Latest news with #Nebraskans
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Don Bacon won't seek reelection in competitive Nebraska district
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) announced Monday that he would not seek reelection in 2026, opening up what will likely be a competitive race for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. 'After consultation with my family and much prayer, I have decided not to seek reelection in 2026 and will fulfill my term in the 119th Congress through January 2, 2027,' the 61-year-old Bacon said in a statement. 'After three decades in the Air Force and now going on one decade in Congress, I look forward to coming home in the evenings and being with my wife and seeing more of our adult children and eight grandchildren, who all live near my home. I've been married for 41 years, and I'd like to dedicate more time to my family, my church, and the Omaha community,' he continued. 'I also want to continue advocating for a strong national security strategy and a strong alliance system with countries that share our love of democracy, free markets and the rule of law.' The announcement comes days after a source familiar confirmed to The Hill that Bacon would not seek reelection next year. Bacon's decision to retire creates an open seat in one of the most competitive congressional districts in the country. Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, which includes Omaha, was won by former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and presents an opportunity for Democrats to pick up the 'blue dot' district Bacon has held since winning it in 2016. Live updates: Senate debates 'big, beautiful bill' 'The writing has been on the wall for months. Nebraskans are tired of the false promises that Republicans are trying to sell and they want real results,' said Madison Andrus, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. 'Don Bacon's decision to not seek reelection in 2026 is the latest vote of no-confidence for House Republicans and their electoral prospects. Next November, Nebraskans are going to elect a Democrat who will actually deliver for them.' The House Republican campaign arm emphasized it continues to feel confident that Republicans will maintain their hold on Bacon's seat. 'Don Bacon has served our country with honor after nearly 30 years in uniform and nearly a decade in Congress. Thanks to his steadfast commitment to duty and principled leadership, both Nebraska and our nation are stronger today,' said Zach Bannon, a spokesperson at the National Republican Congressional Committee. 'As we look ahead, Republicans are confident in keeping Nebraska's 2nd District red as we maintain and expand our majority in the House,' he added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AFP
17-07-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Outdated footage of kneeling officers misrepresented as immigration protests
"Here is Omaha PD kneeling for illegal immigrants. Unbelievable," says a July 16, 2025 post on Gettr, a platform catering to American conservatives. Image Screenshot from Gettr taken July 17, 2025 Another post on X adds: "Thank God for ICE and our federal agents." The video shows a line of uniformed police officers kneeling and raising their fists in the air in front of a crowd of protesters, before standing to offer handshakes and hugs. Similar posts spread the same clip in June 2025, as demonstrations against deportation raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flared in cities across the country, with Los Angeles taking center stage following Trump's deployment of National Guard and US military troops to the Democratic stronghold. ICE has scaled up deportation efforts under the Republican president, who made expelling undocumented immigrants a key priority for his second White House term. Dramatic images have shown federal agents, often masked and sometimes armed with assault rifles, chasing down migrants at courthouses, farms and on the streets. The video claimed to show Omaha law enforcement taking a knee is old and unrelated to illegal immigration, however. Reverse image searches revealed that the Omaha Police Department shared the footage June 2, 2020 (archived here). At the time, racial justice protesters were rallying across the country following the murder of Floyd, who died at the hands of a white police officer during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Officer Michael Pecha, a spokesperson with the Omaha Police Department's public information office, confirmed to AFP that the clip is "from protests in 2020." "We have not had any large-scale protests in Omaha recently," Pecha said in a July 17, 2025 email. Pecha referred AFP to a 2020 civil unrest report, which explained that the department uploaded the footage to debunk online claims that an officer had performed a Nazi salute (archived here). "In an effort to diffuse tensions near 13th and Howard, a group of officers and National Guard members kneeled with the protesters," it reads. The report said the incident took place June 1, 2020. Another video posted to TikTok at the time shows the moment from a different angle (archived here). The act of kneeling has become associated with advocacy against racism and police brutality in the United States, largely inspired by former National Football League quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began taking a knee during pre-game performances of the US national anthem in 2016. The mischaracterization of the Omaha video comes just over a month after Police Chief Todd Schmaderer warned Nebraskans to look out for misinformation in response to a fake post that purported to show the department advising residents of future ICE raids (archived here, and here). AFP previously debunked social media posts falsely claiming a video of a Los Angeles Police Department officer kneeling had taken place during June 2025 protests against Trump's policies. In reality, the clip was also from 2020. AFP has fact-checked other misinformation about US politics here.
The Hill
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Nebraska sues Colorado over river water rights, proposed canal construction
Nebraska officials on Wednesday announced a lawsuit against Colorado, alleging that the Centennial State is allowing 'unlawful water diversions' from a transboundary resource. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) and Attorney General Mike Hilgers accuse Colorado of threatening Nebraska's water supply along the South Platte River in multiple ways. The lawsuit alleges that Colorado has 'deprived' Nebraskans of their water rights during irrigation season, while also 'obstructing' plans to construct a long-disputed conduit called the Perkins County Canal. 'Nebraska must push forward to secure our water for future generations,' Pillen said in a statement, noting that his state had 'made every reasonable effort to resolve our differences with Colorado.' The complaint in large part revolves around the enforcement of the South Platte River Compact, a deal signed by the states in 1923. The agreement limits Colorado's usage of the river and defines how much water Nebraska can receive during the summer irrigation season and the winter non-irrigation season. The headwaters of the South Platte River are located southwest of Denver near South Park, from which it generally heads northeast — through central Denver and the metropolitan region, to Fort Lipton and across the Colorado Eastern Plains, before heading into Nebraska. Because the U.S. Supreme Court has original jurisdiction regarding disputes between the two states, the Nebraska officials argued that the court's input is required to resolve a now irreconcilable dispute. 'Today's action will ensure that Nebraska receives all the water to which it is entitled to under the Compact and that Nebraska's agriculture and economy are protected,' Hilgers said in a statement. 'Water is the essential lifeblood of Nebraska's economy, and it's my goal to protect one of the state's most important assets,' the attorney general added. The lawsuit maintains that the 1923 compact requires Colorado to disconnect certain water users whenever Nebraska is not receiving 120 cubic feet per second of flow during the irrigation season. Currently, the complaint argues, Colorado enables users with 'junior' water rights statuses to take Nebraska's share of summertime water — violating the agreement and Nebraska's 'senior' rights status. The rights in question stem from a historic U.S. West system that adheres to a 'first in time, first in right' approach to water access. This method, rooted in the mid-19th century homesteading and gold rush era, enabled farmers and miners to secure and divert water according to their arrival, rather than their geographical position along the river. The 1923 compact, per the lawsuit, also permits Nebraska to divert 500 cubic feet per second of water flow in the winter, as well as additional water when the Perkins County Canal is constructed. As it stands today, Colorado pumps water in the winter and gradually releases it into the river to compensate for summer overuse, the complaint explains. While this occurs under the theory that the water reaches Nebraska by the following irrigation season, the lawsuit criticizes this method for taking water from the state when farmers are in greatest need. To guarantee that Nebraska can fulfill its rights in the winter and regulate water flow, the state has set out to build the Perkins County Canal, the document explains. The Nebraska state legislature in 2023 approved $574.5 million in funding for the canal's constructions despite pushback from lawmakers who had sought to reduce the cost. While recognizing that Colorado has acknowledged its neighbor's entitlement to build the canal, the Nebraska officials expressed frustrations that negotiations over the project's fine print have persisted for years and ultimately reached a stalemate. 'Despite Nebraska's good faith efforts, Colorado won't agree on such basic things as the location or the size of the Canal, or how much water can flow through it,' a fact sheet issued by the attorney general argued. In response to the lawsuit, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis's (D) office issued a press release that described the complaint as 'meritless.' 'I am disappointed that the states of Colorado and Nebraska will need to waste time and money in court over this meritless challenge,' Polis said. The governor stressed that Colorado has always complied with the South Platte Compact and has met 'in good faith' with Nebraska officials, despite 'attempts to intimidate Colorado landowners.' 'This escalation by Nebraska is needless, and Colorado will take all steps necessary to aggressively defend Colorado water users, landowners, and our rural economy,' Polis added. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser echoed these sentiments in his own statement, slamming neighboring leaders for prioritizing politics over agricultural and likely setting in motion 'decades of litigation.' Describing the Perkins County Canal project as 'wasteful,' he said that the canal's operation would require Colorado to build new water infrastructure to offset the impacts of Nebraska's initiative. 'When the dust finally settles, likely over a billion dollars will have been spent—tens of millions of that on litigation alone — and no one in Nebraska or Colorado will be better off,' Weiser added.
Miami Herald
14-07-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
General Motors sued by US state over scary privacy invasion
As cars become more technologically advanced, the amount of data they collect about their drivers is becoming downright dystopian. Unlike tech companies that harvest the data from your digital footprint, car companies are harvesting your physical data. Mozilla Foundation's Privacy Not Included data privacy initiative calls modern cars a "privacy nightmare on wheels." Related: Failed Cruise robotaxi experiment gets second life at GM The firm's research shows that popular brands like BMW, Ford, Toyota, Tesla, Kia, and Subaru collect such intimate data as sexual activity, race, facial expressions, weight, health, and genetic information, along with the normal type of driver data one would expect, like GPS data. Mozilla calls Nissan the worst offender because its privacy policy admits that the car will collect sexual activity, health diagnosis, and genetic data. Still, it doesn't specify how the vehicle does all of that. Other bad offenders include Toyota and its 12 different privacy policy documents, Kia, whose privacy policy gives them the right to collect information about your "sex life." What happens to this data? It's often, but not always, sold to interested third parties, whether advertisers or car insurers looking to raise rates. Car data monetization is already big business, but analysts at McKinsey estimate the industry will grow to $750 billion by 2030. Image source:Though the PNI report did not mention General Motors among the worst data privacy offenders, the state of Nebraska is suing over the company's OnStar driver assistance tool. Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hlgers sued General Motors for allegedly collecting and selling driver data to third parties without their consent. "Thousands of Nebraskans have been driving GM vehicles that, unknown to them, surveil and track their vehicle usage data, which GM then sells for profit," the lawsuit states. "Nebraska law requires companies to be honest with consumers about how their products and services collect, use, and sell customer data. GM violated that fundamental duty to deal honestly in Nebraska by selling vehicles designed to surveil and track consumers' use of GM vehicles for the purpose of profiting off the invasion of privacy of unsuspecting vehicle owners." The lawsuit alleges that since at least 2015, OnStar has been recording, analyzing, and transmitting highly specific vehicle usage data. GM then sells that data without the customers' informed consent, violating Nebraska law. Related: General Motors makes $4 billion tariff move GM sold data from over 14 million vehicles, including information about date, start time, end time, vehicle speed, driver and passenger seatbelt status, and distance driven in each instance of a consumer using his or her GM vehicle. GM entered into third-party agreements to create databases known as "telematics exchanges," which allowed them to use the data and assign a personally identifiable "Driving Score." The lawsuit claims that third parties, such as insurance companies, used the exchanges to punish certain customers by denying them coverage or raising rates. "GM's deceptive and unlawful tactics included overwhelming and misleading vehicle purchasers (or lessees) with pages of deceptive, inconspicuous, and materially misleading disclosures about OnStar products, including product descriptions and privacy policies that failed to adequately disclose how GM would use its customers' Driving Data," the lawsuit states. According to the Detroit Free Press, GM generated nearly $2 billion from OnStar in fiscal 2021, with EBIT margins above 70%. General Motors did not immediately return a request for comment. Modern cars are rolling surveillance machines, and car companies don't make it easy to opt out of the matrix. Tesla, for instance, is considered one of the most technologically advanced passenger cars in the world. Still, PNI notes that the company itself says that opting out of certain data collection programs may result in your vehicle suffering from reduced functionality, serious damage, or inoperability. "Many people think of their car as a private space - somewhere to call your doctor, have a personal conversation with your kid on the way to school, cry your eyes out over a break-up, or drive places you might not want the world to know about," said Jen Caltrider, Privacy Not Included program director. "But that perception no longer matches reality. All new cars today are privacy nightmares on wheels that collect huge amounts of personal information." Related: Fire risk recall affects 60,000 vehicles from US car company The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dan Osborn launches independent Senate bid against Ricketts in Nebraska
Dan Osborn, an industrial mechanic who lost a Senate bid against Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) by single digits last year, is launching another bid for the upper chamber — this time for Sen. Pete Ricketts's (R-Neb.) seat. In his launch video, Osborn contrasts his working-class background as an industrial mechanic and military veteran with Ricketts's family wealth, being the eldest son of TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts. 'There's a lot of rich guys in Washington like Pete Ricketts, but not a lot with hands like these,' Osborn says in the ad. 'We fix their cars, grow their food, fight their wars.' 'Politicians like Sen. Pete Ricketts are the problem,' he continued. 'His dad worked for a living, but Petey? He got his money the fast way: his billionaire family.' Osborn's ad also nods to the steamfitter's background, where he led a major strike against Kellogg's in Omaha in 2021, saying, 'I didn't buy my way into politics.' 'I'm running for Senate because Congress shouldn't just be a playground for the rich. We gotta make things more affordable, secure the border and take on corruption in Washington,' he says in the ad. In an interview with The Hill ahead of his announcement, Osborn said he was making another run for Senate to advocate for the working class. He surprised many last year when his long-shot Senate bid against Fischer came strikingly close; he lost to the cattle rancher by close to 7 points, while President Trump handily won the state by more than 20 points. He noted some of the dynamics of next year's race would be different compared to his run against Fischer, including the fact that he's a better-known candidate this time around and he's running against a wealthy incumbent. Osborn said he wanted to show Americans and Nebraskans specifically that 'there's another way forward and create a level playing field for workers to be able to get ahead in this country and stop racing towards the bottom and wealth funneling to the top.' Ricketts campaign spokesperson Will Coup knocked Osborn in a statement following his announcement, suggesting he was a Democrat in sheep's clothing — criticism he also faced last cycle. 'Senator Ricketts has consistently worked for and voted to secure the border and cut taxes for Nebraska workers, families, and seniors,' Coup said. 'Dan Osborn is bought and paid for by his liberal, out-of-state, coastal donors. Dan Osborn will side with Chuck Schumer over Nebraska families and vote with Democrats to open the border, hike taxes, and stop the America First agenda.' While Osborn made last year's race surprisingly competitive, the election underscored the increasingly difficult political terrain for independent candidates in an ever-partisan environment. Beating Ricketts, who was appointed to the Senate in 2023 after former Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) retired early from his seat, will also be no easy feat. The former Nebraska governor will have a clear financial edge over Osborn. Even before Osborn made his announcement, Trump came out with a strong endorsement of Ricketts on his Truth Social platform in April while deriding the steamfitter as 'a Radical Left Open Border Extremist, who will put our Country, and Safety, LAST.' Osborn could benefit from the midterm environment, however, when the president's party typically faces electoral headwinds. Despite Nebraska's reliably Republican leanings, Osborn thinks there's still an appetite for a middle-of-the-road candidate. 'If you look at the end zones being the two parties, the loudest certainly sit in the end zones. And if you sit around and you either watch Fox News or MSNBC all day long, you know, you would think we're all fighting in the streets with each other, and we hate each other,' Osborn said. 'My world's a different world,' he said. 'I walk around and talk to people all day long, and I think most people operate within the 40-yard lines, somewhere down the middle, either left or right, but certainly, there's a lot of things that we all agree upon no matter what side you fall on.' Osborn said that if he's elected, he wouldn't caucus with either party — something he also pledged the last time he ran. He quipped that he's a 'free agent.' a potentially enviable position in a narrowly divided Senate. 'If I have to bring a lawn chair and then pop it between the two aisles, that's where I sit. I'll eat lunch by myself,' he said. 'I want to challenge the system and show people that you could be an effective senator as an independent.' Updated at 10:32 a.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
