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Second Ohio derailment raises ire in Congress on rail safety Bloomberg WASHINGTON — A second freight train derailment in Ohio within a month is giving new impetus for rail safety legislation in Congress, as Democrats and Republicans prepare to grill Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw when he testifies to a Senate committee Thursday. “The big railroads have weakened safety rules or resisted safety rules for years,” Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “But you’d think a disaster that happened in East Palestine would have gotten their attention.” Saturday’s train derailment happened outside Springfield, Ohio – about 180 miles west of East Palestine, where a derailment last month spilled toxic chemicals into the rural community along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.

Drew Angerer/ Getty Images/TNS

Sen. Sherro d B rown, D-Ohio, in a September 2022 file photo. Brown is the lead sponsor of a rail safety bill. Initial reports indicate that there were no hazardous materials spilled in the Springfield incident, and officials quickly lifted a shelter-in-place order. But Brown said he wants to know if there were any residual contaminants left in the 20 mostly empty train cars that went off track. “The railroad’s got a lot of questions they’ve got to answer and they See Rail, Page A8

Jill Biden says testing president’s mental fitness ‘ridiculous’ Tribune Content Agency WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden would “never even discuss” taking a mental competency test suggested by Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley for politicians older than 75, first lady Jill Biden said. Her comments to CNN come in the context of Biden’s expected bid for a second term, which would make him 82 at his inauguration if he won reelection. In previously released interview excerpts, the first lady said she’s “all for” her husband running in 2024 and pointed to his recent trip to Ukraine that included a nine-hour train ride from Poland. “Ridiculous,” Jill Biden said when asked about Haley’s proposal and whether the president would consider taking such a test. “We would never even discuss some-

thing like that.” Haley, 51, who is running against her former boss, ex-President Donald Trump, 76, proposed a mandatory mental competency test for politicians over the age of 75 in February. Another contender expected to enter the GOP fray is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’s 44. Biden, the oldest person to serve as U.S. president, has said he intends to run in 2024 but hasn’t announced a decision. His wife is understood to be his closest confidante within the White House. Biden has cited his family or a surprise development, such as a health crisis, as potential deterrents to another run. Biden has faced questions and Republican attacks based on his age in the buildup to 2024. “It’s legitimate for people to See Biden, Page A8

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Stephanie Garcia, middle right, and her friend, Monica Sepulveda, middle left, a receive food donation during

End of emergency food benefits expected to impact millions of Californians ‘It’s going to be devastating’ Tribune Content Agency SAN JOSE — A gallon of milk, a dozen eggs, a loaf of bread, a pound of chicken: That may be all the groceries some Californians can buy each month with their CalFresh benefits now that emergency federal pandemic funds that boosted food benefits have ended. The severance comes at a time when Californians are already reeling from inflation and the high cost of groceries, leaving local food bank leaders in fear of a “food cliff” as demand soars and their budgets tighten. The federal food program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, received boosts throughout the pandemic as Amer-

icans faced furloughs and layoffs and dipped into their savings. But that emergency aid has come to an end, and eligible households will lose at least $95 a month in benefits, with some seeing their benefits dip to as low as $23 a month. Benefits are determined by income and household size. Nationally, food prices increased by 13.1% between July 2021 and July 2022, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. It estimates that inflation has cut the value of SNAP increases by 76% since 2019. For one San Jose single mother, the end of the added emergency benefits – which will have its final payout this month – brings worry, stress and a feeling of powerless-

ness. Her monthly grocery bill had been around $300 – typically what she was receiving in CalFresh benefits with the emergency allotments. Now, her CalFresh benefits are dropping to $38. Adrianne, 42, who asked to be identified only by her first name, said she recently went back to school, and the emergency allotments during the pandemic have been a lifeline for her and her 7-year-old daughter. She plans to stock up with the final benefits payout but is concerned about whether she’ll be able to rely on a food bank. “Being a full-time student, taking 15 credits every semester and being a single mom, I really don’t know if I have the time to make it to pick up free food,” she said. “I’m going to have to figure See Food, Page A8

Russia is getting around sanctions to secure supply of key chips for war Bloomberg Russia looks to be successfully working around European Union and Group of Seven sanctions to secure crucial and semiconductors other technologies for its war in Ukraine, according to a senior European diplomat. Russian imports in general have largely returned to their pre-war 2020 levels and analysis of trade data suggests that advanced chips and integrated circuits made in the EU and other allied nations are being

shipped to Russia through third countries such as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan, the diplomat said, pointing to those private assessments. EU and G-7 countries have introduced multiple rounds of sanctions since the invasion of Ukraine a year ago in an effort to degrade the Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images/TNS file (2021) Russian war machine and undermine its economy. President Joe Biden holds a semiconductor in the White The data suggest that the House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 24, 2021. real effect in some areas sanctions is not enough,” sulting company Oliver is so far falling short said Daniel Tannebaum, Wyman. “Governments of what officials might now need enforcement global anti-financial crime have hoped for. See Chips, Page A8 “Just signing up to new practice leader at conWEATHER 52 | 38 Rain Forecast on B8.

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