Latest news with #DebFischer
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Check Call: Fight against freight fraud gets help in the Senate
It's not very often the transportation industry gets a win on Capitol Hill. But it seems the conversation around fraud has gotten national attention as the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act (S. 337). Championed by Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., the bill seeks to restore and enhance the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's authority to address fraud and deceptive practices in freight transportation. Specifically, the bill grants FMCSA essential enforcement powers to: Assess civil penalties for unauthorized brokerage activity. Enforce the principal-place-of-business requirement. Examine commonalities among companies registering for operating authority. 'This bipartisan legislation gives FMCSA much-needed tools to protect consumers from fraud in the interstate shipment of goods,' said Transportation Intermediaries Association President and CEO Chris Burroughs in a news release. 'With freight fraud costing the industry an estimated $35 billion annually, this bill equips the agency to protect consumers, businesses, and the supply chain. We thank Senators Fischer and Duckworth for their leadership in addressing this growing crisis and helping restore integrity to the freight network.' The bill has been added to the Senate legislative calendar, marking a crucial first step in the legislative process. The journey to becoming a law has only just begun, but important steps have been taken to protect the industry and attempt to get a handle on other piece of legislation, which has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, is the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act. The bill seeks to improve coordination and information sharing among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies while increasing penalties for those found guilty of committing fraud. Currently, there is little victims of fraud can do. Motor carrier numbers under which fraud is committed should always be reported to the FMCSA. If cargo theft is involved, police reports should be filed. There are few long-term ramifications that fraudsters face at present. If the MC gets flagged as fraudulent, they disappear and come back with another. It's a hopeful sign that legislation is being introduced to help address the issue, especially since the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act has left committee – arguably one of the biggest hurdles in the entire process. Meanwhile, even if these measures succeed, it will be an industrywide effort to get freight fraud under the full edition of Check Call in your inbox every Tuesday by subscribing down below. The post Check Call: Fight against freight fraud gets help in the Senate appeared first on FreightWaves.
Fox News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
From Washington: How Can Democrats Move Past President Biden's Term?
Former President Biden's age and cognitive health were back in the spotlight this week after announcing he's been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. The revelations have forced Democrats to answer how much they knew about the former President's decline. And now, how can the party reach voters who are disillusioned with their elected officials? Democratic strategist and former special assistant to President Biden Meghan Hays emphasizes the need for Democrats to adapt their messaging strategy in an ever-evolving media landscape. Then, Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) discusses President Trump's plans for a Golden Dome missile defense system, and lays out her efforts to fight electric vehicle mandates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Fox News
21-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
The President Unveils His 'Golden Dome' Plan
President Trump on Tuesday announced a new plan to build a Golden Dome missile defense system. Displaying the design from the Oval Office with his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Space Force General Michael Guetlein, Trump asserted the new defense infrastructure–estimated to cost between $25 billion and $75 billion–will be a necessary layer of security for the homeland that he says 'hopefully we never have to use.' U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) has been a longtime advocate for improving America's missile defenses, on the Rundown she discusses this Golden Dome plan, ongoing diplomacy with Russia and Iran, and her efforts to fight EV mandates. Last Thursday, Walmart announced it would be raising its prices due to the impact of President Trump's tariffs. Americans initially wary of tariffs had cited this concern: that tariffs could bring about price hikes that would eventually hit their wallets. With back-to-school shopping along with the summer holidays and barbecues ahead, some businesses are preparing to adjust. Founder and CEO of Storch Advisors and former CEO of Toys 'R' Us, Gerald Storch is a retail industry veteran. He joins the podcast to share the true impact of tariffs on America's retail industry. Plus, commentary from author and presidential historian, Craig Shirley. Photo Credit: AP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Golden Dome costs driven by interceptors, not launch, analysts say
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Reduced launch costs over the last few decades could shave up to 40% off past cost estimates for a space-based missile defense layer, according to the Congressional Budget Office. However, CBO cautioned in a May 5 letter to Senate lawmakers that a Golden Dome missile defense shield that accounts for threats from regional adversaries like North Korea — and militaries with closer parity to the United States like China and Russia — would likely require many more sensors and interceptors than previous estimators accounted for, driving a much higher price tag. 'Such a defense could require a more expansive SBI capability than the systems examined in the previous studies,' CBO said in the letter, addressed to senators Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Angus King, I-Maine. 'Quantifying those recent changes will require further analysis.' The Pentagon has explored options in the past for fielding constellations of space-based systems designed to intercept, or destroy, enemy missiles. The idea was championed by the Reagan administration, whose high-profile Strategic Defense Initiative was intended to take out Soviet missiles from space. The program was ultimately canceled, in part, due to technical challenges and policy issues. An executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January has spurred renewed interest in space-based interceptors. The order called for an advanced, layered network of missile defense systems, since dubbed Golden Dome, that would protect against threats from the ground and in orbit. Over the years, analysts have studied the cost of various space-based interceptor, or SBI, options. CBO used a report of its own published in 2004 and a National Research Council study from 2012 as a baseline for its memo to Senate lawmakers. Those studies included cost estimates ranging from $264 billion for a constellation of 1,300 interceptors to $831 billion for 2,000. At both ends of the cost spectrum, launch is a considerable factor in CBO's estimates. The studies assumed launch costs would range from $9,800 to $10,600 per pound, which puts its 20-year launch cost projection between $116 billion and $335 billion in 2025 dollars. Since the early 2000s, when these studies were conducted, launch costs for like-constellations have fallen by 90% and account for a much lower share of an SBI program's total cost, CBO found. 'With those lower costs, launch services would account for less than 10 percent of the total costs of the constellations over 20 years, as opposed to about 40 percent in the original CBO and NRC estimates,' CBO said. Those lower launch prices would drop the lower-end cost projection to around $161 billion and the higher end to $542 billion. Still, the budget office said, the actual cost of an interceptor architecture designed to meet a wide-range of missile defense demands would likely be much higher than the 2004 and 2012 estimates, regardless of launch prices. The letter notes that factors like lower-cost interceptors could help offset the need for a more proliferated architecture, but more analysis is needed. CBO is in the midst of a more detailed study of the constellation's overall cost. The Pentagon has not yet revealed its architecture for Golden Dome but is expected to request funding for the effort in its fiscal 2026 budget. A budget reconciliation package proposed by House Republicans last week includes $24.7 billion for missile defense, including $5.6 billion for space-based interceptors. CBO notes that should the Pentagon opt to focus its use of SBIs on 'rogue adversaries' and use other parts of its missile defense architecture to counter more advanced threats, that could reduce the size of its SBI constellation and potentially lower associated costs. 'The SBI system would probably have to be larger than those assumed in the two earlier studies — because of increases in North Korea's capabilities — but not as large as would be necessary to counter Chinese or Russian attacks,' CBO said.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Will of the voters': Recent election results by Nebraska legislative, congressional districts
Voters line up at a polling place at Southeast Community College in Lincoln, Neb., shortly before polls close on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Zac Arens/Nebraska News Service) LINCOLN — The Nebraska Examiner is launching a new resource to break down election margins by legislative and congressional districts for state, federal and ballot measure races in recent years. The tools — available below or online here (legislative, congressional) — show the margin of victory between candidates or issues in the most recent elections as compiled using precinct-by-precinct election results made available through the Nebraska Secretary of State's Office. Prior to the 2024 general election, the Examiner launched a similar tool, a statewide voter guide, for ballot measures and congressional, legislative and education candidates. Nebraskans can find their state senator here or polling location here. Register to vote on the Secretary of State's website. New legislative and congressional maps for this decade took effect with the 2022 election. District boundaries are available through the Legislature's website. Below are the district-by-district margins for: President — President Donald Trump (R) vs. Vice President Kamala Harris (D) in 2024. U.S. Senate — U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R) vs. Dan Osborn (NP) in 2024. U.S. Senate (special) — U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts (R) vs. Preston Love (D) in 2024. U.S. House 1st Congressional District — U.S. Rep. Mike Flood (R) vs. State Sen. Carol Blood (D) in 2024; Flood (R) vs. State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks (D) in 2022. U.S. House 2nd Congressional District — U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R) vs. State Sen. Tony Vargas (D), in 2022 and 2024. U.S. House 3rd Congressional District — U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith (R) vs. Daniel Ebers (D) in 2024; Smith (R) vs. David Else (D) vs. Mark Elworth Jr. (LMN) in 2022. Governor — Gov. Jim Pillen (R) vs. Blood (D) vs. Scott Zimmerman (L) in 2022. Legislature — all 49 districts by the winner since 2018. Ballot measures — Abortion 12-week constitutional amendment, abortion to fetal viability constitutional amendment, school choice referendum, paid sick leave initiative and medical cannabis legalization and regulation initiatives in 2024; minimum wage initiative and voter ID constitutional amendment in 2022. Ballot measures from the past two election cycles continue to be debated in the Nebraska Legislature this spring on paid sick leave, minimum wage and medical cannabis. Many state senators, for and against the voter-approved language, have talked extensively about the role of initiatives, referendums and the 'will of the voters.' Readers with tips, insights or any other questions about the data are welcome to email the author, Zach Wendling, at zwendling@ or the Examiner at info@ STATEWIDE CANDIDATES Donald Trump (president, 2024): 34/49 legislative districts; 2/3 congressional districts. Deb Fischer (U.S. senator, 2024): 26/49 legislative districts; 1/3 congressional districts. Pete Ricketts (U.S. senator, special, 2024): 35/49 legislative districts; 3/3 congressional districts. Jim Pillen (governor, 2022): 36/49 legislative districts; 3/3 congressional districts. HOUSE CANDIDATES Mike Flood: 17/21 legislative districts in 2024; 16/21 legislative districts in 2022. Don Bacon: 10/19 legislative districts in 2022 and 2024. Adrian Smith: 19/19 legislative districts in 2022 and 2024. BALLOT MEASURES Voter ID: 40/49 legislative districts; 3/3 congressional districts. Minimum wage increases: 38/49 legislative districts; 2/3 congressional districts. Abortion restrictions: 28/49 legislative districts; 2/3 congressional districts. Abortion fetal viability: 26/49 legislative districts; 2/3 congressional districts. School choice repeal: 45/49 legislative districts; 3/3 congressional districts. Marijuana legalization: 49/49 legislative districts; 3/3 congressional districts. Marijuana regulations: 46/49 legislative districts; 3/3 congressional districts. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
