NEW YORK (AP) —Ground cinnamon sold by U.S. discount retailers is contaminated with high levels of lead and should be discarded,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-alert-concerning-certain-cinnamon-products-due-presence-elevated-levels-lead">federal health officials said Wednesday</a>.

<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-alert-concerning-certain-cinnamon-products-due-presence-elevated-levels-lead">Click here to see</a> all the products included.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said cinnamon sold by stores including the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar contains lead at levels that could be unsafe for people, particularly children, with prolonged exposure to the spice. The agency urged suppliers to recall the products voluntarily.

Cinnamon products included in the agency's safety alert include the La Fiesta brand sold by La Superior and SuperMercados; Marcum brand sold by Save A Lot stores; MK brands sold by SF Supermarket; Swad brand sold by Patel Brothers; El Chilar brand sold by La Joya Morelense; and Supreme Tradition brand sold by Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores.

“Removing the ground cinnamon products in this alert from the market will prevent them from contributing elevated amounts of lead to the diets of children,” the alert said.

Consumers should not buy the products and should throw away any containers they have at home, the agency said.

Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores have removed the cinnamon from their store shelves, a company spokesperson said. Customers can return products to nearby stores for a refund.

FDA officials launched what they called a “targeted survey” of cinnamon products sold in discount stores after an October 2023 recall of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wanabana-apple-cinnamon-lead-poisoning-fruit-pouch-86c32266e010843d0c9ad3340ccae319">lead-tainted cinnamon applesauce pouches</a>&nbsp;that sickened nearly 500 U.S. children.

The ground cinnamon products in Wednesday's notice had lead levels of 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million, far lower than the puree pouches, which contained 2,270 parts per million to 5,110 parts per million of lead.

No illnesses or other health effects have been reported in connection with the new ground cinnamon alert, the FDA said.

There is no safe level of lead exposure for humans. Long-term exposure of lead can cause problems, especially in growing children, including learning disabilities, behavioral difficulties and lower IQ.

The FDA monitors foods for lead levels, but the U.S. government doesn’t broadly limit lead in food products. The agency sent a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/176824/download?attachment">letter</a>&nbsp;to all cinnamon manufacturers, processors, distributors and facility operators in the U.S. reminding them they're required to prevent contamination from chemical hazards in food, including spices.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709767199407.png" alt="FDA image" />
 <figcaption>FDA image</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) —Ground cinnamon sold by U.S. discount retailers is contaminated with high levels of lead and should be discarded,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-alert-concerning-certain-cinnamon-products-due-presence-elevated-levels-lead">federal health officials said Wednesday</a>.<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-alert-concerning-certain-cinnamon-products-due-presence-elevated-levels-lead">Click here to see</a> all the products included.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said cinnamon sold by stores including the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar contains lead at levels that could be unsafe for people, particularly children, with prolonged exposure to the spice. The agency urged suppliers to recall the products voluntarily.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709767164551.png" alt="FDA image" />
 <figcaption>FDA image</figcaption>
 </figure>Cinnamon products included in the agency's safety alert include the La Fiesta brand sold by La Superior and SuperMercados; Marcum brand sold by Save A Lot stores; MK brands sold by SF Supermarket; Swad brand sold by Patel Brothers; El Chilar brand sold by La Joya Morelense; and Supreme Tradition brand sold by Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores.“Removing the ground cinnamon products in this alert from the market will prevent them from contributing elevated amounts of lead to the diets of children,” the alert said.Consumers should not buy the products and should throw away any containers they have at home, the agency said.Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores have removed the cinnamon from their store shelves, a company spokesperson said. Customers can return products to nearby stores for a refund.FDA officials launched what they called a “targeted survey” of cinnamon products sold in discount stores after an October 2023 recall of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wanabana-apple-cinnamon-lead-poisoning-fruit-pouch-86c32266e010843d0c9ad3340ccae319">lead-tainted cinnamon applesauce pouches</a>&nbsp;that sickened nearly 500 U.S. children.The ground cinnamon products in Wednesday's notice had lead levels of 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million, far lower than the puree pouches, which contained 2,270 parts per million to 5,110 parts per million of lead.No illnesses or other health effects have been reported in connection with the new ground cinnamon alert, the FDA said.There is no safe level of lead exposure for humans. Long-term exposure of lead can cause problems, especially in growing children, including learning disabilities, behavioral difficulties and lower IQ.The FDA monitors foods for lead levels, but the U.S. government doesn’t broadly limit lead in food products. The agency sent a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/176824/download?attachment">letter</a>&nbsp;to all cinnamon manufacturers, processors, distributors and facility operators in the U.S. reminding them they're required to prevent contamination from chemical hazards in food, including spices.

FDA: Ground cinnamon sold at discount stores is tainted with lead

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sweden on Thursday formally joined&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nato">NATO</a>&nbsp;as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sweden-nato-policy-of-neutrality-nonaligment-74ae8d15b2e27f9467634d7cde414625">post-World War II neutrality</a>&nbsp;and centuries of broader non-alignment with major powers as security concerns in Europe have spiked following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden congratulated Sweden on its admission and said it was a sign that Russia's intervention in Ukraine had united, rather than divided, the alliance.

“When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could weaken Europe and divide NATO,” Biden said in a statement, which he is expected to echo in his State of the Union address to Congress later Thursday.

“Instead, in May 2022, Sweden and Finland — two of our close partners, with two highly capable militaries — made the historic decision to apply for full NATO membership," Biden said. ”With the addition of Sweden today, NATO stands more united, determined, and dynamic than ever—now 32 nations strong."

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Secretary of State Antony Blinken presided at a ceremony in which Sweden’s “instrument of accession” to the alliance was officially deposited at the State Department.

“This is a historic moment for Sweden. It's historic for the alliance. It's historic for the transatlantic relationship,” Blinken said. “Our NATO alliance is now stronger, larger than it’s ever been.”

“Today is truly a historic day,” Kristersson said. “We are humbled, but we are also proud. We will live up to high expectations from all NATO allies. United we stand. Unity and solidarity will be Sweden’s guiding light

Later Thursday. Kristersson was to visit the White House and then be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-union-guest-list-attendance-2024-biden-003c5da894f9fd7af2c8289a267ac7b0">a guest of honor</a>&nbsp;at Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-union-biden-gaza-ukraine-israel-1a42ff9d4ef3e0f2753e43ac8d39fc18">State of the Union address</a>.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also described it as “a historic day.”

“Sweden will now take its rightful place at NATO’s table, with an equal say in shaping NATO policies and decisions,” he said in a statement.

The Swedish flag will be raised outside the military organization’s headquarters in Brussels on Monday. Stoltenberg underscored that the Nordic country “now enjoys the protection granted under Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of allies’ freedom and security.”

Article 5 of NATO’s treaty&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-nato-article-5-88883436438dae49ba9cacb6d4cfad0a">obliges all members</a>&nbsp;to come to the aid of an ally whose territory or security is under threat. It has only been activated once – by the U.S. after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks – and is the collective security guarantee that Sweden has sought since Russia invaded Ukraine.

“Sweden’s accession makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer and the whole alliance more secure,” Stoltenberg said. He added that the move “demonstrates that NATO’s door remains open and that every nation has the right to choose its own path.”

Sweden, along with Finland, which joined NATO last year, both abandoned long-standing military neutrality that was a hallmark of the Nordic states’ Cold War foreign policy after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-moscow-kyiv-626a8c5ec22217bacb24ece60fac4fe1">Russia invaded Ukraine</a>&nbsp;in early 2022.

Biden, in his speech to Congress, was expected to use Sweden’s decision to join to step up calls for reluctant Republicans to approve stalled military assistance to Ukraine as the war enters its third year.

Biden and his NATO counterparts have vowed that Ukraine will join one day, too.

Sweden’s membership had been held up due to objections by NATO members Turkey and Hungary. Turkey expressed concern that Sweden was harboring and not taking enough action against Kurdish groups that it regards as terrorists, and Hungary's populist President Viktor Orban has shown pro-Russian sentiment and not shared the alliance’s determination to support Ukraine.

After months of delay, Turkey ratified Sweden’s admission earlier this year, and Hungary did so this week.

Cook reported from Brussels. AP writer Jan M. Olsen contributed from Copenhagen, Denmark.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709831489794.png" alt="<a href="https://www.c-span.org/person/?47231/AntonyTonyJBlinken">Secretary of State Antony Blinken&nbsp;</a>meets with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/person/?136192/UlfKristersson">Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson&nbsp;</a>at the State Department Thursday as Sweden officially joins NATO, making it the 32nd member of the alliance.- image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption><a href="https://www.c-span.org/person/?47231/AntonyTonyJBlinken">Secretary of State Antony Blinken&nbsp;</a>meets with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/person/?136192/UlfKristersson">Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson&nbsp;</a>at the State Department Thursday as Sweden officially joins NATO, making it the 32nd member of the alliance.- image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Sweden on Thursday formally joined&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nato">NATO</a>&nbsp;as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sweden-nato-policy-of-neutrality-nonaligment-74ae8d15b2e27f9467634d7cde414625">post-World War II neutrality</a>&nbsp;and centuries of broader non-alignment with major powers as security concerns in Europe have spiked following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709831140081.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>President Joe Biden congratulated Sweden on its admission and said it was a sign that Russia's intervention in Ukraine had united, rather than divided, the alliance.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today, I am honored to welcome Sweden as NATO’s 32nd Ally. 75 years ago when NATO was established, President Truman said the Alliance, “would create a shield against aggression and fear of aggression.” That shield – and transatlantic security – is stronger than ever. <a href="https://t.co/0ySHg8dvQy">pic.twitter.com/0ySHg8dvQy</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1765794052698476561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could weaken Europe and divide NATO,” Biden said in a statement, which he is expected to echo in his State of the Union address to Congress later Thursday.“Instead, in May 2022, Sweden and Finland — two of our close partners, with two highly capable militaries — made the historic decision to apply for full NATO membership," Biden said. ”With the addition of Sweden today, NATO stands more united, determined, and dynamic than ever—now 32 nations strong."Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Secretary of State Antony Blinken presided at a ceremony in which Sweden’s “instrument of accession” to the alliance was officially deposited at the State Department.“This is a historic moment for Sweden. It's historic for the alliance. It's historic for the transatlantic relationship,” Blinken said. “Our NATO alliance is now stronger, larger than it’s ever been.”“Today is truly a historic day,” Kristersson said. “We are humbled, but we are also proud. We will live up to high expectations from all NATO allies. United we stand. Unity and solidarity will be Sweden’s guiding lightLater Thursday. Kristersson was to visit the White House and then be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-union-guest-list-attendance-2024-biden-003c5da894f9fd7af2c8289a267ac7b0">a guest of honor</a>&nbsp;at Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-union-biden-gaza-ukraine-israel-1a42ff9d4ef3e0f2753e43ac8d39fc18">State of the Union address</a>.NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also described it as “a historic day.”“Sweden will now take its rightful place at NATO’s table, with an equal say in shaping NATO policies and decisions,” he said in a statement.The Swedish flag will be raised outside the military organization’s headquarters in Brussels on Monday. Stoltenberg underscored that the Nordic country “now enjoys the protection granted under Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of allies’ freedom and security.”Article 5 of NATO’s treaty&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-nato-article-5-88883436438dae49ba9cacb6d4cfad0a">obliges all members</a>&nbsp;to come to the aid of an ally whose territory or security is under threat. It has only been activated once – by the U.S. after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks – and is the collective security guarantee that Sweden has sought since Russia invaded Ukraine.“Sweden’s accession makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer and the whole alliance more secure,” Stoltenberg said. He added that the move “demonstrates that NATO’s door remains open and that every nation has the right to choose its own path.”Sweden, along with Finland, which joined NATO last year, both abandoned long-standing military neutrality that was a hallmark of the Nordic states’ Cold War foreign policy after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-moscow-kyiv-626a8c5ec22217bacb24ece60fac4fe1">Russia invaded Ukraine</a>&nbsp;in early 2022.Biden, in his speech to Congress, was expected to use Sweden’s decision to join to step up calls for reluctant Republicans to approve stalled military assistance to Ukraine as the war enters its third year.Biden and his NATO counterparts have vowed that Ukraine will join one day, too.Sweden’s membership had been held up due to objections by NATO members Turkey and Hungary. Turkey expressed concern that Sweden was harboring and not taking enough action against Kurdish groups that it regards as terrorists, and Hungary's populist President Viktor Orban has shown pro-Russian sentiment and not shared the alliance’s determination to support Ukraine.After months of delay, Turkey ratified Sweden’s admission earlier this year, and Hungary did so this week.___Cook reported from Brussels. AP writer Jan M. Olsen contributed from Copenhagen, Denmark.___

U.S. welcomes 32nd member of NATO as war in Ukraine threatens

BROWN COUNTY—An 86-year-old missing person was safely returned to family after law enforcement and the community worked together to resolve the situation.

Just after 2a.m. Wednesday the&nbsp;Brown County law enforcement dispatch received a call from Tanya Rhyne, employee of TA Express Truck Stop in Fairview, Kansas who was concerned about an elderly person who appeared disoriented while driving in their parking lot, according to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant.

 Upon investigation, a Brown County Deputy ran the license plate which came back to an individual in Lincoln,Nebraska.&nbsp; 

Brown County officials contacted the Lincoln, Nebraska Police and it was learned that the 86-year-old driver in the Truck Stop parking lot had been reported missing sinceMarch&nbsp; 4.&nbsp;

 Lincoln police provided the name and contact information&nbsp; of the missing person's daughter who was then contacted by the deputy.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

The deputy and Tanya stayed with the missing individual until 5:30 a.m. when&nbsp; the daughter arrived. The sheriff thanked Tanya who did the right thing by calling with her concern and assisting the deputy.&nbsp;&nbsp;

BROWN COUNTY—An 86-year-old missing person was safely returned to family after law enforcement and the community worked together to resolve the situation.Just after 2a.m. Wednesday the&nbsp;Brown County law enforcement dispatch received a call from Tanya Rhyne, employee of TA Express Truck Stop in Fairview, Kansas who was concerned about an elderly person who appeared disoriented while driving in their parking lot, according to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant. Upon investigation, a Brown County Deputy ran the license plate which came back to an individual in Lincoln,Nebraska.&nbsp; Brown County officials contacted the Lincoln, Nebraska Police and it was learned that the 86-year-old driver in the Truck Stop parking lot had been reported missing sinceMarch&nbsp; 4.&nbsp; Lincoln police provided the name and contact information&nbsp; of the missing person's daughter who was then contacted by the deputy.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The deputy and Tanya stayed with the missing individual until 5:30 a.m. when&nbsp; the daughter arrived. The sheriff thanked Tanya who did the right thing by calling with her concern and assisting the deputy.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Missing 86-year-old from Nebraska located in Kansas

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a $460 billion package of spending bills Wednesday that would keep money flowing to key federal agencies through the remainder of the budget year. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation before a midnight Friday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown">shutdown</a>&nbsp;deadline.

Lawmakers are negotiating a second package of six bills, including defense, in an effort to have all federal agencies fully funded before a March 22 deadline. In the end, total discretionary spending set by Congress is expected to come in at about $1.66 trillion for the full entire year.

A significant number of House Republicans have lined up in opposition to the spending packages, forcing House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>, R-La., to use an expedited process to bring the bill up for a vote. That process requires two-thirds of the House to vote for the measure for it to pass.

The House passed the measure by a vote of 339-85.&nbsp; All three members of the Nebraska delegation voted for the measure.

The nondefense spending in this year's bills is relatively flat compared to the previous year. Supporters say that keeping that spending below the rate of inflation is tantamount to a cut, forcing agencies to be more frugal and focus manpower on top priorities. Johnson cited a 10% cut to the Environmental Protection Agency, a 7% cut to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and a 6% cut to the FBI.

But many Republican lawmakers were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-house-republicans-spending-cuts-deff84c0e2ff7d3bd076b8c38e14cca4">seeking</a>&nbsp;much steeper cuts and more policy victories. The House Freedom Caucus, which contains dozens of the GOP's most conservative members, urged Republicans to vote against the first spending package and oppose the second one being negotiated.

“Despite giving Democrats higher spending levels, the omnibus text released so far punts on nearly every single Republican policy priority,” the group said.

Johnson countered that House Republicans have just a two-vote majority in the House while Democrats control the Senate and White House.

“We have to be realistic about what we're able to achieve,” Johnson said.

Democrats staved off most of the policy riders that House Republicans sought to include in the package. For example, they beat back an effort to block new rules that expand access to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">abortion</a>&nbsp;pill mifepristone.

Democrats also said the bill would fully fund a nutrition program for low-income women, infants and children, providing about $7 billion for what is known as the WIC program. That's a $1 billion increase from the previous year.

As part of those negotiations, House Republicans pushed to give a few states the ability to disallow the purchase of non-nutritious food, such as sugary drinks and snacks, in the food stamp program known as SNAP. The GOP's effort was unsuccessful for now, but supporters say they'll try again in next year's spending bills.

“The bill certainly doesn't have everything that we may have wanted, but I am very proud to say we successfully defeated the vast majority of the extreme cuts and hundreds of harmful policy riders proposed by the House Republicans,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.

House Republicans were able to achieve some policy wins, however. One provision, for example, will prevent the sale of oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China. Another policy mandate prohibits the Justice Department from investigating parents who exercise free speech at local school board meetings.

Another provision strengthens gun rights for certain veterans.

Under current law, the Department of Veterans Affairs must send a beneficiary’s name to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System whenever a fiduciary is appointed to help manage someone’s benefits because they lack the mental capacity to manage their own affairs. This year’s spending package prohibits the department from transmitting that information unless a relevant judicial authority rules that the beneficiary is a danger to himself or herself, or others.

Rep. Mark Takano, the top Democrat on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, said a finding of mental incompetency by the VA is typically based on “very serious mental health conditions like schizophrenia and dementia."

“They wanted so badly to make sure that vulnerable veterans could access more firearms,” Takano said. “This is wrong. Lives are on the line. Veterans' lives are on the line, and I will not agree to legislation that will cause more people's lives to be lost to gun violence.”

Republicans have argued that current VA policy deters some veterans from seeking the care and benefits they have earned.

In a closed-door meeting with the House GOP, Johnson, looking to show that Republicans did get some policy wins in the negotiations, read from a news report about how Democrats were having “heartburn” about the gun provision, according to a Republican familiar with the discussion who was not authorized to discuss it publicly.

The bills to fund federal agencies are more than five months past due with the budget year beginning Oct. 1. House Republicans are describing an improved process nevertheless, saying they have broken the cycle of passing all the spending bills in one massive package that lawmakers have little time to study before being asked to vote on it or risk a government shutdown.

But critics of the bill, such as Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., were dismissive about how much the process really changed.

The first package covers the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Interior and Transportation, among others.

Democrats overwhelmingly supported the bill, with 207 voting for it and two voting against. The vote among Republicans was 132-83.

"Once again, Democrats protected the American people and delivered the overwhelming majority of votes necessary to get things done,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said.

Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., said he opposed the bill because “I've not made any bones about it since I've been here. We have to get spending under control and we've lost the leverage.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709777601578.png" alt="House Speaker Mike Johnson during a Wednesday press conference-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Mike Johnson during a Wednesday press conference-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a $460 billion package of spending bills Wednesday that would keep money flowing to key federal agencies through the remainder of the budget year. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation before a midnight Friday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown">shutdown</a>&nbsp;deadline.Lawmakers are negotiating a second package of six bills, including defense, in an effort to have all federal agencies fully funded before a March 22 deadline. In the end, total discretionary spending set by Congress is expected to come in at about $1.66 trillion for the full entire year.A significant number of House Republicans have lined up in opposition to the spending packages, forcing House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>, R-La., to use an expedited process to bring the bill up for a vote. That process requires two-thirds of the House to vote for the measure for it to pass.The House passed the measure by a vote of 339-85.&nbsp; All three members of the Nebraska delegation voted for the measure.The nondefense spending in this year's bills is relatively flat compared to the previous year. Supporters say that keeping that spending below the rate of inflation is tantamount to a cut, forcing agencies to be more frugal and focus manpower on top priorities. Johnson cited a 10% cut to the Environmental Protection Agency, a 7% cut to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and a 6% cut to the FBI.But many Republican lawmakers were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-house-republicans-spending-cuts-deff84c0e2ff7d3bd076b8c38e14cca4">seeking</a>&nbsp;much steeper cuts and more policy victories. The House Freedom Caucus, which contains dozens of the GOP's most conservative members, urged Republicans to vote against the first spending package and oppose the second one being negotiated.“Despite giving Democrats higher spending levels, the omnibus text released so far punts on nearly every single Republican policy priority,” the group said.Johnson countered that House Republicans have just a two-vote majority in the House while Democrats control the Senate and White House.“We have to be realistic about what we're able to achieve,” Johnson said.Democrats staved off most of the policy riders that House Republicans sought to include in the package. For example, they beat back an effort to block new rules that expand access to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">abortion</a>&nbsp;pill mifepristone.Democrats also said the bill would fully fund a nutrition program for low-income women, infants and children, providing about $7 billion for what is known as the WIC program. That's a $1 billion increase from the previous year.As part of those negotiations, House Republicans pushed to give a few states the ability to disallow the purchase of non-nutritious food, such as sugary drinks and snacks, in the food stamp program known as SNAP. The GOP's effort was unsuccessful for now, but supporters say they'll try again in next year's spending bills.“The bill certainly doesn't have everything that we may have wanted, but I am very proud to say we successfully defeated the vast majority of the extreme cuts and hundreds of harmful policy riders proposed by the House Republicans,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.House Republicans were able to achieve some policy wins, however. One provision, for example, will prevent the sale of oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China. Another policy mandate prohibits the Justice Department from investigating parents who exercise free speech at local school board meetings.Another provision strengthens gun rights for certain veterans.Under current law, the Department of Veterans Affairs must send a beneficiary’s name to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System whenever a fiduciary is appointed to help manage someone’s benefits because they lack the mental capacity to manage their own affairs. This year’s spending package prohibits the department from transmitting that information unless a relevant judicial authority rules that the beneficiary is a danger to himself or herself, or others.Rep. Mark Takano, the top Democrat on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, said a finding of mental incompetency by the VA is typically based on “very serious mental health conditions like schizophrenia and dementia."“They wanted so badly to make sure that vulnerable veterans could access more firearms,” Takano said. “This is wrong. Lives are on the line. Veterans' lives are on the line, and I will not agree to legislation that will cause more people's lives to be lost to gun violence.”Republicans have argued that current VA policy deters some veterans from seeking the care and benefits they have earned.In a closed-door meeting with the House GOP, Johnson, looking to show that Republicans did get some policy wins in the negotiations, read from a news report about how Democrats were having “heartburn” about the gun provision, according to a Republican familiar with the discussion who was not authorized to discuss it publicly.The bills to fund federal agencies are more than five months past due with the budget year beginning Oct. 1. House Republicans are describing an improved process nevertheless, saying they have broken the cycle of passing all the spending bills in one massive package that lawmakers have little time to study before being asked to vote on it or risk a government shutdown.But critics of the bill, such as Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., were dismissive about how much the process really changed.The first package covers the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Interior and Transportation, among others.Democrats overwhelmingly supported the bill, with 207 voting for it and two voting against. The vote among Republicans was 132-83."Once again, Democrats protected the American people and delivered the overwhelming majority of votes necessary to get things done,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said.Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., said he opposed the bill because “I've not made any bones about it since I've been here. We have to get spending under control and we've lost the leverage.”

All 3 Neb. lawmakers vote in favor of $460 billion House spending package 

NEW YORK (AP) — From the start, the case was highly unusual: a criminal prosecution centered on the disputed ownership of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-973e74e795416821e6f022895b47b78e">cache of hand-drafted lyrics</a>&nbsp;to “Hotel California” and other Eagles hits.

In the middle of trial, New York prosecutors abruptly dropped their case Wednesday against three collectibles experts who had been accused of scheming to hang onto and peddle the pages, which Eagles co-founder Don Henley maintained were stolen, private artifacts of the band’s creative process.

In explaining the stunning turnabout, prosecutors agreed that defense lawyers had essentially been blindsided by 6,000 pages of communications involving Henley and his attorneys and associates. Prosecutors and the defense got the material only in the past few days, after Henley and his lawyers apparently made a late-in-the-game decision to waive their attorney-client privilege shielding legal discussions.

“These delayed disclosures revealed relevant information that the defense should have had the opportunity to explore” when Henley and other prosecution witnesses testified late last month, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Aaron Ginandes told the court.

With that, rare books dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and rock memorabilia seller Edward Kosinski were cleared of all the charges. They had included conspiracy to criminally possess stolen property.

The case centered on roughly 100 pages of legal-pad pages, many from the creation of a classic rock colossus. The 1976 album “Hotel California” ranks as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3c0b39a1bb5b4e44aafe2c4e05a4b67f">third-biggest seller</a>&nbsp;of all time in the U.S., in no small part on the strength of its evocative, smoothly unsettling title track about a place where “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”

Prosecutors had said the defendants knew the pages' chain of possession was shaky but sought to keep and sell them anyway, contriving to fabricate a provenance that would pass muster with auction houses and stave off Henley’s demands for the return of the handwritten sheets.

Through their lawyers, the defendants contended they were rightful owners of pages that weren’t stolen by anyone.

“The next step is building back our reputations," Inciardi said in a written statement after the dismissal. Kosinski, leaving court, said only that he felt “very good” about the case's end. Horowitz hugged tearful family members, then left court without commenting.

Henley lawyer Dan Petrocelli, meanwhile, said the musician plans to turn to civil courts.

“As the victim in this case, Mr. Henley has once again been victimized by this unjust outcome,” Petrocelli said in a statement.

One of Kosinski's lawyers, Scott Edelman, said they also were going to “evaluate next steps."

The communications that led to the case dismissal weren’t released publicly. But in court earlier this week, defense lawyers said the trove had identified additional potential witnesses and raised questions about some testimony from Henley and others.

Judge Curtis Farber said Wednesday that witnesses and their lawyers used attorney-client privilege “to obfuscate and hide information that they believed would be damaging" and that prosecutors “were apparently manipulated.”

As Edelman saw it, prosecutors "got blinded by the fame and fortune of a celebrity.”

The defense maintained that Henley gave the lyrics pages decades ago to a writer who worked on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-8ec3a28657365ecce6bfd4003ead494a">never-published Eagles biography</a>&nbsp;and later sold the handwritten sheets to Horowitz. He, in turn, sold them to Inciardi and Kosinski, who started putting some of the pages up for auction in 2012.

“These are three factually innocent men,” said Inciardi's lawyer, Stacey Richman.

Henley, who realized the pages were missing only when they showed up for sale, reported them stolen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/henley-hotel-california-lyrics-trial-eagles-01d778228e5f7450a2579238798c4f38">He testified</a>&nbsp;at the trial that he let the writer pore through the pages for research but “never gifted them or gave them to anybody to keep or sell.”

The writer, Ed Sanders, wasn’t charged with any crime and wasn’t called to testify. He hasn’t responded to messages about the trial.

Defense lawyers said in court Monday that newly produced emails showed that Henley initially suspected someone else before being reminded of the decades-old book project.

The defense said emails also indicated that some Henley lawyers and a private investigator initially characterized the pages’ disappearance as a burglary — and didn't mention Sanders’ 1979 book contract — because they believed that referring to a burglary would help their cause. The contract, often mentioned during the trial, said the Eagles would furnish Sanders with material, which would remain the band’s “sole property.”

Messages seeking comment were sent to the Henley attorneys involved in the initial 2012 discussions about the lyrics sheets . Another firm that represented Henley in later dealings with the matter, Loeb &amp; Loeb, said in a statement Wednesday that it respects the attorney-client privilege decisions and is “confident that its attorneys acted in accordance with their professional and ethical responsibilities.”

Prosecutors said Wednesday that they repeatedly asked various witnesses to waive their attorney-client privilege, but they chose not to until the past few days.

But Horowitz lawyer Jonathan Bach said that while the defendants were accused of not asking enough questions about the pages' ownership, “it appears that the failure to do a full investigation lies with the other side."

Before the case collapsed, the nonjury trial provided sometimes gossipy peeks into the height of the Eagles' career and the music business.

The court heard the band's longtime manager lament on a decades-old tape about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-1b873edc7596bb736428fbf8fb431c1d">dealing with “a pampered rock star.”</a>&nbsp;Henley held in his hands aging pages with lyrics-in-the-making for such Eagles songs as “After the Thrill is Gone,” “One of These Nights” and “The Long Run.”

During testimony that stretched across three days, the Grammy-winning singer and drummer recounted highlights from the band's heyday, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/henley-hotel-california-lyrics-trial-eagles-305107bd8950280a23ae6100a71f0f88">the writing of “Hotel California."</a>&nbsp;And he discussed personal low points, including his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/don-henley-eagles-hotel-california-sex-worker-dae5d3c41ae5ad1071a06dbc74a957d7">1980 arrest</a>&nbsp;after authorities reported finding a 16-year-old girl who was ailing from drug use at his home. It happened as the Eagles were breaking up, and Henley was reeling.

“The band was everything to me, and it’s something I’d been working towards since I was 15 years old. It was my whole world" and “my identity," he said. "We had accomplished so much in the previous decade.”

In the long run, it wasn't the end. The Eagles reunited in 1994 and are still touring.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708429319229.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — From the start, the case was highly unusual: a criminal prosecution centered on the disputed ownership of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-973e74e795416821e6f022895b47b78e">cache of hand-drafted lyrics</a>&nbsp;to “Hotel California” and other Eagles hits.Its end was even more unexpected.In the middle of trial, New York prosecutors abruptly dropped their case Wednesday against three collectibles experts who had been accused of scheming to hang onto and peddle the pages, which Eagles co-founder Don Henley maintained were stolen, private artifacts of the band’s creative process.In explaining the stunning turnabout, prosecutors agreed that defense lawyers had essentially been blindsided by 6,000 pages of communications involving Henley and his attorneys and associates. Prosecutors and the defense got the material only in the past few days, after Henley and his lawyers apparently made a late-in-the-game decision to waive their attorney-client privilege shielding legal discussions.“These delayed disclosures revealed relevant information that the defense should have had the opportunity to explore” when Henley and other prosecution witnesses testified late last month, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Aaron Ginandes told the court.With that, rare books dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and rock memorabilia seller Edward Kosinski were cleared of all the charges. They had included conspiracy to criminally possess stolen property.The case centered on roughly 100 pages of legal-pad pages, many from the creation of a classic rock colossus. The 1976 album “Hotel California” ranks as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3c0b39a1bb5b4e44aafe2c4e05a4b67f">third-biggest seller</a>&nbsp;of all time in the U.S., in no small part on the strength of its evocative, smoothly unsettling title track about a place where “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”Prosecutors had said the defendants knew the pages' chain of possession was shaky but sought to keep and sell them anyway, contriving to fabricate a provenance that would pass muster with auction houses and stave off Henley’s demands for the return of the handwritten sheets.Through their lawyers, the defendants contended they were rightful owners of pages that weren’t stolen by anyone.“The next step is building back our reputations," Inciardi said in a written statement after the dismissal. Kosinski, leaving court, said only that he felt “very good” about the case's end. Horowitz hugged tearful family members, then left court without commenting.Henley lawyer Dan Petrocelli, meanwhile, said the musician plans to turn to civil courts.“As the victim in this case, Mr. Henley has once again been victimized by this unjust outcome,” Petrocelli said in a statement.One of Kosinski's lawyers, Scott Edelman, said they also were going to “evaluate next steps."The communications that led to the case dismissal weren’t released publicly. But in court earlier this week, defense lawyers said the trove had identified additional potential witnesses and raised questions about some testimony from Henley and others.Judge Curtis Farber said Wednesday that witnesses and their lawyers used attorney-client privilege “to obfuscate and hide information that they believed would be damaging" and that prosecutors “were apparently manipulated.”As Edelman saw it, prosecutors "got blinded by the fame and fortune of a celebrity.”The defense maintained that Henley gave the lyrics pages decades ago to a writer who worked on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-8ec3a28657365ecce6bfd4003ead494a">never-published Eagles biography</a>&nbsp;and later sold the handwritten sheets to Horowitz. He, in turn, sold them to Inciardi and Kosinski, who started putting some of the pages up for auction in 2012.“These are three factually innocent men,” said Inciardi's lawyer, Stacey Richman.Henley, who realized the pages were missing only when they showed up for sale, reported them stolen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/henley-hotel-california-lyrics-trial-eagles-01d778228e5f7450a2579238798c4f38">He testified</a>&nbsp;at the trial that he let the writer pore through the pages for research but “never gifted them or gave them to anybody to keep or sell.”The writer, Ed Sanders, wasn’t charged with any crime and wasn’t called to testify. He hasn’t responded to messages about the trial.Defense lawyers said in court Monday that newly produced emails showed that Henley initially suspected someone else before being reminded of the decades-old book project.The defense said emails also indicated that some Henley lawyers and a private investigator initially characterized the pages’ disappearance as a burglary — and didn't mention Sanders’ 1979 book contract — because they believed that referring to a burglary would help their cause. The contract, often mentioned during the trial, said the Eagles would furnish Sanders with material, which would remain the band’s “sole property.”Messages seeking comment were sent to the Henley attorneys involved in the initial 2012 discussions about the lyrics sheets . Another firm that represented Henley in later dealings with the matter, Loeb &amp; Loeb, said in a statement Wednesday that it respects the attorney-client privilege decisions and is “confident that its attorneys acted in accordance with their professional and ethical responsibilities.”Prosecutors said Wednesday that they repeatedly asked various witnesses to waive their attorney-client privilege, but they chose not to until the past few days.But Horowitz lawyer Jonathan Bach said that while the defendants were accused of not asking enough questions about the pages' ownership, “it appears that the failure to do a full investigation lies with the other side."Before the case collapsed, the nonjury trial provided sometimes gossipy peeks into the height of the Eagles' career and the music business.The court heard the band's longtime manager lament on a decades-old tape about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-1b873edc7596bb736428fbf8fb431c1d">dealing with “a pampered rock star.”</a>&nbsp;Henley held in his hands aging pages with lyrics-in-the-making for such Eagles songs as “After the Thrill is Gone,” “One of These Nights” and “The Long Run.”During testimony that stretched across three days, the Grammy-winning singer and drummer recounted highlights from the band's heyday, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/henley-hotel-california-lyrics-trial-eagles-305107bd8950280a23ae6100a71f0f88">the writing of “Hotel California."</a>&nbsp;And he discussed personal low points, including his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/don-henley-eagles-hotel-california-sex-worker-dae5d3c41ae5ad1071a06dbc74a957d7">1980 arrest</a>&nbsp;after authorities reported finding a 16-year-old girl who was ailing from drug use at his home. It happened as the Eagles were breaking up, and Henley was reeling.“The band was everything to me, and it’s something I’d been working towards since I was 15 years old. It was my whole world" and “my identity," he said. "We had accomplished so much in the previous decade.”In the long run, it wasn't the end. The Eagles reunited in 1994 and are still touring.

Charges dropped in case of stolen 'Hotel California' lyrics

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden killed two of its crew members and forced survivors to abandon the vessel on Wednesday, officials said, in the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the Iranian-backed group over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's war on Hamas</a>&nbsp;in the Gaza Strip.

The attack on the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier True Confidence further escalates the conflict on a crucial maritime route linking Asia and the Middle East to Europe that has disrupted global shipping. The Houthis have launched attacks since November, and the U.S. began an airstrike campaign in January that so far hasn't halted their attacks.

Meanwhile, Iran announced Wednesday that it would confiscate a $50 million cargo of Kuwaiti crude oil for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-oil-tanker-advantage-sweet-seized-40b8f90bc0484fcd626903eef5faf64c">American energy firm Chevron Corp.</a>&nbsp;aboard a tanker it seized nearly a year earlier. It is the latest twist in a yearslong shadow war playing out in the Middle East’s waterways even before the Houthi attacks began.

The attack Wednesday on the True Confidence came after it had been hailed over radio by men claiming to be the Yemeni military, officials said. The Houthis have been hailing ships over the radio in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since beginning their attacks, with analysts suspecting the rebels want to seize the vessels.

Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity as they didn’t have authorization to speak publicly, said the anti-ship ballistic missile attack killed two of the crew members on board and wounded six others.

At the State Department in Washington, spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed the loss of life at a briefing with reporters. “We continue to watch these reckless attacks with no regard for the well being of innocent civilians who are transiting through the Red Sea. And now they have, unfortunately and tragically, killed innocent civilians,” he said.

The full extent of the damage to the Liberian-owned ship remained unclear, but the crew abandoned the ship and deployed lifeboats.

A U.S. warship and the Indian navy were on the scene, trying to assist in rescue efforts.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed the attack in a prerecorded message, saying its missile fire set the vessel ablaze. He said the rebels' attacks would only stop when the “siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza is lifted.”

The rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters over the Israel-Hamas war, but up to Wednesday hadn't killed any crew members. The vessels have included at least one with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-ship-missile-houthi-rebels-attack-bab-elmandeb-strait-999b911c916f9266c07a6d29cc020e9e">cargo bound for Iran</a>, the Houthis’ main benefactor, and an aid ship later bound for Houthi-controlled territory.

Despite more than a month and a half of U.S.-led airstrikes,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">Houthi rebels have remained capable</a>&nbsp;of launching significant attacks. They include the attack last month on a cargo ship carrying fertilizer, the Rubymar,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-rubymar-sinks-red-sea-fb64a490ce935756337ee3606e15d093">which sank on Saturday</a>&nbsp;after drifting for several days, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-red-sea-israel-hamas-6ac2a1bf5032ed0531258816907cfe2c">downing of an American drone</a>&nbsp;worth tens of millions of dollars.

It was unclear why the Houthis targeted the True Confidence. However, it had previously been owned by Oaktree Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based fund that finances vessels on installments. Oaktree declined to comment.

Meanwhile, a separate Houthi assault Tuesday apparently targeted the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that has been involved in the American campaign against the rebels. The Carney shot down bomb-carrying drones and one anti-ship ballistic missile, the U.S. military's Central Command said. Saree acknowledged that attack as well.

The U.S. later launched an airstrike destroying three anti-ship missiles and three bomb-carrying drone boats, the Central Command said.

The Houthis haven't offered any assessment of the damage they've suffered in the American-led strikes that began in January, though they've said at least 22 of their fighters have been killed. One civilian has reportedly been killed.

The U.S. Treasury separately announced new sanctions targeting a Houthi financier and the expeditionary Quds Force of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which arms the rebels.

The Houthis have held Yemen's capital, Sanaa, since 2014. They've battled a Saudi-led coalition since 2015 in a long-stalemated war there.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/india-china-maritime-security-d53925a976e667f275024fa964818c8f">the Indian navy</a>&nbsp;released a video of its sailors from the INS Kolkata fighting a fire aboard the MSC Sky II, which had been targeted by the Houthis in the Gulf of Aden on Monday. The Mediterranean Shipping Co., a Switzerland-based company, said the missile struck the ship as it was traveling from Singapore to Djibouti. No one was injured.

Iran separately announced the seizure of the crude oil aboard&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-navy-oil-tanker-advantage-057155f4d9caf92131533fe90f94a3a0">the Advantage Sweet</a>&nbsp;through an announcement carried by the judiciary's state-run Mizan news agency. At the time, Iran alleged that the Advantage Sweet collided with another ship, without offering any evidence.

The court order for the seizure offered an entirely different reason for the confiscation. Mizan said it was part of a court order over U.S. sanctions it alleged barred the importation of a Swedish medicine used to treat patients suffering from epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic condition that causes blisters all over the body and eyes. It didn't reconcile the different reasons for the seizure.

The Advantage Sweet had been in the Persian Gulf in late April, but its track showed no unusual behavior as it transited through the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of all traded oil passes. Iran has made allegations in other seizures that later fell apart as it became clear that Tehran was trying to leverage the capture as a bargaining chip to negotiate with foreign nations.

Chevron, based in San Ramon, California, said Wednesday that the Advantage Sweet had been “seized under false pretenses" and that the company “has not had any direct communication with Iran over the seizure of the vessel.”

“Chevron has not been permitted access to the vessel and considers the cargo a total loss due to Iran’s illegal actions,” Chevron said in a statement. “We now consider the cargo the responsibility of the Iranian government.”

Ship seizures and explosions have roiled the region since 2019. The incidents began after then President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708804229711.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden killed two of its crew members and forced survivors to abandon the vessel on Wednesday, officials said, in the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the Iranian-backed group over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's war on Hamas</a>&nbsp;in the Gaza Strip.The attack on the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier True Confidence further escalates the conflict on a crucial maritime route linking Asia and the Middle East to Europe that has disrupted global shipping. The Houthis have launched attacks since November, and the U.S. began an airstrike campaign in January that so far hasn't halted their attacks.Meanwhile, Iran announced Wednesday that it would confiscate a $50 million cargo of Kuwaiti crude oil for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-oil-tanker-advantage-sweet-seized-40b8f90bc0484fcd626903eef5faf64c">American energy firm Chevron Corp.</a>&nbsp;aboard a tanker it seized nearly a year earlier. It is the latest twist in a yearslong shadow war playing out in the Middle East’s waterways even before the Houthi attacks began.The attack Wednesday on the True Confidence came after it had been hailed over radio by men claiming to be the Yemeni military, officials said. The Houthis have been hailing ships over the radio in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since beginning their attacks, with analysts suspecting the rebels want to seize the vessels.Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity as they didn’t have authorization to speak publicly, said the anti-ship ballistic missile attack killed two of the crew members on board and wounded six others.At the State Department in Washington, spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed the loss of life at a briefing with reporters. “We continue to watch these reckless attacks with no regard for the well being of innocent civilians who are transiting through the Red Sea. And now they have, unfortunately and tragically, killed innocent civilians,” he said.The full extent of the damage to the Liberian-owned ship remained unclear, but the crew abandoned the ship and deployed lifeboats.A U.S. warship and the Indian navy were on the scene, trying to assist in rescue efforts.Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed the attack in a prerecorded message, saying its missile fire set the vessel ablaze. He said the rebels' attacks would only stop when the “siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza is lifted.”The rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters over the Israel-Hamas war, but up to Wednesday hadn't killed any crew members. The vessels have included at least one with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-ship-missile-houthi-rebels-attack-bab-elmandeb-strait-999b911c916f9266c07a6d29cc020e9e">cargo bound for Iran</a>, the Houthis’ main benefactor, and an aid ship later bound for Houthi-controlled territory.Despite more than a month and a half of U.S.-led airstrikes,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">Houthi rebels have remained capable</a>&nbsp;of launching significant attacks. They include the attack last month on a cargo ship carrying fertilizer, the Rubymar,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-rubymar-sinks-red-sea-fb64a490ce935756337ee3606e15d093">which sank on Saturday</a>&nbsp;after drifting for several days, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-red-sea-israel-hamas-6ac2a1bf5032ed0531258816907cfe2c">downing of an American drone</a>&nbsp;worth tens of millions of dollars.It was unclear why the Houthis targeted the True Confidence. However, it had previously been owned by Oaktree Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based fund that finances vessels on installments. Oaktree declined to comment.Meanwhile, a separate Houthi assault Tuesday apparently targeted the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that has been involved in the American campaign against the rebels. The Carney shot down bomb-carrying drones and one anti-ship ballistic missile, the U.S. military's Central Command said. Saree acknowledged that attack as well.The U.S. later launched an airstrike destroying three anti-ship missiles and three bomb-carrying drone boats, the Central Command said.The Houthis haven't offered any assessment of the damage they've suffered in the American-led strikes that began in January, though they've said at least 22 of their fighters have been killed. One civilian has reportedly been killed.The U.S. Treasury separately announced new sanctions targeting a Houthi financier and the expeditionary Quds Force of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which arms the rebels.The Houthis have held Yemen's capital, Sanaa, since 2014. They've battled a Saudi-led coalition since 2015 in a long-stalemated war there.Meanwhile,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/india-china-maritime-security-d53925a976e667f275024fa964818c8f">the Indian navy</a>&nbsp;released a video of its sailors from the INS Kolkata fighting a fire aboard the MSC Sky II, which had been targeted by the Houthis in the Gulf of Aden on Monday. The Mediterranean Shipping Co., a Switzerland-based company, said the missile struck the ship as it was traveling from Singapore to Djibouti. No one was injured.Iran separately announced the seizure of the crude oil aboard&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-navy-oil-tanker-advantage-057155f4d9caf92131533fe90f94a3a0">the Advantage Sweet</a>&nbsp;through an announcement carried by the judiciary's state-run Mizan news agency. At the time, Iran alleged that the Advantage Sweet collided with another ship, without offering any evidence.The court order for the seizure offered an entirely different reason for the confiscation. Mizan said it was part of a court order over U.S. sanctions it alleged barred the importation of a Swedish medicine used to treat patients suffering from epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic condition that causes blisters all over the body and eyes. It didn't reconcile the different reasons for the seizure.The Advantage Sweet had been in the Persian Gulf in late April, but its track showed no unusual behavior as it transited through the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of all traded oil passes. Iran has made allegations in other seizures that later fell apart as it became clear that Tehran was trying to leverage the capture as a bargaining chip to negotiate with foreign nations.Chevron, based in San Ramon, California, said Wednesday that the Advantage Sweet had been “seized under false pretenses" and that the company “has not had any direct communication with Iran over the seizure of the vessel.”“Chevron has not been permitted access to the vessel and considers the cargo a total loss due to Iran’s illegal actions,” Chevron said in a statement. “We now consider the cargo the responsibility of the Iranian government.”Ship seizures and explosions have roiled the region since 2019. The incidents began after then President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers.___

US confirms first 'fatalities' in the assaults on shipping in Red Sea

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nu-moves-ahead-with-search-for-next-chancellor-of-the-university-of-nebraska-at-kearney/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;The University of Nebraska is moving ahead in the search to find the next chancellor for the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a search firm and committee.

Interim NU President Chris Kabourek announced Tuesday that he has appointed a 13-member search committee and hired the executive search firm CarterBaldwin to assist in the process. Current UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature and the longest-serving chancellor in NU history at 22 years, will&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/06/unk-chancellor-announces-retirement-22-years-after-taking-central-nebraska-role/">retire at the end of the academic year</a>.

Kristensen’s departure will mean just&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-board-of-regents-chair-not-concerned-amid-multiple-leadership-transitions/">one of NU’s four chancellors</a>&nbsp;will have served more than three years in a chancellor role, on top of a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/29/nu-community-reflects-on-efforts-to-reinvent-improve-the-universitys-future/#:~:text=By%3A%20Zach%20Wendling%20%2D%20December%2029%2C%202023%203%3A00%20am&amp;text=LINCOLN%20%E2%80%94%20The%20University%20of%20Nebraska,continued%20work%20to%20reinvent%20NU.">new president</a>&nbsp;expected to be announced soon.

CarterBaldwin has assisted in searches across various fields ranging from J&amp;J Snack Foods and Shoals Technologies to Palm Beach Atlantic University and Pepperdine University.&nbsp;

One of the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://carterbaldwin.com/why-carterbaldwin/our-team/">firm’s partners</a>, Andrea McDaniel Smith, leads CarterBaldwin’s Washington, D.C., office and splits her time between there and Gering, Neb. She is married to U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, a Republican who represents Nebraska’s sprawling 3rd Congressional District.

Nebraska’s 3rd Congressional District includes Kearney.

An NU spokesperson said the university is paying CarterBaldwin $108,000 for its services and will cover direct expenses associated with the search, such as travel.

Next search steps will include campus listening sessions, crafting a job description and seeking nominations and applications.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709746784880.jpeg" alt=" University of Nebraska at Kearney Chancellor Doug Kristensen speaks during an NU Board of Regents meeting. Dec. 1, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> University of Nebraska at Kearney Chancellor Doug Kristensen speaks during an NU Board of Regents meeting. Dec. 1, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nu-moves-ahead-with-search-for-next-chancellor-of-the-university-of-nebraska-at-kearney/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;The University of Nebraska is moving ahead in the search to find the next chancellor for the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a search firm and committee.Interim NU President Chris Kabourek announced Tuesday that he has appointed a 13-member search committee and hired the executive search firm CarterBaldwin to assist in the process. Current UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature and the longest-serving chancellor in NU history at 22 years, will&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/06/unk-chancellor-announces-retirement-22-years-after-taking-central-nebraska-role/">retire at the end of the academic year</a>.Kristensen’s departure will mean just&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-board-of-regents-chair-not-concerned-amid-multiple-leadership-transitions/">one of NU’s four chancellors</a>&nbsp;will have served more than three years in a chancellor role, on top of a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/29/nu-community-reflects-on-efforts-to-reinvent-improve-the-universitys-future/#:~:text=By%3A%20Zach%20Wendling%20%2D%20December%2029%2C%202023%203%3A00%20am&amp;text=LINCOLN%20%E2%80%94%20The%20University%20of%20Nebraska,continued%20work%20to%20reinvent%20NU.">new president</a>&nbsp;expected to be announced soon.CarterBaldwin has assisted in searches across various fields ranging from J&amp;J Snack Foods and Shoals Technologies to Palm Beach Atlantic University and Pepperdine University.&nbsp;One of the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://carterbaldwin.com/why-carterbaldwin/our-team/">firm’s partners</a>, Andrea McDaniel Smith, leads CarterBaldwin’s Washington, D.C., office and splits her time between there and Gering, Neb. She is married to U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, a Republican who represents Nebraska’s sprawling 3rd Congressional District.Nebraska’s 3rd Congressional District includes Kearney.An NU spokesperson said the university is paying CarterBaldwin $108,000 for its services and will cover direct expenses associated with the search, such as travel.Next search steps will include campus listening sessions, crafting a job description and seeking nominations and applications.&nbsp;The committee members:<ul>
 <li>Brooke Envick (committee chair), associate dean and professor in the College of Business and Technology.</li><li>Kelly Bartling, vice chancellor for enrollment and marketing.</li><li>Jerry Catlett, president and COO of Bruning Bank.</li><li>Chris Exstrom, chemistry professor and UNK Faculty Senate president.</li><li>Brad Green, associate director in the Office of Financial Aid.</li><li>Brenda Jensen, interim city manager of the City of Kearney.</li><li>Avery Laing, sophomore middle level education major.</li><li>Temo Molina, UNK student body president and a junior business administration and political science double major.</li><li>Omar Sanchez, junior accounting and finance double major.</li><li>Wendy Schardt, director of student health and counseling.</li><li>Paul Twigg, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.</li><li>Tom Tye, attorney for Tye and Rowling, PC LLO.</li><li>Nita Unruh, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Sports Sciences.</li>
 </ul>

NU moves ahead with search for next chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Kearney

(NORFOLK, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating an in-custody death that occurred at the Thurston County Jail on Monday.

Edgar Walker, 53, suffered a medical emergency while in custody and awaiting trial at the Thurston County Jail. Walker was transported to Pender Community Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office has requested the Nebraska State Patrol to conduct the in-custody death investigation.

Cody ThomasNebraska State Patrol(NORFOLK, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating an in-custody death that occurred at the Thurston County Jail on Monday.Edgar Walker, 53, suffered a medical emergency while in custody and awaiting trial at the Thurston County Jail. Walker was transported to Pender Community Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office has requested the Nebraska State Patrol to conduct the in-custody death investigation.

Nebraska State Patrol Investigating In-Custody Death at Thurston County Jail in Eastern Nebraska

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>&nbsp;suspended her presidential campaign on Wednesday after being soundly defeated across the country on Super Tuesday, leaving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;as the last remaining major candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination.

Haley didn’t endorse the former president in a speech in Charleston, South Carolina. Instead, she challenged him to win the support of the moderate Republicans and independent voters who supported her.

“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that,” she said. “At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people.”

Haley, a former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador, was Trump’s first significant rival when she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nikki-haley-running-for-president-f28052019e8ac3846cd125b3d9614d4f">jumped into the race</a>&nbsp;in February 2023. She spent the final phase of her campaign aggressively warning the GOP against embracing Trump, whom she argued was too consumed by chaos and personal grievance to defeat President Joe Biden in the general election.

Her departure clears Trump to focus solely on his likely rematch in November with Biden. The former president is on track to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-election-2024-delegate-tracker">reach the necessary 1,215 delegates</a>&nbsp;to clinch the Republican nomination later this month.

Haley’s defeat marks a painful, if predictable, blow to those voters, donors and Republican Party officials who opposed Trump and his fiery brand of “Make America Great Again” politics. She was especially popular among moderates and college-educated voters, constituencies that will likely play a pivotal role in the general election. It’s unclear whether Trump, who recently declared that Haley donors would be permanently banned from his movement, can ultimately unify a deeply divided party.

Trump on Tuesday night declared that the GOP was united behind him, but in a statement shortly afterward, Haley spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said, "Unity is not achieved by simply claiming, ‘We’re united.’"

“Today, in state after state, there remains a large block of Republican primary voters who are expressing deep concerns about Donald Trump,” Perez-Cubas said. "That is not the unity our party needs for success. Addressing those voters’ concerns will make the Republican Party and America better.”

Haley has made clear she doesn’t want to serve as Trump’s vice president or run on a third-party ticket arranged by the group No Labels. She leaves the race with an elevated national profile that could help her in a future presidential run.

Trump, in a social media post, continued to mock her, while at the same time extending an invitation to “all of the Haley supporters to join the greatest movement in the history of our Nation. BIDEN IS THE ENEMY, HE IS DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY,” he wrote. “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

On Wednesday, Biden welcomed any voters who had backed Haley, acknowledging Trump's previous rejection of her supporters.

“Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign,” Biden said in a statement. “I know there is a lot we won’t agree on. But on the fundamental issues of preserving American democracy, on standing up for the rule of law, on treating each other with decency and dignity and respect, on preserving NATO and standing up to America’s adversaries, I hope and believe we can find common ground.”

By staying in the campaign until now, Haley&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haley-polling-trump-gop-super-tuesday-109ce563f68aa8e1b159d98769e943d8">drew enough support</a>&nbsp;from suburbanites and college-educated voters to highlight Trump’s apparent weaknesses with those groups.

In AP VoteCast surveys conducted among Republican primary and caucus voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, between 61% and 76% of Haley’s supporters said they would be so dissatisfied if Trump became the GOP nominee that they wouldn’t vote for him in the November general election. Voters in the early Republican head-to-head contests who said they wouldn’t vote for Trump in the fall represented a small but significant segment of the electorate: 2 in 10 Iowa voters, one-third of New Hampshire voters, and one-quarter of South Carolina voters.

Haley leaves the 2024 presidential contest having made history as the first woman to win a Republican primary contest. She beat Trump in the District of Columbia on Sunday and in Vermont on Tuesday.

She&nbsp;<a href="https://pronto.associatedpress.com/%E2%80%9CInstead%20of%20asking%20me%20what%20states%20I%E2%80%99m%20gonna%20win,%20why%20don%E2%80%99t%20we%20ask%20how%20he%E2%80%99s%20gonna%20win%20a%20general%20election%20after%20spending%20a%20full%20year%20in%20a%20courtroom?%E2%80%9D%20she%20said.">had insisted she would stay in the race</a>&nbsp;through Super Tuesday and crossed the country campaigning in states holding Republican contests. Ultimately, she was unable to knock Trump off his glide path to a third straight nomination.

Haley’s allies note that she exceeded most of the political world’s expectations by making it as far as she did.

She had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-orangeburg-south-carolina-united-nations-nikki-haley-fda929b5d69ab0a91b97edc62207bcfb">initially ruled out</a>&nbsp;running against Trump in 2024. But she changed her mind and ended up launching her bid three months after he did, citing among other things the country’s economic troubles and the need for “generational change.” Haley, 52, later called for competency tests for politicians over the age of 75 — a knock on both Trump, who is 77, and Biden, who is 81.

Her candidacy was slow to attract donors and support, but she ultimately outlasted all of her other GOP rivals, including Florida Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis</a>, former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/michael-pence">Mike Pence</a>&nbsp;and Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tim-scott">Tim Scott</a>, her fellow South Carolinian whom she appointed to the Senate in 2012. And the money flowed in until the very end. Her campaign said it raised more than $12 million in February alone.

She gained popularity with many Republican donors, independent voters and the “Never Trump” crowd, even though she criticized the criminal cases against him as politically motivated and pledged that, if president, she would pardon him if he were convicted in federal court.

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>&nbsp;suspended her presidential campaign on Wednesday after being soundly defeated across the country on Super Tuesday, leaving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;as the last remaining major candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">You don’t have to agree with me on everything to know MAGA extremism is a threat to this country. We need everyone on board—join our campaign: <a href="https://t.co/AZ3yBfRniy">https://t.co/AZ3yBfRniy</a> <a href="https://t.co/a8MvWHqtSZ">pic.twitter.com/a8MvWHqtSZ</a>&mdash; Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1765396693036523717?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/NikkiHaley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NikkiHaley</a>: &quot;The time has now come to suspend my campaign. I said I wanted Americans to have their voices heard. I have done that. I have no regrets...In all likelihood, Donald Trump will the Republican nominee...I congratulate him and wish him well.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/WUtvWvMtVi">pic.twitter.com/WUtvWvMtVi</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1765401155629166897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Haley didn’t endorse the former president in a speech in Charleston, South Carolina. Instead, she challenged him to win the support of the moderate Republicans and independent voters who supported her.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709741263880.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that,” she said. “At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people.”Haley, a former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador, was Trump’s first significant rival when she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nikki-haley-running-for-president-f28052019e8ac3846cd125b3d9614d4f">jumped into the race</a>&nbsp;in February 2023. She spent the final phase of her campaign aggressively warning the GOP against embracing Trump, whom she argued was too consumed by chaos and personal grievance to defeat President Joe Biden in the general election.Her departure clears Trump to focus solely on his likely rematch in November with Biden. The former president is on track to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-election-2024-delegate-tracker">reach the necessary 1,215 delegates</a>&nbsp;to clinch the Republican nomination later this month.Haley’s defeat marks a painful, if predictable, blow to those voters, donors and Republican Party officials who opposed Trump and his fiery brand of “Make America Great Again” politics. She was especially popular among moderates and college-educated voters, constituencies that will likely play a pivotal role in the general election. It’s unclear whether Trump, who recently declared that Haley donors would be permanently banned from his movement, can ultimately unify a deeply divided party.Trump on Tuesday night declared that the GOP was united behind him, but in a statement shortly afterward, Haley spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said, "Unity is not achieved by simply claiming, ‘We’re united.’"“Today, in state after state, there remains a large block of Republican primary voters who are expressing deep concerns about Donald Trump,” Perez-Cubas said. "That is not the unity our party needs for success. Addressing those voters’ concerns will make the Republican Party and America better.”Haley has made clear she doesn’t want to serve as Trump’s vice president or run on a third-party ticket arranged by the group No Labels. She leaves the race with an elevated national profile that could help her in a future presidential run.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709741372298.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Trump, in a social media post, continued to mock her, while at the same time extending an invitation to “all of the Haley supporters to join the greatest movement in the history of our Nation. BIDEN IS THE ENEMY, HE IS DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY,” he wrote. “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”On Wednesday, Biden welcomed any voters who had backed Haley, acknowledging Trump's previous rejection of her supporters.“Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign,” Biden said in a statement. “I know there is a lot we won’t agree on. But on the fundamental issues of preserving American democracy, on standing up for the rule of law, on treating each other with decency and dignity and respect, on preserving NATO and standing up to America’s adversaries, I hope and believe we can find common ground.”By staying in the campaign until now, Haley&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haley-polling-trump-gop-super-tuesday-109ce563f68aa8e1b159d98769e943d8">drew enough support</a>&nbsp;from suburbanites and college-educated voters to highlight Trump’s apparent weaknesses with those groups.In AP VoteCast surveys conducted among Republican primary and caucus voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, between 61% and 76% of Haley’s supporters said they would be so dissatisfied if Trump became the GOP nominee that they wouldn’t vote for him in the November general election. Voters in the early Republican head-to-head contests who said they wouldn’t vote for Trump in the fall represented a small but significant segment of the electorate: 2 in 10 Iowa voters, one-third of New Hampshire voters, and one-quarter of South Carolina voters.Haley leaves the 2024 presidential contest having made history as the first woman to win a Republican primary contest. She beat Trump in the District of Columbia on Sunday and in Vermont on Tuesday.She&nbsp;<a href="https://pronto.associatedpress.com/%E2%80%9CInstead%20of%20asking%20me%20what%20states%20I%E2%80%99m%20gonna%20win,%20why%20don%E2%80%99t%20we%20ask%20how%20he%E2%80%99s%20gonna%20win%20a%20general%20election%20after%20spending%20a%20full%20year%20in%20a%20courtroom?%E2%80%9D%20she%20said.">had insisted she would stay in the race</a>&nbsp;through Super Tuesday and crossed the country campaigning in states holding Republican contests. Ultimately, she was unable to knock Trump off his glide path to a third straight nomination.Haley’s allies note that she exceeded most of the political world’s expectations by making it as far as she did.She had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-orangeburg-south-carolina-united-nations-nikki-haley-fda929b5d69ab0a91b97edc62207bcfb">initially ruled out</a>&nbsp;running against Trump in 2024. But she changed her mind and ended up launching her bid three months after he did, citing among other things the country’s economic troubles and the need for “generational change.” Haley, 52, later called for competency tests for politicians over the age of 75 — a knock on both Trump, who is 77, and Biden, who is 81.Her candidacy was slow to attract donors and support, but she ultimately outlasted all of her other GOP rivals, including Florida Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis</a>, former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/michael-pence">Mike Pence</a>&nbsp;and Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tim-scott">Tim Scott</a>, her fellow South Carolinian whom she appointed to the Senate in 2012. And the money flowed in until the very end. Her campaign said it raised more than $12 million in February alone.She gained popularity with many Republican donors, independent voters and the “Never Trump” crowd, even though she criticized the criminal cases against him as politically motivated and pledged that, if president, she would pardon him if he were convicted in federal court.___

🎥Biden recruits Nikki Haley voters as she ends her campaign

Zach Wendling.&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/03/05/questions-about-lb-574-combining-abortion-and-gender-care-restrictions-reach-nebraska-supreme-court/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — A proposal to shorten the maximum duration of unemployment benefits in Nebraska from the current 26 weeks to 16 weeks ran into a filibuster Tuesday.

Critics said&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://files.michaelstepner.com/pandemicUIexpiration-paper.pdf">studies have shown</a>&nbsp;that cutting off unemployment benefits earlier hasn’t pushed more people back to work and may have harmed economies by reducing local spending.

There was also pushback from senators about cutting benefits for the unemployed after the state had cut income tax rates that benefited corporations and the well-off.

“We fight over nickels and dimes and pennies in this place when it comes to poverty, and we give money away like it’s a free-for-all when it comes to the most wealthy,” said State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha.

Cavanaugh led a filibuster against Legislative Bill 1170, which was introduced by Ralston Sen. Merv Riepe and declared a priority bill by the Legislature’s Business and Labor Committee, which Riepe chairs.

The bill advanced from committee on a 4-3 vote and faced similar divided views during floor debate Tuesday.

Riepe portrayed the reduction — which is backed by the state chamber and other business groups — as a way to get more people back into the workforce and help address the state’s labor shortage.

He said that there are 2.5 job openings for every unemployed person in the stat and that it’s reasonable to expect for someone to find a new job within 16 weeks,&nbsp;even if it isn’t their dream job.

“While it’s important to support Nebraskans in finding work that aligns with their experience and provides fair compensation, it’s also crucial to recognize that, at a certain point, individuals may need to accept available work opportunities,” Riepe said.

Thirteen states, he said, currently provide fewer than 26 weeks maximum on unemployment, including Iowa, which limits it to 16 weeks. Thirty-five states, meanwhile are at 26 weeks maximum or above.

Such a change would reduce the total unemployment benefits needed in the state by about $23 million a year, according to a legislative fiscal note on LB 1170.

About 30% of the state’s unemployment benefits are paid after 16 weeks, according to the Nebraska Department of Labor.&nbsp; About 2,300 Nebraskans received benefits after week 16 during the past year, the department said, out of the total 12,889 who received benefits.

Several senators joined Cavanaugh in criticizing the proposal.

Bellevue Sen. Carol Blood said that if Nebraska wanted to encourage more people to work, it ought to consider increasing benefits, such as paid maternity leave and child care.

Omaha Sen. Tony Vargas said there’s no “sound policy” to justify such a reduction in benefits, and at 16 weeks maximum, Nebraska would be an “outlier” among the states.

Debate ceased on the bill at the end of the day Tuesday without a vote to advance the bill.

It was unclear whether Riepe had 33 votes for LB 1170 to fend off a filibuster. The senator said the bill probably won’t return to the agenda for a week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709739365712.png" alt="State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wendling.&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/03/05/questions-about-lb-574-combining-abortion-and-gender-care-restrictions-reach-nebraska-supreme-court/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — A proposal to shorten the maximum duration of unemployment benefits in Nebraska from the current 26 weeks to 16 weeks ran into a filibuster Tuesday.Critics said&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://files.michaelstepner.com/pandemicUIexpiration-paper.pdf">studies have shown</a>&nbsp;that cutting off unemployment benefits earlier hasn’t pushed more people back to work and may have harmed economies by reducing local spending.There was also pushback from senators about cutting benefits for the unemployed after the state had cut income tax rates that benefited corporations and the well-off.“We fight over nickels and dimes and pennies in this place when it comes to poverty, and we give money away like it’s a free-for-all when it comes to the most wealthy,” said State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha.Cavanaugh led a filibuster against Legislative Bill 1170, which was introduced by Ralston Sen. Merv Riepe and declared a priority bill by the Legislature’s Business and Labor Committee, which Riepe chairs.<h2>Divided views in debate</h2>The bill advanced from committee on a 4-3 vote and faced similar divided views during floor debate Tuesday.Riepe portrayed the reduction — which is backed by the state chamber and other business groups — as a way to get more people back into the workforce and help address the state’s labor shortage.He said that there are 2.5 job openings for every unemployed person in the stat and that it’s reasonable to expect for someone to find a new job within 16 weeks,&nbsp;even if it isn’t their dream job.“While it’s important to support Nebraskans in finding work that aligns with their experience and provides fair compensation, it’s also crucial to recognize that, at a certain point, individuals may need to accept available work opportunities,” Riepe said.Thirteen states, he said, currently provide fewer than 26 weeks maximum on unemployment, including Iowa, which limits it to 16 weeks. Thirty-five states, meanwhile are at 26 weeks maximum or above.Such a change would reduce the total unemployment benefits needed in the state by about $23 million a year, according to a legislative fiscal note on LB 1170.<h2>‘Outlier’ among states, Vargas says</h2>About 30% of the state’s unemployment benefits are paid after 16 weeks, according to the Nebraska Department of Labor.&nbsp; About 2,300 Nebraskans received benefits after week 16 during the past year, the department said, out of the total 12,889 who received benefits.Several senators joined Cavanaugh in criticizing the proposal.Bellevue Sen. Carol Blood said that if Nebraska wanted to encourage more people to work, it ought to consider increasing benefits, such as paid maternity leave and child care.Omaha Sen. Tony Vargas said there’s no “sound policy” to justify such a reduction in benefits, and at 16 weeks maximum, Nebraska would be an “outlier” among the states.Debate ceased on the bill at the end of the day Tuesday without a vote to advance the bill.It was unclear whether Riepe had 33 votes for LB 1170 to fend off a filibuster. The senator said the bill probably won’t return to the agenda for a week.

Proposal to shorten duration of unemployment benefits runs into filibuster

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and his predecessor,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>, romped through more than a dozen states on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-super-tuesday-80f71138b69691fc8edbeb07fd1c7774">Super Tuesday</a>, all but cementing a November rematch and increasing pressure on the former president’s last major rival,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>, to leave the Republican race.

Their victories from coast to coast, including the delegate-rich states of California and Texas, left little doubt about the trajectory of the race. Haley won Vermont, denying Trump a full sweep, but the former president carried other states that might have been favorable to her such as Virginia, Massachusetts and Maine, which have large swaths of moderate voters like those who have backed her in previous primaries.

The only contest Biden lost Tuesday was the Democratic caucus in American Samoa, a tiny U.S. territory in the South Pacific Ocean. Biden was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-jason-palmer-american-samoa-primary-c4bc109a16c7ee7b083f6216b44ba0c4">defeated by previously unknown candidate Jason Palmer</a>, 51 votes to 40.

Not enough states will have voted until later this month for Trump or Biden to formally become their parties’ presumptive nominees. But the primary’s biggest day made their rematch a near-certainty. Both the 81-year-old Biden and the 77-year-old Trump continue to dominate their parties despite facing questions about age and neither having broad popularity across the general electorate.

Haley watched the election results in private and had no campaign events scheduled going forward. Her campaign said in a statement that the results reflected there were many Republicans “who are expressing deep concerns about Donald Trump.”

“Unity is not achieved by simply claiming ‘we’re united,'” spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said.

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, meanwhile, was packed for a victory party. Among those attending were staff and supporters, including the rapper Forgiato Blow and former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn. The crowd erupted as Fox News, playing on screens around the ballroom, announced that the former president had won North Carolina’s GOP primary.

“They call it Super Tuesday for a reason,” Trump told a raucous crowd. He went on to attack Biden over the U.S.-Mexico border and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. After beginning the night with victories in Virginia and North Carolina, he wrapped Super Tuesday by winning contests in Alaska and Utah.

Biden didn't give a speech but instead issued a statement warning that Tuesday's results had left Americans with a clear choice and touting his own accomplishments after beating Trump.

“If Donald Trump returns to the White House, all of this progress is at risk,” Biden said. "He is driven by grievance and grift, focused on his own revenge and retribution, not the American people."

While much of the focus was on the presidential race, there were also important down-ballot contests. The governor’s race took shape in North Carolina, where Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein will face off in a state that both parties are fiercely contesting ahead of November.

In California, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey, a former Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player, advanced to the general election race to fill the Senate seat long held by Dianne Feinstein.

Despite Biden's and Trump's domination of their parties, polls make it clear that the broader electorate does not want this year’s general election to be identical to the 2020 race. A new AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-state-of-union-mental-capacity-trump-reelection-66d8784586d21f30885d8153f949510c">a majority of Americans don't think either Biden or Trump</a>&nbsp;has the necessary mental acuity for the job.

“Both of them failed, in my opinion, to unify this country,” said Brian Hadley, 66, of Raleigh, North Carolina.

The final days before Tuesday demonstrated the unique nature of this year’s campaign. Rather than barnstorming the states holding primaries, Biden and Trump held&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/border-immigration-biden-trump-42c945d02742b169bde40601a27fde02">rival events last week along the U.S.-Mexico border</a>, each seeking to gain an advantage in the increasingly fraught immigration debate.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and his predecessor,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>, romped through more than a dozen states on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-super-tuesday-80f71138b69691fc8edbeb07fd1c7774">Super Tuesday</a>, all but cementing a November rematch and increasing pressure on the former president’s last major rival,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>, to leave the Republican race.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Trump: &quot;They call it &#39;Super Tuesday&#39; for a reason. This is a big one. They tell me, the pundits and otherwise, that there&#39;s never been one like this. There&#39;s never been anything so conclusive.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/1VAvySYG5A">pic.twitter.com/1VAvySYG5A</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1765217393482059871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Their victories from coast to coast, including the delegate-rich states of California and Texas, left little doubt about the trajectory of the race. Haley won Vermont, denying Trump a full sweep, but the former president carried other states that might have been favorable to her such as Virginia, Massachusetts and Maine, which have large swaths of moderate voters like those who have backed her in previous primaries.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today, millions of voters across the country made their voices heard—showing that they are ready to fight back against Donald Trump’s extreme plan to take us backwards. Every generation of Americans will face a moment when it has to defend democracy. This is our fight.&mdash; Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1765218247253577996?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The only contest Biden lost Tuesday was the Democratic caucus in American Samoa, a tiny U.S. territory in the South Pacific Ocean. Biden was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-jason-palmer-american-samoa-primary-c4bc109a16c7ee7b083f6216b44ba0c4">defeated by previously unknown candidate Jason Palmer</a>, 51 votes to 40.Not enough states will have voted until later this month for Trump or Biden to formally become their parties’ presumptive nominees. But the primary’s biggest day made their rematch a near-certainty. Both the 81-year-old Biden and the 77-year-old Trump continue to dominate their parties despite facing questions about age and neither having broad popularity across the general electorate.Haley watched the election results in private and had no campaign events scheduled going forward. Her campaign said in a statement that the results reflected there were many Republicans “who are expressing deep concerns about Donald Trump.”“Unity is not achieved by simply claiming ‘we’re united,'” spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said.Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, meanwhile, was packed for a victory party. Among those attending were staff and supporters, including the rapper Forgiato Blow and former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn. The crowd erupted as Fox News, playing on screens around the ballroom, announced that the former president had won North Carolina’s GOP primary.“They call it Super Tuesday for a reason,” Trump told a raucous crowd. He went on to attack Biden over the U.S.-Mexico border and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. After beginning the night with victories in Virginia and North Carolina, he wrapped Super Tuesday by winning contests in Alaska and Utah.Biden didn't give a speech but instead issued a statement warning that Tuesday's results had left Americans with a clear choice and touting his own accomplishments after beating Trump.“If Donald Trump returns to the White House, all of this progress is at risk,” Biden said. "He is driven by grievance and grift, focused on his own revenge and retribution, not the American people."While much of the focus was on the presidential race, there were also important down-ballot contests. The governor’s race took shape in North Carolina, where Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein will face off in a state that both parties are fiercely contesting ahead of November.In California, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey, a former Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player, advanced to the general election race to fill the Senate seat long held by Dianne Feinstein.Despite Biden's and Trump's domination of their parties, polls make it clear that the broader electorate does not want this year’s general election to be identical to the 2020 race. A new AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-state-of-union-mental-capacity-trump-reelection-66d8784586d21f30885d8153f949510c">a majority of Americans don't think either Biden or Trump</a>&nbsp;has the necessary mental acuity for the job.“Both of them failed, in my opinion, to unify this country,” said Brian Hadley, 66, of Raleigh, North Carolina.The final days before Tuesday demonstrated the unique nature of this year’s campaign. Rather than barnstorming the states holding primaries, Biden and Trump held&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/border-immigration-biden-trump-42c945d02742b169bde40601a27fde02">rival events last week along the U.S.-Mexico border</a>, each seeking to gain an advantage in the increasingly fraught immigration debate.After the Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-insurrection-election-colorado-51e79c0f03013034c8a042cb278b6446">ruled 9-0</a>&nbsp;on Monday to restore Trump to primary ballots following attempts to ban him for his role in helping spark the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">Capitol riot</a>, Trump pointed to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictments-election-january-6-classified-documents-5cb04868bb1cdf91c19eafdb882af8c0">91 criminal counts</a>&nbsp;against him to accuse Biden of weaponizing the courts.“Fight your fight yourself,” Trump said. “Don’t use prosecutors and judges to go after your opponent.”Biden delivers the State of the Union address Thursday, then will campaign in the key swing states of Pennsylvania and Georgia.The president faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-poll-survey-economy-trump-election-dca1b60f6749d5eb50bc0e7600814855">low approval ratings</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-norc-poll-biden-2024-presidential-prospects-c843c5af6775b4c8a0cff8e2b1db03f6">polls suggesting</a>&nbsp;that many Americans, even a majority of Democrats, don’t want to see the 81-year-old running again. His&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-primary-takeaways-biden-trump-uncommitted-48b7ab77b7af425c3662e5a8f28e37f6">easy Michigan primary win</a>&nbsp;last week was spoiled slightly by an “uncommitted” campaign organized by activists who disapprove of the president’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza.Allies of the “uncommitted” movement pushed similar protest votes elsewhere, such as in Minnesota, which has a significant population of Muslims, including in its Somali American community. At least 45,000 voters in Minnesota selected “uncommitted,” which won 19% with almost all votes counted. That exceeds the 13% of voters who selected “uncommitted” in Michigan.“Joe Biden has not done enough to earn my vote and not done enough to stop the war, stop the massacre,” said Sarah Alfaham of the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington.Biden also is the oldest president ever and Republicans key on any verbal slip he makes. His aides insist that skeptical voters will come around once it is clear that either Trump or Biden will be elected again in November.Trump is now the same age Biden was during the 2020 campaign, and he has exacerbated questions about his own fitness with recent flubs, such as mistakenly suggesting he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigration-biden-gop-voters-border-migrants-1fc6624188f540f495e1087bee64318e">was running against Barack Obama</a>, who left the White House in 2017.“I would love to see the next generation move up and take leadership roles,” said Democrat Susan Steele, 71, who voted Tuesday for Biden in Portland, Maine.Trump has already vanquished more than a dozen major Republican challengers and now faces only Haley, his former U.N. ambassador. She had maintained&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haley-february-2024-fundraising-super-tuesday-d1af5cfc14bc0977093b5f4796774c78">strong fundraising</a>&nbsp;and notched her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nikki-haley-republicans-donald-trump-dc-primary-7b5eec7a5398379b0f1c9ed9f50b6ce3">first primary victory over the weekend in Washington, D.C.</a>, a Democrat-run city with few registered Republicans. Trump scoffed that Haley had been “crowned queen of the swamp.”“We can do better than two 80-year-old candidates for president,” Haley said at a rally Monday in the Houston suburbs.Trump's victories, however dominating, have shown vulnerabilities with influential voter blocs, especially in college towns like Hanover, New Hampshire, home to Dartmouth College, or Ann Arbor, where the University of Michigan is located, as well as areas with high concentrations of independents. That includes Minnesota, a state Trump did not carry in his otherwise overwhelming Super Tuesday performance in 2016.Seth De Penning, a self-described conservative-leaning independent, voted Tuesday morning in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, for Haley, he said, because the GOP “needs a course correction.” De Penning, 40, called his choice a vote of conscience and said he has never voted for Trump because of concerns about his temperament and character.