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☆ Maine Democrats threaten switch to a 'winner-take-all' Electoral College system if Nebraska changes how it allocates its electoral votes
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jim Pillen's support of a bill that would change the state's system of allocating electoral votes from one determined by individual congressional districts to one that would award the state's five electoral votes to the statewide victor. Nebraska Democrats vehemently fought back against this electoral change before the legislative session ended earlier this month and the measure didn't advance. If Nebraska went through with its change, Trump would likely win the state's entire share of electoral votes, given its strong GOP orientation. But if Maine also switched to a winner-take-all system before the 2024 election, Biden would be heavily favored to win all of that state's electoral votes and would thus win the Electoral College (270 to 268). Maine Democrats — who control the state legislature — had generally not spoken of tweaking their electoral allocation system ahead of 2024.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Maureen Terry, Jim Pillen's, Pillen, Joe Biden, Biden, Trump, North Carolina —, Maine Democrats —, Terry Organizations: Service, Maine Democratic, Electoral, Donald Trump . Maine, Congressional, Business, Republican Governor, Republican, Trump, Nebraska GOP Gov, Nebraska Democrats, Congressional District, Biden, Michigan, North Carolina, Democratic, Nebraska, Electoral College, Maine Democrats, Nebraska Republican Party Locations: Nebraska, Donald Trump ., Maine, Omaha, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North

☆ Trump wants to deny Biden's easiest reelection path by pushing a last-minute change in Nebraska's election law
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewFormer President Donald Trump is backing a last-minute change to Nebraska's election law that could deprive President Joe Biden of an Electoral College vote that would loom large in a close race. The rest of the state is heavily conservative and has consistently handed its four other electoral votes to Republican nominees. Republicans could make Biden's reelection path more difficult if they successfully changed the law. It's worth being skeptical that Republicans can push this throughNebraska Republicans have gnashed their teeth over the law for years. Pete Ricketts to the US Senate, a move that angered some Nebraska Republicans given that Ricketts had endorsed Pillen over Herbster.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Jim Pillen of, Jim Pillen, Trump, Don Bacon, Semafor, Pillen, Charlie Kirk's, Kirk, hasn't, Barack Obama, Sen, Loren Lippincott, it's, Lippincott, Machaela Cavanaugh, Mike McDonnell, Megan Hunt, Hunt, McDonnell, Charles Herbster, Trump's, Pete Ricketts, Ricketts Organizations: Service, Electoral, Trump, Business, Congressional, GOP, Republican, Nebraska, White, Representatives, Nebraska Republicans, Democratic, Electoral College, Democrat, Congressional District, Lincoln Journal Star, Democratic Party, Republican Party, Nebraska Republican, Getty, Gov, Senate Locations: Jim Pillen of Nebraska, Nebraska, Omaha, Wisconsin , Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Herbster, Maine

Wayne said that has been the case in his district, where an Ohio corporation has bought more than 150 single-family homes in recent years — often pushing out individual homebuyers with all-cash offers. Wayne's bill offers few specifics. It consists of a single sentence that says a corporation, hedge fund or other business may not buy purchase single-family housing in Nebraska unless it's located in and its principal members live in Nebraska. Currently, about 13% of single-family homes in Lincoln are owned by out-of-state corporate firms, he said. As in other states, Wayne's bill likely faces an uphill slog in the deep red state of Nebraska.

Persons: Sen, Justin Wayne’s, Wayne, it's, ” Wayne, isn't, Wayne Mortensen, Lincoln, Mortensen, ” Mortensen, Omaha Sen, Brad von Gillern, “, ” Organizations: Control, American Homes, Democratic, Banking, Insurance, Commerce Locations: Nebraska, Omaha, Ohio, Minnesota , Indiana, North Carolina, Texas, Lincoln

(AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker who tanked an effort last year by his fellow Republicans to pass a near-total abortion ban has given top priority this year to a bill that would allow abortions beyond the state's 12-week ban in cases of fatal fetal anomalies. The bill by state Sen. Merv Riepe would amend Nebraska’s 12-week abortion ban, passed last year, to allow abortions in cases when a fetus is unable to survive outside the womb. The diagnosis and abortion must come before 20 weeks of pregnancy — a timeline consistent with Nebraska's previous 20-week ban on abortions. In Nebraska, advocates are trying to collect about 125,000 signatures needed by July 5 to put a constitutional amendment before voters to protect abortion rights until fetal viability. On the national stage, Democrats see the issue of abortion rights as a major driver in a presidential election year.

Persons: LINCOLN, Sen, Merv Riepe, Roe, Wade, Kate Cox, Riepe, ” Riepe, “, Adelle Burk, Burk, “ They're, ” Organizations: —, U.S, Texas Supreme, Democrat, Nebraska, Republican Locations: Neb, Nebraska, U.S ., Texas

(AP) — One state lawmaker wants Nebraska to take measures to protect it from cyberattacks. State Sen. Loren Lippincott presented a bill Thursday to the Legislature's government committee that would give the Nebraska State Patrol $200,000 to hire “an ethical hacker.” The hacker would spend his or her days trying to break into the state’s computer network, as well as election equipment and software, to find any vulnerabilities in those systems. His bill also would allow hiring a security company that provide hackers to find weaknesses in the state's system. Lippincott presented the bill on the heels of FBI Director Christopher Wray's warning that Chinese government hackers are targeting critical U.S. infrastructure, including water treatment plants, the electrical grid and transportation systems. If advanced, they would have to survive three rounds of debate to be passed in Nebraska's unique one-chamber Legislature.

Persons: LINCOLN, cyberattacks, Sen, Loren Lippincott, Lippincott, ” Lippincott, Christopher Wray's, “ Organizations: Nebraska State Patrol, Security, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency, cybersecurity Locations: Neb, Nebraska, Missouri, Georgia

(AP) — Nebraska would become one of the last Republican-led states to enact a so-called “stand your ground” law under a bill presented to a legislative committee on Thursday. Thirty-eight states — including all six of Nebraska's neighboring states — have stand your ground laws. The Nebraska bill comes at a time when GOP-led state legislatures across the country are embracing bills expanding gun rights. Last year, Nebraska lawmakers passed a bill allowing residents to carry concealed guns without a permit. Under the so-called “constitutional carry” law, people can carry guns hidden in their clothing or vehicle without having to pay for a government permit or take a gun safety course.

Persons: LINCOLN, . State Sen, Brian Hardin, ” Hardin, Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, Don Kleine, Hardin's, ”, Ralph Yarl, — Organizations: Republican, . State, Nebraska Firearms Owners Association, Gun Rights, GOP Locations: Neb, Nebraska, Scottsbluff, ” Nebraska, Florida, Douglas County, Georgia, Kansas City , Missouri, The Nebraska

The men, Fernando Rodriguez-Juarez, 26, and Jonathan Hernandez-Rosales, 28, died at a hospital following the shooting, which took place around 2 a.m. Saturday outside a night club. Investigators are asking anyone who was at the Extasis Night Club when the shooting occurred to contact them because many potential witnesses left that night without talking to officers. Surveillance video obtained by KETV shows two officers approaching an SUV with flashlights and their arms extended. Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesThe officers involved in the shooting were identified as Capt. Leavitt and Soldo remain on paid administrative leave while Saturday's shooting is being investigated.

Persons: Fernando Rodriguez, Jonathan Hernandez, Rosales, Jay Leavitt, Robert Soldo, Leavitt, Soldo Organizations: —, Omaha, Police Locations: OMAHA, Neb, Nebraska's, Juarez

(AP) — Two off-duty police officers in Nebraska's largest city shot and killed two men in an SUV, though authorities have provided few details about the confrontation. The two Omaha officers were working at a local business at around 2 a.m. Saturday when they opened fire on the men in the SUV, police said. The men, 26-year-old Fernando Rodriguez-Juarez and 28-year-old Jonathan Hernandez-Rosales, were taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died. Police said they found a handgun in the vehicle, but they didn't say whether there was anything illegal about that or what led the two off-duty officers to shoot the men. Police also haven't said whether the two officers, whom they haven't publicly identified, identified themselves as police to the men or whether they were wearing their police uniforms.

Persons: Fernando Rodriguez, Jonathan Hernandez, Rosales, haven't, didn't Organizations: Police, Nebraska State Patrol, Sheriff's Locations: OMAHA, Neb, Nebraska's, Omaha, Juarez, Nebraska, Douglas

(AP) — An effort to enshrine abortion rights in the Nebraska Constitution is being launched, following on the heels of successful efforts in other reds states where Republicans had enacted or sought abortion restrictions. Protect Our Rights, the coalition behind the effort, submitted proposed petition language to the Nebraska Secretary of State's office late last month. That's proving consistent in other states where voters have backed abortion rights — including in Ohio, where voters last week resoundingly approved an amendment to the state constitution to protect abortion access. Paige Brown, a spokesperson for the Nebraska Catholic Conference that has lobbied hard for abortion restrictions, telegraphed that abortion opponents are aware of the public pushback. Ashley All, who helped lead the effort in Kansas to protect abortion rights, echoed that warning, noting Kansas voters rejected that state's anti-abortion effort by nearly 20 percentage points.

Persons: “ We're, ”, Ashlei Spivey, Spivey, ” Spivey, Roe, Wade, resoundingly, Paige Brown, “, Brown, ” Brown, Jim Pillen, Sen, Merve Riepe, Ashley All Organizations: Nebraska, American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska, Women's, U.S, Supreme, Republican, Nebraska Catholic Conference, Nebraska Gov Locations: OMAHA, Neb, Nebraska, Omaha, Ohio, “ Ohio, Kansas

Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional amendment guaranteeing abortion rights, delivering a landslide-sized message Tuesday night to politicians that the near-total ban GOP lawmakers support is unacceptable to the voting public. President Joe Biden, who has made abortion rights a central theme of his struggling 2024 reelection effort, praised the vote. Nebraska's proposed referendum would ban abortion, while the remaining states are considering initiatives to protect reproductive rights. Advocates believe the abortion rights referendum was a driver of that vote. Broken down, that includes 46% of Democrats, 23% of independents and 20% of Republicans, suggesting Democrats are more likely to make abortion rights a defining factor in their votes.

Persons: Dobbs, Mike DeWine, ” DeWine, Joe Biden, ” Biden, Nebraska's, Biden, Donald Trump, Angela Vasquez, Giroux, Vasquez, Jim Jordan, Dave Yost, Gerson Fuentes, Jordan, Yost, ” Organizations: NBC, Buckeye State, Jackson Women's Health, Republicans, Democrats, Ohio’s Republican Gov, CNN, The New York Times, Siena College, GOP, Democratic, Tufts University's Center for Information, Research, Civic, KFF, Ohio Republican Locations: Ohio, Buckeye, Dobbs, America, Ohio –, California , Kansas , Kentucky, Montana , Michigan, Vermont, Maryland, New York, Arizona , Florida , Nebraska , Nevada, South Dakota, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Indiana, . Ohio

(AP) — As Nebraska's new law restricting gender-affirming care for minors goes into effect this weekend, families with transgender children and the doctors who treat them are steeling themselves for change. A key aspect of the law is a set of treatment guidelines that has yet to be created. Minors who already receive puberty blockers or hormones are allowed to continue the treatment, but new patients who are minors are largely banned from starting. At the time, Nebraska lawmakers were locked in a contentious battle over the proposed transgender health care ban, which touched off an epic filibuster that slowed the session to a crawl. At least 22 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and most of those states face lawsuits.

Persons: LINCOLN, ”, Heather Rhea, “ There's, we'll, who've, Timothy Tesmer, Jim Pillen, Pillen, Lucifer, Sen, John Cavanaugh, “, ” Cavanaugh, Heather Rhea's, Nola Rhea, Rhea, She's, Dr, Alex Dworak, ” Dworak, Tesmer, Dworak Organizations: The American Academy of Pediatrics, Republican Gov, Republican, Nebraska Department of Health, Human Services, Nebraska, University of Nebraska, OneWorld Community Health Centers, Associated Press, Department of Health, U.S, Circuit Locations: Neb, Nebraska, Lincoln, Omaha, Minnesota, An Arkansas

A car driving with a bull in it was pulled over by police in northeast Nebraska's biggest city. A video of the traffic stop shot by News Channel Nebraska spread quickly online. Reiman said Meyer wasn't headed to a parade Wednesday. Meyer didn't answer his home phone Thursday morning so he couldn't be reached immediately for an explanation. Videos of Lee Meyer driving Howdy Doody around can readily be found online from 2017 and 2019.

Persons: Chad Reiman, ” Reiman, Lee Meyer, Howdy Doody, Reiman, Meyer, Meyer wasn't, Meyer didn't, Rhonda, ”, Rhonda Meyer, US92, “ Lee, he's, he’s, “ We’ve Organizations: Norfolk Police, Ford Crown Victoria, News Channel Locations: Nebraska's, News Channel Nebraska, Burwell, Neligh, Norfolk

☆ 6 protesters were arrested after some threw tampons on the floor while the Nebraska legislature voted to restrict gender-affirming care and abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Police in Nebraska said they arrested six protesters at the state capitol in Lincoln on Friday. The Nebraska state legislature passed the Let Them Grow Act, which is expected to become law. A press release from the Nebraska State Patrol said officers noticed the group on the balcony of the state legislature when the protesters started yelling around 2:40 pm. —Nebraska State Patrol (@NEStatePatrol) May 20, 2023The Nebraska State Patrol did not immediately return Insider's request for further comment on Saturday. Nebraska passed Legislative Bill 574 on Friday, which limits abortion and gender-affirming health care.

☆ Nebraska lawmakers pass restrictions on abortion, transgender medical care
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 19 (Reuters) - Nebraska lawmakers on Friday passed a bill that limits abortion and puts restrictions on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth in a single piece of legislation that strikes at two highly divisive issues. It includes exceptions for medical emergencies when the mother's life is at risk, and in cases of rape or incest. The same bill also bans "gender-altering surgery" and places restrictions on hormone therapy and puberty-blocking drugs for transgender people under 19. Abortion and gender-affirming medical treatment for transgender youth are at the heart of the so-called culture war raging in American politics, with Republican-dominated legislatures across the country banning or putting sharp restrictions on both. Supporters of the bill said it was a means of protecting unborn babies from abortion and teenagers from undergoing irreversible medical procedures they may later regret.

The Republican-led state is currently enforcing a near-total abortion ban, with exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. NORTH CAROLINA: House Republicans have introduced a bill to ban abortion from conception, except to preserve the life or health of the mother. The Senate tabled discussion of a near-total abortion ban on Thursday after it had been approved by the House. PROTECTIONSCALIFORNIA: A Democratic state senator has introduced a bill to protect doctors who prescribe medication abortion pills to patients in other states. ILLINOIS: Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker in January signed a law protecting abortion providers and out-of-state patients from legal attacks waged by other states.

☆ State lawmaker who opposed a bill limiting care for trans kids, including her own, is now under investigation over it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The complaint said she should have filed a conflict of interest statement about having a transgender child before she voted against a bill restricting transgender care. "I do not endorse this offensive complaint," Republican state Sen. Tom Brandt said. Democratic state Sen. Wendy DeBoer said that the logic used in the complaint could reasonably be used against her as well. Every time we have a bill on basically anything in here, I'm involved because I care about my state. I care about the people in my state, and I'm involved with them, just like Senator Hunt is.

Here is a snapshot of pending and passed legislation seeking to restrict or protect access in 2023. KANSAS: Although Kansans voted in favor of state abortion rights on a ballot measure last year, the Republican-led state Senate has passed a prohibition on prescribing abortion pills via telemedicine. The Republican-led state is currently enforcing a total abortion ban, with exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. MONTANA: The Republican-led state Senate has passed a bill seeking to overturn a 1999 state Supreme Court ruling that found that the state constitution protected a right to abortion. SOUTH CAROLINA: Despite the fact that the state Supreme Court recently struck down a six-week abortion ban in a 3-2 vote, Republicans have introduced a near-total abortion ban and a six-week ban this year.

☆ Nebraska hasn't passed a single bill this year because one lawmaker keeps filibustering in protest of an anti-trans bill: 'I will burn this session to the ground'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Azmi Haroun | Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Nebraska state senator has filibustered every bill in this year's legislative session. State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh is doing so in opposition to an anti-trans bill, The Washington Post reported. "This bill legislates hate and targets trans youth," Cavanaugh told The Post. "I will burn this session to the ground over this bill," Cavanaugh told her colleagues in a February session, according to the Post. "The dream would be for the bill to die and for us to move forward with the work of the state," Cavanaugh told the Post.

☆ Supreme Court's decision on Biden's student loan forgiveness plan may hinge on Justice Amy Coney Barrett
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The fate of the Biden administration's sweeping plan to cancel $400 billion in student loan debt for tens of millions of Americans may hinge on the newest conservative member of the Supreme Court: Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Barrett was the conservative justice who seemed the most unconvinced by the plaintiffs challenging student loan forgiveness, said Jed Shugerman, a law professor at Fordham University. Specifically, Shugerman said, Barrett didn't seem to agree that they'd proven they have standing to sue. "Barrett was vocally and deeply uncomfortable about ruling that any of the plaintiffs had standing," Shugerman said. More from Personal Finance:Why Social Security retirement age, payroll tax may changeExperts argue Social Security retirement age shouldn't pass 67Return on waiting to claim Social Security is 'huge'As a rule, plaintiffs must prove that a policy would cause them injury in order to challenge it in the courts.

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☆ Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan is in jeopardy. Here are 4 major takeaways from the Supreme Court's oral arguments.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Biden's student-debt relief on Tuesday. The nation's highest court heard more than four hours of oral arguments in two high-profile cases that reviewed Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 in debt for federal borrowers, which lower courts temporarily paused in November. "We're talking about half a trillion dollars and 43 million Americans," Chief Justice John Roberts said, referring to the estimated costs of Biden's plan and the number of affected borrowers. Justice Elena Kagan raised a hypothetical national emergency of an earthquake and the education secretary responded by deciding to cancel student loans for those harmed. Still, even if Barrett and the court's three liberals find that the states and borrowers lack standing, they would need another conservative vote to uphold Biden's debt relief.

☆ Amy Coney Barrett joins liberal Supreme Court justices in scrutinizing a student-loan company's involvement in one of the lawsuits blocking Biden's debt relief
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amy Coney Barrett joined liberal Supreme Court justices in questioning GOP-led states' standing to block student-debt relief. The states said the relief would harm student-loan company MOHELA, based in Missouri where the case was filed. As expected, MOHELA's role in the lawsuit fell under scrutiny by liberal justices like Ketanji Brown Jackson and Elana Kagan. Barrett joined in that line of questioning, asking Nebraska's Solicitor General James Campbell: "Do you want to address why MOHELA's not here?" Conservative justices took a hard line of questioning with Biden's lawyer, asking about fairness of the relief and whether it was executive overreach.

☆ Abortion could be a general election trap as Republicans battle for the GOP presidential nomination, with polling for the party's position in the basement
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Anti-abortion views could be a major boost in the nomination fightMajorities of most religious groups favor abortions being legal in most or all cases. Only four major religious groups had a majority of followers that did not favor abortion legality. Politico reported that Trump's team thinks it has a way to emphasize Trump's role in the historic decision without getting bogged down by unpopular abortion views. PRRI's polling found that 66% of Ohioans, 64% of Floridians, and 54% of Nebraskans favor making abortion legal in most or all cases. The nation has slowly moved toward supporting making abortion legal in some or most cases.

☆ Factbox: Abortion battles in U.S. state capitols to watch in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Gabriella Borter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

KANSAS: Although Kansans voted in favor of state abortion rights on a ballot measure last year, Republican lawmakers have proposed measures including a near-total ban on abortion and prohibitions on prescribing abortion pills over telemedicine. MONTANA: Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill seeking to overturn a 1999 state supreme court ruling, which found that the state constitution protected a right to abortion. SOUTH CAROLINA: Despite the fact that the state supreme court recently struck down a six-week abortion ban in a 3-2 vote, Republicans have introduced a near-total abortion ban and a 6-week ban this year. The success of that legislation may depend on the outcome of the state's appeal of the supreme court decision. PROTECTIONSMICHIGAN: Abortion rights advocates scored big wins in Michigan in the November 2022 election, securing a Democratic majority in the legislature and enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution.

☆ $70 billion in unclaimed property held by states belongs to 33 million Americans. Here's how to see if you're one of them
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An estimated $70 billion in unclaimed property is being held by states, and belongs to about 33 million Americans. Americans are encouraged to search for property that may belong to them in any state where they've lived. According to the site, which is run by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, the average claim is just over $2,000, but they range from pennies to thousands, and there is an estimated $70 billion in unclaimed property on the website, according to CNBC. "States are required to return unclaimed property to its owner no matter how long it takes," Nebraska's treasurer and NAUPA President John Murante said. —National Association of State Treasurers (@StateTreasurers) January 30, 2023

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