SASSE, BACON PUSH BACK ON TRUMP PARDONS AND COMPLAINTS ABOUT STIMULUS BILL

WASHINGTON- Sen. Ben Sasse and Rep. Don Bacon were among the first Republicans in Congress to acknowledge that Biden won the presidential race. After the second batch of Trump's high profile pardons, Sasse was also among the few Republicans to issue a condemnation of the pardons to a "tranche of felons", “this is rotten to the core,” he said.

“This is 100% Ben Sasse,” Jane Kleeb tweeted late Wednesday. “When it matters, he says nothing. When the tide has turned, he grabs a surfboard to ride the wave.”

Trump also recently vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act which Sasse described as important for national security through deterring cyber warfare. Bacon also co-sponsored the bill's proposal to strip military bases of the names of confederate leaders. He says that Republicans is the party of Lincoln and using those names puts them on the side of Jim Crow. GOP members of Congress passed the bill with veto-proof majority so they just have to hold that. 

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that Bacon lashed out at Trump's demand for $2,000 check to households rather than the $600 payment included in the long-fought compromise. The house passed a new measure increasing direct payments to $2,000, however the measure faces an uphill battle in the Senate as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has announced he plans to tie the measure to several controversial items pending, which could pull hamper support from Democrats. 

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UNMC PARTICIPATING IN TEST OF NEW COVID VACCINE CANDIDATE

OMAHA- Volunteers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center enrolled in a new clinical trial to test the safety and effectiveness of another vaccine candidate for COVID-19 on Tuesday morning. The plan is to enroll 1,000 people in the clinical trial to test the Novavax Inc. trial that will enroll 30,000 people in total. There has been so much interest in the trial that the university is adding appointments as soon as the morning of the 31st. 

There are two main groups of interested people. The first group is that of people who know they will not receive the other vaccines for months and are willing to take the chance of receiving an ineffective one if it means there is also a chance it works. The other is that of people who want to avoid the side effects they have heard of from the other vaccines. Dr. Diane Florescu says people are also wanting to help just so that more vaccines can be available for everyone. People are wanting to help. 

As of Monday, 21,419 doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines had been administered in the state and nearly 50,000 have arrived. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci says in order to vaccinate enough people, more than two companies will need to be manufacturing a vaccine. This vaccine is made differently from the other vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna were the first two companies to use a new technology called mRNA whereas the Novavax vaccine relies on spike protein found on coronavirus's surface. This vaccine also requires to shots given roughly three weeks apart. 

For information to enroll, click HERE

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MAJOR RAIL SAFETY TECHNOLOGY INSTALLED BEFORE DEADLINE

WASHINGTON - Nearly 58,000 miles of an automatic braking system has been installed by the railroad industry across the country. The railroads have been working together for the past 12 years to develop this technology, called positive train control. The system, being rolled out now, costs roughly $15 billion total and is aimed at reducing the small risk of  human error. Ronald Batory, the Federal Railroad Administration chief says this will make this industry even safer. Nearly 150 train crashes could have been prevented since 1969 with this technology. 

The braking system uses GPS, wireless radio and computers to monitor train position and speed, and it can give engineers commands. The NTSB said the system could have prevented the December 2017 derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Washington state that killed three passengers and injured 57 people. 

Ian Jefferies, CEO of the Association of American Railroads trade group, said completing the positive train control systems is an important milestone for the industry that will "enhance safety and springboard innovation long into the future.” 

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FIRST REPORTED US CASE OF COVID-19 VARIANT FOUND IN COLORADO

DENVER - Days after the UK discovered a variant of COVID-19, the first reported case of this variant has been found in Colorado. It was found in a man in his 20s that has no recent travel history. The Colorado State Laboratory confirmed the variant and subsequently notified the CDC. The variant is seemingly more contagious than other strains but the good news is that the vaccine seems to fight the variant. 

Worry about this variant has been growing since Saturday when Britain's prime minister said the new strain spends more easily than earlier ones and is already traveling quickly in England. Many countries have barred travel to and from the U.K. and southern England is back on strict lockdown. Japan announced it is barring entry from all nonresident foreign nationals. 

Different strains of the virus have been around since the first case was detected in China almost a year ago. It is common for virus to undergo changes as they move through different populations. If the virus has significant mutations though that story could change. The variant has since been found in Canada, Italy, India and the United Arab Emirates. 

Officials state that at this time the new strains should not cause alarm. 

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NEW PRISON COULD COST $230 MILLION TO BUILD UNDER RELEASED PROPOSAL

LINCOLN- A new 1,500-bed prison could be operating as soon as 2026 if the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services can get the nod and the money from the state Legislature. However the newly released proposal comes with a heavy price tag of $230 million, plus $34 million annually in operational costs.

Director Scott Frakes announced Monday progress on the proposal to build more prison beds to ease overcrowding in the Nebraska system, which is among the most crowded in the country. Frakes said the proposal has shifted from a public- and private lease-purchase plan to a state-funded option because of the much higher lease-purchase cost, which could have reached more than $700 million over the next 30 years.  

Frakes laid out the need and plan Monday for the approximately 450,000-square-foot prison, which most likely would be built somewhere in or around the Lincoln or Omaha area, but could be near a smaller community with a short or easy commute to a larger city.It would house about 400 maximum-security, 512 medium-security and 600 minimum-security inmates in a complex on about 100 to 160 acres. 

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SAINT FRANCIS MINISTRIES LOSING MILLIONS ON OMAHA-AREA CONTACT; PAPER ENDORSES SPECIAL INVESTIGATION

LINCOLN — The Kansas-based agency overseeing Omaha-area child welfare cases nearly ran out of cash in March and expects to lose about $27 million on its Nebraska contract this fiscal year. William Clark, the interim CEO of the embattled Saint Francis Ministries, told a Kansas reporter that Nebraska officials had “agreed to cover” that projected loss as well as $7.4 million in losses for the previous, partial year of the contract.

But Gov. Pete Ricketts said Monday that the state is still negotiating with Saint Francis over money and other issues, including making sure that the agency can meet the terms of its contract, which was signed in July 2019. 

Among the issues under discussion are revelations that the Rev. Bobby Smith, Saint Francis’ former president and CEO, charged more than $469,000 on a pair of company credit cards over almost three years. Charges included luxury hotels, high-end restaurants, iTunes, and luxury clothing stores. The organization also came under scrutiny for spending over $80,000 on tickets to the Chicago Cubs, the team owned by the Ricketts’ family.

In an editorial this week, the Omaha World Herald endorsed the call for a special legislative investigative committee on the matter. The paper stated that St. Francis is supposed to oversee case management for abused and neglected children in Douglas County and Sarpy County, however the whistleblower report confirmed many red flags officials began to notice early in the partnership which deserves investigation. Senator Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha stated this week that she plans to call or a special investigative committee when the legislature returns in January.

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NEBRASKA ATTORNEY GENERAL HELPS LEAD 38-STATE SUIT AGAINST GOOGLE

LINCOLN- Doug Peterson, the Nebraska Attorney General has helped spearhead a nearly 40 state initiative that piggybacks on an antitrust case filed against Google a few months ago over its monopoly on the online search market. 

The new suit goes beyond the DOJ case by getting into how Google has aimed at monopolizing emerging ways customers are accessing search engines with artificial restrictions. 

Peterson said that the antitrust enforcement involves so many states, the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission, "speaks volumes as to the magnitude of what's going on here and the importance of what we're doing."

The case alleges that Google's practices have deprived consumers of competition that could lead to greater choice and privacy protections. Peterson said it's not about people using Google, rather it's about Google using people to collect personal data. He believes this not only hurts consumers but also hurts free trade. The judge gave Peterson until Dec. 23 to produce enough documents and witnesses after calling the investigation "serious and important". 

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RICKETTS: NEBRASKA WILL 'BANK' VACCINE DOSES TO ADMINISTER TO NURSING HOMES

LINCOLN- Gov. Ricketts said Friday that 11,700 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be "banked" per federal guidance, to be used in long-term care facilities. Nearly 40% of the states 1,453 coronavirus deaths have come from long-term care facilities. The week of Dec. 27 is looking to be the first week that the vaccine will be available. The state has been receiving less vaccines in the shipment than what was originally promised. Other states have also been experiencing this. 

Frontline healthcare workers have been designated as the first priorities to receive the vaccine. As of last Friday, 4,069 healthcare workers had received the first of two doses. 

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EDITORIAL: CHILD WELFARE CONTRACTOR'S MULTIPLE RED FLAGS DEMAND A LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATION

OMAHA- The alarming array of red flags that have popped up around St. Francis Ministries have reached a peak after a year of being under contract with the state. St. Francis nor the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services are not cooperating with state lawmakers. 

The Omaha World Herald is endorsing the call for a special legislative investigative committee on the matter. The company is supposed to oversee case management for abused and neglected children in Douglas County and Sarpy County. The whistleblower report confirmed many red flags officials began to notice early in the partnership. 

One of the largest worries people have noticed is that St. Francis has not met contractual requirements for caseloads. The bottom line is that Nebraska's most vulnerable population is not being taken care of properly. St. Francis claimed they would meet all requirements with $150 million less from the state than PromiseShip-- the BoysTown affiliated company that was formerly overseeing the cases. 

Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, Senator Sara Howard also believes this is a serious enough matter to appoint an investigative committee. 

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BIDEN INTRODUCES HIS CLIMATE TEAM, SAYS 'NO TIME TO WASTE'

WILMINGTON, Del.- The U.S. vehicle fleet is ground zero if President-elect Biden wants to make progress on decarbonization agenda. In 2017, transportation overtook the electricity sector and is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. So, Biden appointing Jennifer Granholm to be the next secretary of energy ticks many boxes. 

Granholm is the former governor of Michigan and sits on the board of Proterra, Inc. which is a cutting-edge electric-bus manufacturer that has long advocated for green-hued industrial policy. This appointment allows for Biden to have someone fully aligned with his "Build Back Better" slogan and is the start of dealings within his own party of the Green New Dealers and the Senate. This also gives a clearer picture of how Biden will tackle a more serious climate policy. 

Much of the climate discussion will boil down to rolling back some of President Trump's deregulatory and pro-fossil fuel agenda.The incoming Biden Administration will aim to block many of the current administrations initiatives which has hurt low-income, working class and minority communities hit hardest by fossil fuel production and climate change. 

New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland would be the first Native American to lead the Interior Department. North Carolina official Michael Regan would be the first African American man to run the Environmental Protection Agency. Brenda Mallory is set to oversee the Council on Environmental Quality which focuses on all major infrastructure projects. Two other members of the team do not need Senate confirmation. Gina McCarthy will serve as the national climate advisor and Ali Zaidi will be McCarthy's deputy. 

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AUDITOR ALLEGES LAX OVERSIGHT OVER COVID RELIEF PAYMENTS BY NEBRASKA LABOR DEPARTMENT

LINCOLN- A state audit has alleged a lack of oversight for millions of dollars of unemployment checks issued during the pandemic including improper overpayments, checks sent to prison inmates and some cases of identity theft. The auditor says the Nebraska Department of Labor did not properly check if applicants were eligible for certain payments or if they had lost jobs. The agency is estimating 66% of all payments were in error and has identified over $600,000 in questionable payments. Further, the auditor cannot verify the accuracy of $800 million unemployment benefits issued by the state. 

A Labor Department spokeswoman said the agency disagrees with most of the letter's conclusions. The department said the pandemic brought about the unprecedented amount of unemployment claims that came with it. 

“The unemployment insurance program played a vital role of supporting economic stabilization in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was critical to the stability of the Nebraska economy to ensure payment was made timely,” the labor department said.

Governor Ricketts deferred comments to the department. To help the department in March, the governor began to waive many pre-pandemic requirements for unemployment applications. The department claims many cross-matching programs have been completed and will continue to review claims.

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COVID NUMBERS IMPROVE IN OMAHA AREA, BUT STOTHERT AND POUR URGE PEOPLE TO REMAIN CAUTIOUS

OMAHA- With two COVID-19 vaccines making their way to Nebraska, Omaha officials have felt joy and optimism but are still urging Nebraskans to keep their emotions in check and act smart. People in the community need to continue to follow public health advice until 60% to 70% of people in the community receive the vaccine. 

Especially with the holidays coming up quick, families should still want to protect everyone. Hospitalizations and cases are also down but the deaths are remaining pretty stable. The racial disparity within COVID-19 deaths are also something to keep in mind. 

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CHAMBERS FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST NEBRASKA AG, SECRETARY OF STATE FOR JOINING TEXAS LAWSUIT

LINCOLN- Senator Ernie Chambers has filed a disciplinary lawsuit against Attorney General Doug Peterson and Secretary of State Bob Evnen for signing onto the Texas lawsuit over the presidential election. Chambers submitted the complaint to the Nebraska Supreme Court's counsel for discipline. 

Sen. Chambers earned a law degree but never took the bar and is a veteran lawmaker. He argues that Peterson and Evnen violated professional conduct rules by endorsing an “action of such frivolousness as to constitute disrespect for a tribunal — the highest one in the land.” 

Chambers said the brief in the Texas case contained false and unsubstantiated accusations that had already been tossed out by many judges. He said Peterson and Evnen acted upon partisan politics, not the law. The offices of both Peterson and Evnen declined to comment. 

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EDITORIAL: FEUDING HURTS THE NEBRASKA ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST; LEGISLATURE MUST ACT

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Environmental Trust is the state's most visionary and successful endeavors. The trust has provided $350 million in grants distributed throughout the state. The projects have aided communities across Nebraska and have bolstered the state's environmental health. 

The Legislature has a duty to clear up the latest round of disagreements over the trust's grant selections for this year. The main controversy is centered on ethanol promotion in which the trust voted to defund almost $2 million for a set of habitat grants and will instead give money to a project to finance ethanol pumps. The trust has also recently requested $3.7 million from the state. The disagreements have made the governor's relationships with different groups tense. 

The governor appoints the majority of members to the trust board while the other members are state agency heads. The legislature writes the laws that outlines the trust's duties. So, if they fail to bring this issue up in the upcoming session, they are not doing their job. 

A longstanding problem is that state officials and interest groups are both searching for funding for their specific needs. The legislature has allowed the trust to be harmed because of the controversies the state has seen, so they need to right those wrongs this session. 

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REMOTE LEARNING GETS FAILING GRADE FROM MANY NEBRASKA TEACHERS, WHO REPORT 'LITTLE STUDENT SUCCESS'

OMAHA- Some of Nebraska's kids have been able to keep pace academically, but many others have fallen so far behind that they are failing or at risk of failing according to teachers and school leaders. Normally, students who struggled before the pandemic were those without parental support or engagement, but now even the normally successful students have been having a much more difficult time. Teachers are saying it could take years to know the full scope of learning losses. 

“Some kids have really truly benefited from it,” she said. “They will do well with whatever situation you give to them. ... I think that even the struggling students, I feel I’ve been able to reach some of them.”

Several teachers have said they spend hours trying to get students to participate. Much of the time students won't turn their cameras on and won't respond to questions or emails. It takes so much effort to remote teach and success is much harder to come by. There will still be a fully remote option for students which more people are signing up for after spikes in cases at school towards the end of the semester. Other schools are experiencing a decrease in students selecting the fully online option. 

OPS students will begin the semester fully online until the middle of January. The district will then transfer to a hybrid model which divides students into two groups in which the groups alternate days they spend at home versus in school. 

Teachers also worry that the procrastination and low expectations that came from remote learning will continue to hurt students and will be a problem for much longer than the pandemic will be. 

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RICKETTS PLANS TO SEEK LIMITS ON SCHOOL SPENDING TO LOWER PROPERTY TAXES

LINCOLN- Gov. Ricketts has made it abundantly clear that he is not done pushing for lower property taxes. He will be pursuing legislation that will place limits on school spending during the 2021 session. That was something he believed was left out of the property tax relief bill which passed last session. He maintains that spending limits are the only way the increased state credits will result in lower property tax for home owners. 

A school board member says he does not understand the need for the limits, he says "We are pinching every penny." 

LB1107 established a refundable income tax credit which would allow Nebraskans to receive a refund on a portion of what they pay in property taxes to support K-12 schools. This year, Nebraskans will be able to claim the new credit which will deliver $125 in relief. This addition will total $650 million in state funds devoted to offsetting property taxes. This will represent a 21% reduction for a farmer and a 17% reduction for the urban homeowner. The bill was a result of a compromise the legislature reached on three issues. It also included a revamping of state business initiatives and a pledge to devote state money if UNMC is chosen as the site of a national center to respond to disasters and emergencies. 

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BIDEN EMERGES AS U.S. GAS' UNLIKELY ALLY-- FUNDING FIGHT CONTINUES

WASHTINGTON, D.C.- U.S. gas and oil leaders have spent years fighting the government's clamping down on emissions of methane. However, a growing group of companies say President-elect Biden's promised regulations could be exactly what the industry needs. 

 "In part it's because they get the global picture. They understand it's no longer tenable to make the claim that gas is a clean, low-carbon resource and then fight against implementing regulations that guarantee that's the case," said Mark Brownstein with the Environmental Defense Fund. 

The change of heart doesn't come from a new found environmental consciousness, it comes from the growing pressure to pacify investors who are increasingly worried about sustainability. The industry is hoping to continue to tap into the U.S. shale reserves that have allowed for gas to be the main fuel choice for homes but also hopes to expand to foreign markets. The sharp growth in production that helped natural gas replace coal has been accompanied by methane emissions, which are far more potent than carbon dioxide, although the lifespan in the atmosphere is much shorter. 

An oil and gas lobbyist said the regulations need to be extremely explicit under the Biden Administration. The President-elect has already promised to crack down on methane emissions as soon as he is in the White House. 

Read President-elect Joe Biden's plan on methane emissions HERE

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DEB THOMAS, FORMER UNMC VICE CHANCELLOR FOR BUSINESS AND FINANCE, DIES AT 64

OMAHA- Deb Thomas, a former state administrator and vice chancellor for business and finance at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, died on Dec. 10. Thomas’ death was announced by the university Wednesday. She was 64 years old.

Thomas joined the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2006 as associate vice chancellor for finance and business services. She also served as senior associate vice chancellor and became vice chancellor for business and finance in 2016, after serving as the interim vice chancellor for a year. She left UNMC in 2017, according to university communications.

Chancellor Jeffrey Gold said that during her time at the university, Thomas “provided thoughtful leadership and experienced judgment, particularly with our state government business relationships, to many aspects of our UNMC business development and academic growth strategies.”

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EDITORIAL: SHAME ON NEBRASKA OFFICIALS FOR JOINING FOOLISH TEXAS ELECTION LAWSUIT

LINCOLN- One question remains after the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the Texas attorney general's lawsuit that claimed election laws were broken which led to Joe Biden becoming President-elect Biden. Would Nebraska have been involved if Donald Trump were the winner? Governor Ricketts insists that the interest of the state was not political, rather he wants states to follow their own laws. 

What the 17 Republican-led states did was baldly political, not to mention dangerous and undemocratic. The argument Texas made was that Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Georgia expanded voting in ways their legislatures did not approve. "It argued Texas voters were harmed because they must live under President Joe Biden, elected in allegedly unconstitutional way." The argument was underpinned by conspiracy theories that say states somehow handed Biden the presidency, even though Republicans made gains in congress... using the same ballots. 

If the states won the lawsuit, it would have disenfranchised 20 million Americans who voted in those states. To be clear, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson who was backed by Governor Pete Ricketts and Secretary of State Bob Evnen signed onto that on behalf of all Nebraskans. 

Republican Senator Ben Sasse said any American who cares about the rule of law should take comfort in the Supreme Court quickly slapping this lawsuit down and is happy that even the justices President Trump picked closed the book on the nonsense. A Quinnipiac Poll showed that 77% of Republicans believed there was widespread fraud in the November 3rd election. U.S. Attorney General said no fraud has been found, along with 90 judges that have also dismissed the claims. 

The lawsuit was shameful and was an attempt to block 20 million Americans their most fundamental right. 

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TELEHEALTH'S EVOLUTION IN 2020 WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEW YEAR WITH MORE STREAMLINED TECHNOLOGIES

NEW YORK- Even through the challenging year, telehealth has made strides, taking it from a fringe offering to a mainstream treatment model. Through this, patient satisfaction is at an all-time high. 

"It's a testament to how challenging it is to change things without some bigger impetus," said Dr. David Nickelson, VP of client growth at digital consultancy Nerdery. 

The industry at large will have to take a new look at what the patient experience really means. There needs to be a more cohesive and integrated strategy that will allow patients to transition between modalities such as talk, chat and a complete transition to telemedicine. Officials say some providers find telemedicine to be difficult, but patients really like it, especially millennials. 

Certain files that lend themselves to telehealth such as dermatology have seen a boom in platforms and tools that support them. This allows for other specialties to see how smooth the transition can go and will follow. 

"It relates to virtual care because you want to have these remote sensors out there, recognizing and alerting people to any issues that may come up, and then be able to intervene remotely without bringing the patient in, or at least doing an initial diagnostic," said Nickelson. "This will drive virtual care in the years ahead."

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