON (AP) — European Union negotiators clinched a deal Friday on the world's first comprehensive artificial intelligence rules, paving the way for legal oversight of AI technology that has promised to transform everyday life and spurred&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-risks-uk-summit-regulation-ce89e842a176e55e46b6cc493cd515a5">warnings of existential dangers to humanity</a>.

In August,&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly directed Executive Branch agencies in Kansas to adopt a statewide generative AI policy.&nbsp; Click&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vZ292ZXJub3Iua2Fuc2FzLmdvdi93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyMy8wOC9QODIwMC4wMC1HZW5lcmF0aXZlLUFydGlmaWNpYWwtSW50ZWxsaWdlbmNlLVNpZ25lZC5wZGYiLCJidWxsZXRpbl9pZCI6IjIwMjMwODE3LjgxMjg2MDMxIn0.hokEvcv46zzbzO_okmiCBJ5v6Br8rs1-U1zG2oosPqw/s/1303160919/br/224431701019-l" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;to view the full policy

Negotiators from the European Parliament and the bloc's 27 member countries overcame big differences on controversial points including generative AI and police use of face recognition surveillance to sign a tentative political agreement for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-act-talks-artificial-intelligence-regulation-e2bb57eef7ba6d2b0c85ef757fcd3bb0">Artificial Intelligence Act</a>.

“Deal!” tweeted European Commissioner Thierry Breton just before midnight. “The EU becomes the very first continent to set clear rules for the use of AI.”

The result came after marathon closed-door talks this week, with the initial session lasting 22 hours before a second round kicked off Friday morning.

Officials were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-act-artificial-intelligence-regulation-europe-06ab334caa97778770f5f57f4d904447">under the gun to secure a political victory</a>&nbsp;for the flagship legislation. Civil society groups, however, gave it a cool reception as they wait for technical details that will need to be ironed out in the coming weeks. They said the deal didn't go far enough in protecting people from harm caused by AI systems.

“Today’s political deal marks the beginning of important and necessary technical work on crucial details of the AI Act, which are still missing,” said Daniel Friedlaender, head of the European office of the Computer and Communications Industry Association, a tech industry lobby group.

The EU took an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tech-ai-artificial-intelligence-europe-eu-15ac394679519084478e15217c156abc">early lead in the global race</a>&nbsp;to draw up AI guardrails when it unveiled the first draft of its rulebook in 2021. The recent boom in generative AI, however, sent European officials scrambling to update a proposal poised to serve as a blueprint for the world.

The European Parliament will still need to vote on the act early next year, but with the deal done that’s a formality, Brando Benifei, an Italian lawmaker co-leading the body’s negotiating efforts, told The Associated Press late Friday.

“It’s very very good,” he said by text message after being asked if it included everything he wanted. “Obviously we had to accept some compromises but overall very good.” The eventual law wouldn’t fully take effect until 2025 at the earliest, and threatens stiff financial penalties for violations of up to 35 million euros ($38 million) or 7% of a company's global turnover.

Generative AI systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have exploded into the world's consciousness, dazzling users with the ability to produce human-like text, photos and songs but raising fears about the risks the rapidly developing technology poses to jobs, privacy and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-copyright-artificial-intelligence-b456fa19dd90bea87533f97f043a31bc">copyright protection</a>&nbsp;and even&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-risk-of-extinction-ai-54ea8aadc60d1503e5a65878219aad43">human life itself</a>.

Now,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ai-artificial-intelligence-executive-order-cb86162000d894f238f28ac029005059">the U.S.</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-risks-uk-summit-kamala-harris-9e01b9d35ec1541755a273c07dfa4c71">U.K.</a>, China and global coalitions like the Group of 7 major democracies have jumped in with their own proposals to regulate AI, though they’re still catching up to Europe.

Strong and comprehensive rules from the EU “can set a powerful example for many governments considering regulation,” said Anu Bradford, a Columbia Law School professor who's an expert on EU law and digital regulation. Other countries “may not copy every provision but will likely emulate many aspects of it.”

AI companies subject to the EU's rules will also likely extend some of those obligations outside the continent, she said. “After all, it is not efficient to re-train separate models for different markets," she said.

The AI Act was originally designed to mitigate the dangers from specific AI functions based on their level of risk, from low to unacceptable. But lawmakers pushed to expand it to foundation models, the advanced systems that underpin general purpose AI services like ChatGPT and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-artificial-intelligence-bard-gmail-youtube-maps-1229638b82d19afb5226c913821fa1ad">Google’s Bard chatbot</a>.

Foundation models looked set to be one of the biggest sticking points for Europe. However, negotiators managed to reach a tentative compromise early in the talks, despite opposition led by France, which called instead for self-regulation to help homegrown European generative AI companies competing with big U.S rivals, including OpenAI's backer Microsoft.

Also known as large language models, these systems are trained on vast troves of written works and images scraped off the internet. They give generative AI systems the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-hollywood-writers-strike-artificial-intelligence-dc71c4cabcca0ee1b1afe0050d392a36">ability to create something new</a>, unlike traditional AI, which processes data and completes tasks using predetermined rules.

The companies building foundation models will have to draw up technical documentation, comply with EU copyright law and detail the content used for training. The most advanced foundation models that pose “systemic risks” will face extra scrutiny, including assessing and mitigating those risks, reporting serious incidents, putting cybersecurity measures in place and reporting their energy efficiency.

Researchers have warned that powerful foundation models, built by a handful of big tech companies, could be used to supercharge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-hamas-israel-misinformation-ai-gaza-a1bb303b637ffbbb9cbc3aa1e000db47">online disinformation and manipulation</a>, cyberattacks or creation of bioweapons.

Rights groups also caution that the lack of transparency about data used to train the models poses risks to daily life because they act as basic structures for software developers building AI-powered services.

What became the thorniest topic was AI-powered face recognition surveillance systems, and negotiators found a compromise after intensive bargaining.

European lawmakers wanted a full ban on public use of face scanning and other “remote biometric identification” systems because of privacy concerns. But governments of member countries succeeded in negotiating exemptions so law enforcement could use them to tackle serious crimes like child sexual exploitation or terrorist attacks.

Rights groups said they were concerned about the exemptions and other big loopholes in the AI Act, including lack of protection for AI systems used in migration and border control, and the option for developers to opt-out of having their systems classified as high risk.

LONDON (AP) — European Union negotiators clinched a deal Friday on the world's first comprehensive artificial intelligence rules, paving the way for legal oversight of AI technology that has promised to transform everyday life and spurred&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-risks-uk-summit-regulation-ce89e842a176e55e46b6cc493cd515a5">warnings of existential dangers to humanity</a>.In August,&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly directed Executive Branch agencies in Kansas to adopt a statewide generative AI policy.&nbsp; Click&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vZ292ZXJub3Iua2Fuc2FzLmdvdi93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyMy8wOC9QODIwMC4wMC1HZW5lcmF0aXZlLUFydGlmaWNpYWwtSW50ZWxsaWdlbmNlLVNpZ25lZC5wZGYiLCJidWxsZXRpbl9pZCI6IjIwMjMwODE3LjgxMjg2MDMxIn0.hokEvcv46zzbzO_okmiCBJ5v6Br8rs1-U1zG2oosPqw/s/1303160919/br/224431701019-l" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;to view the full policyNegotiators from the European Parliament and the bloc's 27 member countries overcame big differences on controversial points including generative AI and police use of face recognition surveillance to sign a tentative political agreement for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-act-talks-artificial-intelligence-regulation-e2bb57eef7ba6d2b0c85ef757fcd3bb0">Artificial Intelligence Act</a>.“Deal!” tweeted European Commissioner Thierry Breton just before midnight. “The EU becomes the very first continent to set clear rules for the use of AI.”The result came after marathon closed-door talks this week, with the initial session lasting 22 hours before a second round kicked off Friday morning.Officials were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-act-artificial-intelligence-regulation-europe-06ab334caa97778770f5f57f4d904447">under the gun to secure a political victory</a>&nbsp;for the flagship legislation. Civil society groups, however, gave it a cool reception as they wait for technical details that will need to be ironed out in the coming weeks. They said the deal didn't go far enough in protecting people from harm caused by AI systems.“Today’s political deal marks the beginning of important and necessary technical work on crucial details of the AI Act, which are still missing,” said Daniel Friedlaender, head of the European office of the Computer and Communications Industry Association, a tech industry lobby group.The EU took an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tech-ai-artificial-intelligence-europe-eu-15ac394679519084478e15217c156abc">early lead in the global race</a>&nbsp;to draw up AI guardrails when it unveiled the first draft of its rulebook in 2021. The recent boom in generative AI, however, sent European officials scrambling to update a proposal poised to serve as a blueprint for the world.The European Parliament will still need to vote on the act early next year, but with the deal done that’s a formality, Brando Benifei, an Italian lawmaker co-leading the body’s negotiating efforts, told The Associated Press late Friday.“It’s very very good,” he said by text message after being asked if it included everything he wanted. “Obviously we had to accept some compromises but overall very good.” The eventual law wouldn’t fully take effect until 2025 at the earliest, and threatens stiff financial penalties for violations of up to 35 million euros ($38 million) or 7% of a company's global turnover.Generative AI systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have exploded into the world's consciousness, dazzling users with the ability to produce human-like text, photos and songs but raising fears about the risks the rapidly developing technology poses to jobs, privacy and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-copyright-artificial-intelligence-b456fa19dd90bea87533f97f043a31bc">copyright protection</a>&nbsp;and even&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-risk-of-extinction-ai-54ea8aadc60d1503e5a65878219aad43">human life itself</a>.Now,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ai-artificial-intelligence-executive-order-cb86162000d894f238f28ac029005059">the U.S.</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-risks-uk-summit-kamala-harris-9e01b9d35ec1541755a273c07dfa4c71">U.K.</a>, China and global coalitions like the Group of 7 major democracies have jumped in with their own proposals to regulate AI, though they’re still catching up to Europe.Strong and comprehensive rules from the EU “can set a powerful example for many governments considering regulation,” said Anu Bradford, a Columbia Law School professor who's an expert on EU law and digital regulation. Other countries “may not copy every provision but will likely emulate many aspects of it.”AI companies subject to the EU's rules will also likely extend some of those obligations outside the continent, she said. “After all, it is not efficient to re-train separate models for different markets," she said.The AI Act was originally designed to mitigate the dangers from specific AI functions based on their level of risk, from low to unacceptable. But lawmakers pushed to expand it to foundation models, the advanced systems that underpin general purpose AI services like ChatGPT and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-artificial-intelligence-bard-gmail-youtube-maps-1229638b82d19afb5226c913821fa1ad">Google’s Bard chatbot</a>.Foundation models looked set to be one of the biggest sticking points for Europe. However, negotiators managed to reach a tentative compromise early in the talks, despite opposition led by France, which called instead for self-regulation to help homegrown European generative AI companies competing with big U.S rivals, including OpenAI's backer Microsoft.Also known as large language models, these systems are trained on vast troves of written works and images scraped off the internet. They give generative AI systems the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-hollywood-writers-strike-artificial-intelligence-dc71c4cabcca0ee1b1afe0050d392a36">ability to create something new</a>, unlike traditional AI, which processes data and completes tasks using predetermined rules.The companies building foundation models will have to draw up technical documentation, comply with EU copyright law and detail the content used for training. The most advanced foundation models that pose “systemic risks” will face extra scrutiny, including assessing and mitigating those risks, reporting serious incidents, putting cybersecurity measures in place and reporting their energy efficiency.Researchers have warned that powerful foundation models, built by a handful of big tech companies, could be used to supercharge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-hamas-israel-misinformation-ai-gaza-a1bb303b637ffbbb9cbc3aa1e000db47">online disinformation and manipulation</a>, cyberattacks or creation of bioweapons.Rights groups also caution that the lack of transparency about data used to train the models poses risks to daily life because they act as basic structures for software developers building AI-powered services.What became the thorniest topic was AI-powered face recognition surveillance systems, and negotiators found a compromise after intensive bargaining.European lawmakers wanted a full ban on public use of face scanning and other “remote biometric identification” systems because of privacy concerns. But governments of member countries succeeded in negotiating exemptions so law enforcement could use them to tackle serious crimes like child sexual exploitation or terrorist attacks.Rights groups said they were concerned about the exemptions and other big loopholes in the AI Act, including lack of protection for AI systems used in migration and border control, and the option for developers to opt-out of having their systems classified as high risk.

World's first comprehensive AI rules approved

WASHINGTON (AP)— President Joe Biden's administration has approved the emergency sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106 million as it intensifies its military operations in the southern Gaza Strip, the State Department said Saturday.

The department said it had notified Congress of the sale late Friday after Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined that “an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale” of the munitions in the U.S. national security interest.

The emergency determination means that the purchase will bypass the congressional review requirement for foreign military sales. Such determinations are rare, but not unprecedented, when administrations see an urgent need for weapons to be delivered without waiting for congressional approval.

“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the department said in a statement. “Israel will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense.”

The sale is worth $106.5 million and includes 13,981 120 mm High Explosive Anti-Tank Multi-Purpose with Tracer tank cartridges as well as U.S. support, engineering and logistics.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian death toll in Gaza from the Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 17,700, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory.

Israel’s ground offensive in southern Gaza Strip intensified on Saturday with further airstrikes and artillery fire, a day after the United States&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-un-resolution-ceasefire-humanitarian-6d3bfd31d6c25168e828274d96b85cf8">blocked a U.N. resolution</a>&nbsp;calling for a cease-fire.

Israel says 97 of its soldiers have died in the ground offensive after Hamas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-attack-military-war-a8f63b07641212f0de61861844e5e71e">raided southern Israel</a>&nbsp;on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hostages-gaza-b6ffc286ca7d4b48caaada43e9c6e411">about 240 hostages.</a>

Amid concerns about a wider conflict, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen threatened to prevent any ship heading to Israeli ports from passing through the Red Sea and Arabian Sea until food and medicine can enter Gaza freely. With only a trickle of humanitarian aid reaching a small portion of Gaza, residents have reported severe food shortages.

Despite growing international pressure, President Joe Biden’s administration remains opposed to an open-ended cease-fire, arguing it would enable Hamas to continue posing a threat to Israel. The administration approved the emergency sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106 million, the State Department said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697623831480.png" alt="File-President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -White House photo" />
 <figcaption>File-President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP)— President Joe Biden's administration has approved the emergency sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106 million as it intensifies its military operations in the southern Gaza Strip, the State Department said Saturday.The department said it had notified Congress of the sale late Friday after Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined that “an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale” of the munitions in the U.S. national security interest.The emergency determination means that the purchase will bypass the congressional review requirement for foreign military sales. Such determinations are rare, but not unprecedented, when administrations see an urgent need for weapons to be delivered without waiting for congressional approval.“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the department said in a statement. “Israel will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense.”The sale is worth $106.5 million and includes 13,981 120 mm High Explosive Anti-Tank Multi-Purpose with Tracer tank cartridges as well as U.S. support, engineering and logistics.Meanwhile, the Palestinian death toll in Gaza from the Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 17,700, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory.Israel’s ground offensive in southern Gaza Strip intensified on Saturday with further airstrikes and artillery fire, a day after the United States&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-un-resolution-ceasefire-humanitarian-6d3bfd31d6c25168e828274d96b85cf8">blocked a U.N. resolution</a>&nbsp;calling for a cease-fire.Israel says 97 of its soldiers have died in the ground offensive after Hamas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-attack-military-war-a8f63b07641212f0de61861844e5e71e">raided southern Israel</a>&nbsp;on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hostages-gaza-b6ffc286ca7d4b48caaada43e9c6e411">about 240 hostages.</a>Amid concerns about a wider conflict, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen threatened to prevent any ship heading to Israeli ports from passing through the Red Sea and Arabian Sea until food and medicine can enter Gaza freely. With only a trickle of humanitarian aid reaching a small portion of Gaza, residents have reported severe food shortages.Despite growing international pressure, President Joe Biden’s administration remains opposed to an open-ended cease-fire, arguing it would enable Hamas to continue posing a threat to Israel. The administration approved the emergency sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106 million, the State Department said.