TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Two ships traveling in Middle East waters were targeted by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-houthis-red-sea-jake-sullivan-yemen-ff507d06a7a44d6f3644f128e7766b3d">Yemen Houthi rebel</a>&nbsp;ballistic missile fire early Tuesday, authorities said, in the latest assaults in the Iranian-backed fighters' campaign of targeting vessels over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The first attack happened in the southern part of the Red Sea, west of the Yemeni port of Hodeida, with the projectile causing “slight damage” to the Barbados-flagged, United Kingdom-owned cargo ship Morning Tide's bridge windows, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. A small vessel had been nearby the ship before the attack, it added.

The Houthis carried out the attack using three anti-ship ballistic missiles, the United States military's Central Command said early Wednesday.

The Morning Tide’s owner, British firm Furadino Shipping, told The Associated Press no one was hurt in the attack and the ship was continuing onward to Singapore.

A second ship, the Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Star Nasia, also came under fire from three Houthi ballistic missiles, Central Command said. The USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down one missile, the military said. An explosion from one of the missiles caused “minor damage but no injuries” on the Star Narsia, the Central Command said.

A military spokesperson of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, claimed both attacks in a statement.

Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel’s offensive in Gaza</a>. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for trade among Asia, the Mideast and Europe.

In recent weeks, the United States and the United Kingdom, backed by other allies, have launched airstrikes targeting Houthi missile arsenals and launch sites for its attacks.

The U.S. and Britain struck 36 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday. An air assault Friday in Iraq and Syria targeted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hamas-hezbollah-houthis-iran-militant-groups-745bfc36e23997ee3f0bc499a9f5c16d">other Iranian-backed militias</a>&nbsp;and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-american-service-members-killed-jordan-iran-5cb774fd835a558d840ae91263037489">drone strike that killed three U.S. troops</a>&nbsp;in Jordan.

Central Command also acknowledged an attack Monday on the Houthis, in which they attacked what they described as two Houthi drone boats loaded with explosives.

American forces “determined they presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region,” the military said. “These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy vessels and merchant vessels.”

Separately, the White House on Tuesday walked back an earlier statement that it had alerted the Iraqi government prior to carrying out Friday's Iraq and Syria strikes. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters shortly after the strikes that Iraqi official were given advance warning about the U.S.-led operation. He said the assertion was based on information that was provided to him by U.S. officials.

“Turns out that information was incorrect,” said Kirby. He added that he regretted the error.

Kirby’s initial comments generated controversy in Iraq and vehement denials by officials in Baghdad. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has sought to walk a delicate line between the U.S. and Iran-backed armed groups in his country, many of which have associated political parties in the coalition that brought his government to power.

Sudani has condemned attacks on American troops, but has also pushed back against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-jordan-dignified-transfer-dover-140000aa392fee8175616d8af813c0eb">U.S. retaliatory strikes</a>. Some of those strikes have hit facilities connected to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of mostly Shiite, Iran-backed militias that was officially made part of the Iraqi military after joining the fight against the Islamic State in 2014 — although in practice, the militias continue to operate largely outside of state control.

Sudani has also called for an end to a U.S.-led coalition formed to fight IS. Some 2,500 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq as part of the mission. In late January, Iraqi and U.S. military officials launched a series of formal discussions on winding down the coalition’s presence. The talks were then suspended after the Jan. 28 strike in Jordan that killed three U.S. troops, but are expected to resume again in the coming weeks.

Iraq’s representative to the United Nations, Abbas Kadhim Obaid, speaking Tuesday as the U.N. Security Council met, condemned the U.S. strikes, as well as recent strikes launched by Turkey and Iran on Iraqi turf, as a breach of the country’s sovereignty.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707001115180.png" alt="Image from video of launches from US. Warships supporting strikes on Iranian-backed Houthi targets over the weekend-U.S. Central CommandU.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Image from video of launches from US. Warships supporting strikes on Iranian-backed Houthi targets over the weekend-U.S. Central CommandU.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Two ships traveling in Middle East waters were targeted by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-houthis-red-sea-jake-sullivan-yemen-ff507d06a7a44d6f3644f128e7766b3d">Yemen Houthi rebel</a>&nbsp;ballistic missile fire early Tuesday, authorities said, in the latest assaults in the Iranian-backed fighters' campaign of targeting vessels over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.The first attack happened in the southern part of the Red Sea, west of the Yemeni port of Hodeida, with the projectile causing “slight damage” to the Barbados-flagged, United Kingdom-owned cargo ship Morning Tide's bridge windows, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. A small vessel had been nearby the ship before the attack, it added.The Houthis carried out the attack using three anti-ship ballistic missiles, the United States military's Central Command said early Wednesday.The Morning Tide’s owner, British firm Furadino Shipping, told The Associated Press no one was hurt in the attack and the ship was continuing onward to Singapore.A second ship, the Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Star Nasia, also came under fire from three Houthi ballistic missiles, Central Command said. The USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down one missile, the military said. An explosion from one of the missiles caused “minor damage but no injuries” on the Star Narsia, the Central Command said.A military spokesperson of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, claimed both attacks in a statement.Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel’s offensive in Gaza</a>. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for trade among Asia, the Mideast and Europe.In recent weeks, the United States and the United Kingdom, backed by other allies, have launched airstrikes targeting Houthi missile arsenals and launch sites for its attacks.The U.S. and Britain struck 36 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday. An air assault Friday in Iraq and Syria targeted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hamas-hezbollah-houthis-iran-militant-groups-745bfc36e23997ee3f0bc499a9f5c16d">other Iranian-backed militias</a>&nbsp;and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-american-service-members-killed-jordan-iran-5cb774fd835a558d840ae91263037489">drone strike that killed three U.S. troops</a>&nbsp;in Jordan.Central Command also acknowledged an attack Monday on the Houthis, in which they attacked what they described as two Houthi drone boats loaded with explosives.American forces “determined they presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region,” the military said. “These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy vessels and merchant vessels.”Separately, the White House on Tuesday walked back an earlier statement that it had alerted the Iraqi government prior to carrying out Friday's Iraq and Syria strikes. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters shortly after the strikes that Iraqi official were given advance warning about the U.S.-led operation. He said the assertion was based on information that was provided to him by U.S. officials.“Turns out that information was incorrect,” said Kirby. He added that he regretted the error.Kirby’s initial comments generated controversy in Iraq and vehement denials by officials in Baghdad. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has sought to walk a delicate line between the U.S. and Iran-backed armed groups in his country, many of which have associated political parties in the coalition that brought his government to power.Sudani has condemned attacks on American troops, but has also pushed back against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-jordan-dignified-transfer-dover-140000aa392fee8175616d8af813c0eb">U.S. retaliatory strikes</a>. Some of those strikes have hit facilities connected to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of mostly Shiite, Iran-backed militias that was officially made part of the Iraqi military after joining the fight against the Islamic State in 2014 — although in practice, the militias continue to operate largely outside of state control.Sudani has also called for an end to a U.S.-led coalition formed to fight IS. Some 2,500 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq as part of the mission. In late January, Iraqi and U.S. military officials launched a series of formal discussions on winding down the coalition’s presence. The talks were then suspended after the Jan. 28 strike in Jordan that killed three U.S. troops, but are expected to resume again in the coming weeks.Iraq’s representative to the United Nations, Abbas Kadhim Obaid, speaking Tuesday as the U.N. Security Council met, condemned the U.S. strikes, as well as recent strikes launched by Turkey and Iran on Iraqi turf, as a breach of the country’s sovereignty.

More ships targeted in Red Sea as U.S. walks back statement on Friday attack 

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a dramatic setback, House Republicans failed Tuesday to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, forced to shelve a high-profile priority — for now — after a few GOP lawmakers refused to go along with the party’s plan.

The stunning roll call fell just a few votes short of impeaching Mayorkas, stalling the Republicans’ drive to punish the Biden administration over its handling of the U.S-Mexico border. With Democrats united against the charges, the Republicans needed almost every vote from their slim majority to approve the articles of impeachment.

The final vote was 214-216. The GOP member of the Nebraska and Kansas delegations voted for impeachment.

Four Republicans — Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, Utah Rep. Blake Moore and California Rep. Tom McClintock — joined the Democrats in voting against the resolution to impeach.

The House is likely to revisit plans to impeach Mayorkas, but next steps are highly uncertain.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who could lose only a few Republicans from his slim majority, said he personally spoke to the GOP holdouts acknowledging the “heavy, heavy” vote as he sought their support.

“It’s an extreme measure,” said Johnson, R-La.. “But extreme times call for extreme measures.”

Not since 1876 has a Cabinet secretary faced impeachment charges and it's the first time a sitting secretary is being impeached — 148 years ago, Secretary of War William Belknap resigned just before the vote.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mayorkas-homeland-security-impeachment-congress-f369f4b6270e59cb7b7003bc9d7ce448">impeachment charges</a>&nbsp;against Mayorkas come as border security is fast becoming a top political issue in the 2024 election, a particularly potent line of attack being leveled at President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;by Republicans, led by the party's front-runner for the presidential nomination,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.

Record numbers of people have been arriving at the southern border, many fleeing countries around the world, in what Mayorkas calls an era of global migration. Many migrants are claiming asylum and being conditionally released into the U.S., arriving in cities that are underequipped to provide housing and other aid while they await judicial proceedings which can take years to determine whether they may remain.

The House Democrats united against the two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas, calling the proceedings a sham designed to please Trump, charges that do not rise to the Constitution's bar of treason, bribery or “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

“A bunch of garbage,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. He called Mayorkas “a good man, a decent man,” who is simply trying to do his job.

Even if Republicans are able to impeach Mayorkas, he is not expected to be convicted in a Senate trial where Republican senators have been cool to the effort. The Senate could simply refer the matter to a committee for its own investigation, delaying immediate action.

The impeachment of Mayorkas landed quickly onto the House agenda after Republican efforts to impeach Biden over the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden, hit a lull, and the investigation into the Biden family drags.

The Committee on Homeland Security under Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., had been investigating the secretary for much of the past year, including probing the flow of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. But a resolution from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a Trump ally, pushed it to the fore. The panel swiftly held a pair of hearings in January before announcing the two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas.

Unlike other moments in impeachment history, the arguments played out to an almost empty chamber, without the fervor or solemnity of past proceedings.

Greene, who was named to be one of the impeachment managers for the Senate trial, rose to blame Mayorkas for the “invasion” of migrants coming to the U.S.

Republican Rep. Eli Crane if Arizona said Mayorkas had committed a “dereliction of duty.”

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the Mayorkas impeachment vote was a stunt designed by Republicans to sow “chaos and confusion" and appease Trump — rather than to govern.

“No reasonable American can conclude that you're making life better for them by this sham impeachment,” Jeffries said.

A former federal prosecutor, the secretary never testified on his own behalf, but submitted a rare letter to the panel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/impeaching-mayorkas-homeland-security-immigration-border-89c898c58b214acf83eecb21c1d8a9ef">defending his work</a>.

Tuesday's vote arrives at a politically odd juncture for Mayorkas, who has been shuttling to the Senate to negotiate a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-border-package-asylum-ukraine-1dde30b223ebe854a48fde0497c9f227">bipartisan border security package</a>, earning high marks from a group of senators involved.

But that legislation, which emerged Sunday as one of the most ambitious immigration overhauls in years, is heading toward instant defeat in a Wednesday test vote. Trump sharply criticized the bipartisan effort, other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-security-ukraine-a39e188fa2c6a563203d2c69eaabdc6d">Republicans are panning it</a>&nbsp;and Speaker Johnson says it's “dead on arrival.”

One Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Ca., announced his opposition saying the charges “fail to identify an impeachable crime that Mayorkas has committed.”

The conservative McClintock said in a lengthy memo that the articles of impeachment from the committee explain the problems at the border under Biden's watch. But he said, “they stretch and distort the Constitution.”

Another Republican, retiring Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, also said he was against impeaching Mayorkas.

Impeachment,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/impeachment-house-censure-schiff-biden-boebert-70a2206fc0c543a307fc3ec63d5287e9">once rare</a>&nbsp;in the U.S., has been used as both a constitutional check on the executive and increasingly as a political weapon.

The House Republicans have put a priority this session of Congress on impeachments, censures and other rebukes of officials and lawmakers, setting a new standard that is concerning scholars and others for the ways in which they can dole out punishments for perceived transgressions.

Experts have argued that Mayorkas has simply been snared in a policy dispute with Republicans who disapprove of the Biden administration's approach to the border situation.

Constitutional law expert Jonathan Turley said impeachment is not to be used for being “a bad Cabinet member.” Lawyer Alan Dershowitz wrote, "Whatever else Mayorkas may or may not have done, he has not committed bribery, treason, or high crimes and misdemeanors."

Scholars point out that the Constitution's framers initially considered “maladministration” as an impeachable offense, but dropped it over concern of giving the legislative branch too much sway over the executive and disrupting the balance of power.

Three former secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, Janet Napolitano and Jeh Johnson, said in a letter Tuesday that impeaching the Cabinet official over policy disputes would “jeopardize our national security.”

Senators have shown little interest in a potential impeachment trial. “I don’t think the House should do anything that’s dead on arrival in the Senate,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.

Trump as president was twice impeached — first in 2019 on abuse of power over his phone call with the Ukrainian president seeking a favor to dig up dirt on then-rival Biden, and later on the charge of inciting the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol. He was acquitted on both impeachments in the Senate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707265437141.png" alt="House Speaker Mike Johnson announcing the final vote totals -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Mike Johnson announcing the final vote totals -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — In a dramatic setback, House Republicans failed Tuesday to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, forced to shelve a high-profile priority — for now — after a few GOP lawmakers refused to go along with the party’s plan.The stunning roll call fell just a few votes short of impeaching Mayorkas, stalling the Republicans’ drive to punish the Biden administration over its handling of the U.S-Mexico border. With Democrats united against the charges, the Republicans needed almost every vote from their slim majority to approve the articles of impeachment.The final vote was 214-216. The GOP member of the Nebraska and Kansas delegations voted for impeachment.Four Republicans — Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, Utah Rep. Blake Moore and California Rep. Tom McClintock — joined the Democrats in voting against the resolution to impeach.The House is likely to revisit plans to impeach Mayorkas, but next steps are highly uncertain.House Speaker Mike Johnson, who could lose only a few Republicans from his slim majority, said he personally spoke to the GOP holdouts acknowledging the “heavy, heavy” vote as he sought their support.“It’s an extreme measure,” said Johnson, R-La.. “But extreme times call for extreme measures.”Not since 1876 has a Cabinet secretary faced impeachment charges and it's the first time a sitting secretary is being impeached — 148 years ago, Secretary of War William Belknap resigned just before the vote.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mayorkas-homeland-security-impeachment-congress-f369f4b6270e59cb7b7003bc9d7ce448">impeachment charges</a>&nbsp;against Mayorkas come as border security is fast becoming a top political issue in the 2024 election, a particularly potent line of attack being leveled at President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;by Republicans, led by the party's front-runner for the presidential nomination,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.Record numbers of people have been arriving at the southern border, many fleeing countries around the world, in what Mayorkas calls an era of global migration. Many migrants are claiming asylum and being conditionally released into the U.S., arriving in cities that are underequipped to provide housing and other aid while they await judicial proceedings which can take years to determine whether they may remain.The House Democrats united against the two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas, calling the proceedings a sham designed to please Trump, charges that do not rise to the Constitution's bar of treason, bribery or “high crimes and misdemeanors.”“A bunch of garbage,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. He called Mayorkas “a good man, a decent man,” who is simply trying to do his job.Even if Republicans are able to impeach Mayorkas, he is not expected to be convicted in a Senate trial where Republican senators have been cool to the effort. The Senate could simply refer the matter to a committee for its own investigation, delaying immediate action.The impeachment of Mayorkas landed quickly onto the House agenda after Republican efforts to impeach Biden over the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden, hit a lull, and the investigation into the Biden family drags.The Committee on Homeland Security under Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., had been investigating the secretary for much of the past year, including probing the flow of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. But a resolution from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a Trump ally, pushed it to the fore. The panel swiftly held a pair of hearings in January before announcing the two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas.Unlike other moments in impeachment history, the arguments played out to an almost empty chamber, without the fervor or solemnity of past proceedings.Greene, who was named to be one of the impeachment managers for the Senate trial, rose to blame Mayorkas for the “invasion” of migrants coming to the U.S.Republican Rep. Eli Crane if Arizona said Mayorkas had committed a “dereliction of duty.”Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the Mayorkas impeachment vote was a stunt designed by Republicans to sow “chaos and confusion" and appease Trump — rather than to govern.“No reasonable American can conclude that you're making life better for them by this sham impeachment,” Jeffries said.A former federal prosecutor, the secretary never testified on his own behalf, but submitted a rare letter to the panel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/impeaching-mayorkas-homeland-security-immigration-border-89c898c58b214acf83eecb21c1d8a9ef">defending his work</a>.Tuesday's vote arrives at a politically odd juncture for Mayorkas, who has been shuttling to the Senate to negotiate a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-border-package-asylum-ukraine-1dde30b223ebe854a48fde0497c9f227">bipartisan border security package</a>, earning high marks from a group of senators involved.But that legislation, which emerged Sunday as one of the most ambitious immigration overhauls in years, is heading toward instant defeat in a Wednesday test vote. Trump sharply criticized the bipartisan effort, other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-security-ukraine-a39e188fa2c6a563203d2c69eaabdc6d">Republicans are panning it</a>&nbsp;and Speaker Johnson says it's “dead on arrival.”One Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Ca., announced his opposition saying the charges “fail to identify an impeachable crime that Mayorkas has committed.”The conservative McClintock said in a lengthy memo that the articles of impeachment from the committee explain the problems at the border under Biden's watch. But he said, “they stretch and distort the Constitution.”Another Republican, retiring Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, also said he was against impeaching Mayorkas.Impeachment,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/impeachment-house-censure-schiff-biden-boebert-70a2206fc0c543a307fc3ec63d5287e9">once rare</a>&nbsp;in the U.S., has been used as both a constitutional check on the executive and increasingly as a political weapon.The House Republicans have put a priority this session of Congress on impeachments, censures and other rebukes of officials and lawmakers, setting a new standard that is concerning scholars and others for the ways in which they can dole out punishments for perceived transgressions.Experts have argued that Mayorkas has simply been snared in a policy dispute with Republicans who disapprove of the Biden administration's approach to the border situation.Constitutional law expert Jonathan Turley said impeachment is not to be used for being “a bad Cabinet member.” Lawyer Alan Dershowitz wrote, "Whatever else Mayorkas may or may not have done, he has not committed bribery, treason, or high crimes and misdemeanors."Scholars point out that the Constitution's framers initially considered “maladministration” as an impeachable offense, but dropped it over concern of giving the legislative branch too much sway over the executive and disrupting the balance of power.Three former secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, Janet Napolitano and Jeh Johnson, said in a letter Tuesday that impeaching the Cabinet official over policy disputes would “jeopardize our national security.”Senators have shown little interest in a potential impeachment trial. “I don’t think the House should do anything that’s dead on arrival in the Senate,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.Trump as president was twice impeached — first in 2019 on abuse of power over his phone call with the Ukrainian president seeking a favor to dig up dirt on then-rival Biden, and later on the charge of inciting the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol. He was acquitted on both impeachments in the Senate.

Neb. GOP lawmakers vote to impeach Mayorkas but House effort fails

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged Congress to “show some spine” and stand up to Donald Trump even as a Senate deal on border enforcement measures and Ukraine aid rapidly collapsed.

(Click below to watch the President's comments)

Just minutes after the Democratic president's remarks at the White House, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell emerged from a GOP luncheon at the Capitol and acknowledged that the deal was dead.

“It looks to me and to most of our members that we have no real chance here to make a law,” the Kentucky Republican told reporters.

The split-screen moments in Washington represented a swift turn of events that showed McConnell’s slipping control of his GOP conference, Trump’s growing influence, and Biden’s ability only to look on as a cornerstone of his foreign policy — halting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advance into Europe — crumbled in Congress.

Biden had engaged for months on a carefully negotiated plan to pair policies intended to curb illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border with $60 billion in wartime aid for Ukraine. The bill was intended to exhibit American strength around the world and also would have sent tens of billions of dollars more for Israel, other U.S. allies in Asia, the U.S. immigration system and humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza and Ukraine.

But after Republicans backed away from the compromise, the president and Senate leaders are now stranded with no clear way to advance aid for Ukraine through Congress. They have run into a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-security-ukraine-a39e188fa2c6a563203d2c69eaabdc6d">wall of opposition from conservatives</a>&nbsp;— led by Trump — who reject the border proposal as insufficient and criticize the Ukraine funding as wasteful.

Biden laid blame for the bill's demise squarely on Trump — his likely Republican opponent in the November presidential election.

“For the last 24 hours he’s done nothing, I’m told, but reach out to Republicans in the House and the Senate and threaten them and try to intimidate them to vote against this proposal,” Biden said. "It looks like they’re caving. Frankly, they owe it to the American people to show some spine and do what they know to be right.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer cast Tuesday as a “gloomy day here in the United States Senate” during an earlier floor speech in which he scolded Republicans for backing away from the deal. He offered to delay&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-senate-border-security-bill-ukraine-348caee96e711403825881384b6bc46c">a key test vote</a>&nbsp;on the package until Thursday, but still dared them to vote against border security — an issue they have long championed.

“After months of good faith negotiations, after months of giving Republicans many of the things they asked for, Leader McConnell and the Republican conference are ready to kill the national security supplemental package even with border provisions they so fervently demand,” Schumer said.

The White House has worked for months with senators on the carefully negotiated compromise in hopes that it would unlock Republican votes for the Ukraine aid in the House — where scores of GOP lawmakers have come out against funding Kyiv's fight against Russia.

The Pentagon is sending no more arms shipments to Kyiv just as the war — entering its third year — reaches a critical juncture. Ukraine&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-zelenskyy-putin-afb3bc4714b1dca631bd4df6f931bd56">is struggling</a>&nbsp;with ammunition and personnel shortages while Russia is on the offensive,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-lysychansk-bakery-shelling-war-61ce6fc809bd73ac0fa994e8b7e84286">mounting relentless attacks</a>.

“Every week, every month that passes without new aid to Ukraine means fewer artillery shells, fewer air defense systems, fewer tools for Ukraine to defend itself against this Russian onslaught,” Biden said. "Just what Putin wants.”

The lack of a national security deal will loom large over Biden’s Friday meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Biden plans to underscore to Scholz that he remains committed to providing Ukraine the funding it needs to continue to repel the nearly two-year old Russian invasion.

McConnell said in an earlier floor speech that it was essential to assert American strength in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, yet also blamed Biden for not responding sooner to threats from rival powers.

“Either we confront challenges we face with clear strategy and firm resolve or we lose,” McConnell said.

Facing resistance from House Republicans to funding Ukraine, McConnell last year had insisted on pairing the money with border policy changes. But the longtime Republican leader has not been able to convince his conference to warm to the compromises on border security after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-security-ukraine-trump-a8601ec6629ddc5b769028ca99ad9879">Trump, the likely Republican presidential nominee</a>, excoriated it.

Within hours of the bill's release Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not support it, and even GOP senators who had been supportive of the border policies under discussion came out against the bill on Tuesday.

The border proposal represents one of the most conservative and comprehensive proposals in decades to emerge from a bipartisan negotiation in Congress. It would seek to tamp down the historic number of illegal border crossings by making the asylum process tougher and faster. Presidential administrations would also be given authority to deny migrants from claiming asylum at the border if the number of migrants claiming asylum becomes unmanageable for authorities.

“We have a very conservative bipartisan border bill that fixes the problem at the border,” said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, who negotiated the bill for Democrats. “And it’s time for the country to see where people stand on that.”

But Republicans have largely heeded the wishes of Trump to reject the bill because it would show that Biden could act to address problems at the border, which is seen as one of his largest vulnerabilities in his reelection campaign.

“The politics of this were a big factor,” said Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican. “When the speaker said basically the Senate bill is dead on arrival. And then President Trump weighs in and discourages Republicans from voting for it."

Cornyn said he would support a move to jettison the border measures from the package and try to advance the aid for U.S. allies on their own.

But that idea also faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-security-ukraine-15e2e3fac2b29b5b4bbe1eae8eb1c924">resistance in the Republican-controlled House</a>, where Johnson has also left any support for Ukraine aid in doubt.

When asked about wartime aid for Ukraine and Israel Tuesday, he told reporters, “We have to deal with these measures and these issues independently and separately.”

The House was scheduled to vote on a $17.6 billion package of military aid for Israel, but hardline conservatives have signaled opposition because the funding would not be offset with budget cuts in other areas.

House Democratic leaders also said they would not support the bill for Israel. In a letter to Democrats, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, along with Reps. Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, said the bill was not being offered “in good faith” and urged Democrats to hold out for a package that addresses Ukraine and allies in Asia.

“It is a nakedly obvious and cynical attempt by MAGA extremists to undermine the possibility of a comprehensive, bipartisan funding package that addresses America’s national security challenges in the Middle East, Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific region and throughout the world,” they said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged Congress to “show some spine” and stand up to Donald Trump even as a Senate deal on border enforcement measures and Ukraine aid rapidly collapsed.(Click below to watch the President's comments)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F2078981562501226%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=231" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Just minutes after the Democratic president's remarks at the White House, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell emerged from a GOP luncheon at the Capitol and acknowledged that the deal was dead.“It looks to me and to most of our members that we have no real chance here to make a law,” the Kentucky Republican told reporters.The split-screen moments in Washington represented a swift turn of events that showed McConnell’s slipping control of his GOP conference, Trump’s growing influence, and Biden’s ability only to look on as a cornerstone of his foreign policy — halting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advance into Europe — crumbled in Congress.Biden had engaged for months on a carefully negotiated plan to pair policies intended to curb illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border with $60 billion in wartime aid for Ukraine. The bill was intended to exhibit American strength around the world and also would have sent tens of billions of dollars more for Israel, other U.S. allies in Asia, the U.S. immigration system and humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza and Ukraine.But after Republicans backed away from the compromise, the president and Senate leaders are now stranded with no clear way to advance aid for Ukraine through Congress. They have run into a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-security-ukraine-a39e188fa2c6a563203d2c69eaabdc6d">wall of opposition from conservatives</a>&nbsp;— led by Trump — who reject the border proposal as insufficient and criticize the Ukraine funding as wasteful.Biden laid blame for the bill's demise squarely on Trump — his likely Republican opponent in the November presidential election.“For the last 24 hours he’s done nothing, I’m told, but reach out to Republicans in the House and the Senate and threaten them and try to intimidate them to vote against this proposal,” Biden said. "It looks like they’re caving. Frankly, they owe it to the American people to show some spine and do what they know to be right.”Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer cast Tuesday as a “gloomy day here in the United States Senate” during an earlier floor speech in which he scolded Republicans for backing away from the deal. He offered to delay&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-senate-border-security-bill-ukraine-348caee96e711403825881384b6bc46c">a key test vote</a>&nbsp;on the package until Thursday, but still dared them to vote against border security — an issue they have long championed.“After months of good faith negotiations, after months of giving Republicans many of the things they asked for, Leader McConnell and the Republican conference are ready to kill the national security supplemental package even with border provisions they so fervently demand,” Schumer said.The White House has worked for months with senators on the carefully negotiated compromise in hopes that it would unlock Republican votes for the Ukraine aid in the House — where scores of GOP lawmakers have come out against funding Kyiv's fight against Russia.The Pentagon is sending no more arms shipments to Kyiv just as the war — entering its third year — reaches a critical juncture. Ukraine&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-zelenskyy-putin-afb3bc4714b1dca631bd4df6f931bd56">is struggling</a>&nbsp;with ammunition and personnel shortages while Russia is on the offensive,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-lysychansk-bakery-shelling-war-61ce6fc809bd73ac0fa994e8b7e84286">mounting relentless attacks</a>.“Every week, every month that passes without new aid to Ukraine means fewer artillery shells, fewer air defense systems, fewer tools for Ukraine to defend itself against this Russian onslaught,” Biden said. "Just what Putin wants.”The lack of a national security deal will loom large over Biden’s Friday meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Biden plans to underscore to Scholz that he remains committed to providing Ukraine the funding it needs to continue to repel the nearly two-year old Russian invasion.McConnell said in an earlier floor speech that it was essential to assert American strength in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, yet also blamed Biden for not responding sooner to threats from rival powers.“Either we confront challenges we face with clear strategy and firm resolve or we lose,” McConnell said.Facing resistance from House Republicans to funding Ukraine, McConnell last year had insisted on pairing the money with border policy changes. But the longtime Republican leader has not been able to convince his conference to warm to the compromises on border security after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-security-ukraine-trump-a8601ec6629ddc5b769028ca99ad9879">Trump, the likely Republican presidential nominee</a>, excoriated it.Within hours of the bill's release Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not support it, and even GOP senators who had been supportive of the border policies under discussion came out against the bill on Tuesday.The border proposal represents one of the most conservative and comprehensive proposals in decades to emerge from a bipartisan negotiation in Congress. It would seek to tamp down the historic number of illegal border crossings by making the asylum process tougher and faster. Presidential administrations would also be given authority to deny migrants from claiming asylum at the border if the number of migrants claiming asylum becomes unmanageable for authorities.“We have a very conservative bipartisan border bill that fixes the problem at the border,” said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, who negotiated the bill for Democrats. “And it’s time for the country to see where people stand on that.”But Republicans have largely heeded the wishes of Trump to reject the bill because it would show that Biden could act to address problems at the border, which is seen as one of his largest vulnerabilities in his reelection campaign.“The politics of this were a big factor,” said Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican. “When the speaker said basically the Senate bill is dead on arrival. And then President Trump weighs in and discourages Republicans from voting for it."Cornyn said he would support a move to jettison the border measures from the package and try to advance the aid for U.S. allies on their own.But that idea also faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-security-ukraine-15e2e3fac2b29b5b4bbe1eae8eb1c924">resistance in the Republican-controlled House</a>, where Johnson has also left any support for Ukraine aid in doubt.When asked about wartime aid for Ukraine and Israel Tuesday, he told reporters, “We have to deal with these measures and these issues independently and separately.”The House was scheduled to vote on a $17.6 billion package of military aid for Israel, but hardline conservatives have signaled opposition because the funding would not be offset with budget cuts in other areas.House Democratic leaders also said they would not support the bill for Israel. In a letter to Democrats, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, along with Reps. Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, said the bill was not being offered “in good faith” and urged Democrats to hold out for a package that addresses Ukraine and allies in Asia.“It is a nakedly obvious and cynical attempt by MAGA extremists to undermine the possibility of a comprehensive, bipartisan funding package that addresses America’s national security challenges in the Middle East, Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific region and throughout the world,” they said.

🎥 Biden to Congress: Show some spine and stand up to Trump

Exciting News! Platinum-selling country sensation <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RileyGreenMusic?__cft__[0]=AZXs-zlzWdKo3xPxJU6xYJKsuvIMlF6NaXY-oYbEqfXbv4J9O1nX4H2QlpD8LAVp9_IxqHWIpC3ZMcTq65GEcJenOnZiVq1ohnRVheajlyUCgvRDKwonK6q-m7k0PJ2q69NuZYd1XDI5Egt3UATL-Wp2Ek3jLqxRtbRV13BS0QYnr8Ar16FG7jx4Zqj8_IHheVc&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Riley Green</a> is bringing modern country vibes to the Nebraska State Fair!

 Catch him live on Wednesday, August 28, kicking off the outdoor segment of the Nebraska Lottery Concert Series at the newly upgraded Anderson Field. 

 Tickets on sale Friday, February 9th.Riley Green, known for hits like "There Was This Girl" and "I Wish Grandpas Never Died," promises a night of no-gimmick, relatable writing, and classic country feels. 

 Don't miss this ACM New Male Artist of the Year in action! Mark your calendars for the 2024 Nebraska State Fair, happening from August 23 to September 2 at Fonner Park in Grand Island. With the theme "All Roads Lead to Fun," it's going to be an unforgettable experience!

Nebraska State FairExciting News! Platinum-selling country sensation <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RileyGreenMusic?__cft__[0]=AZXs-zlzWdKo3xPxJU6xYJKsuvIMlF6NaXY-oYbEqfXbv4J9O1nX4H2QlpD8LAVp9_IxqHWIpC3ZMcTq65GEcJenOnZiVq1ohnRVheajlyUCgvRDKwonK6q-m7k0PJ2q69NuZYd1XDI5Egt3UATL-Wp2Ek3jLqxRtbRV13BS0QYnr8Ar16FG7jx4Zqj8_IHheVc&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Riley Green</a> is bringing modern country vibes to the Nebraska State Fair! Catch him live on Wednesday, August 28, kicking off the outdoor segment of the Nebraska Lottery Concert Series at the newly upgraded Anderson Field. Tickets on sale Friday, February 9th.Riley Green, known for hits like "There Was This Girl" and "I Wish Grandpas Never Died," promises a night of no-gimmick, relatable writing, and classic country feels. Don't miss this ACM New Male Artist of the Year in action! Mark your calendars for the 2024 Nebraska State Fair, happening from August 23 to September 2 at Fonner Park in Grand Island. With the theme "All Roads Lead to Fun," it's going to be an unforgettable experience!

Riley Green to perform at the Nebraska State Fair

WASHINGTON (AP) —Bolts that helped secure a panel to the frame of a Boeing 737 Max 9 were missing before the panel blew off the Alaska Airlines plane last month, according to accident investigators.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary report on the Jan. 5 incident Tuesday.

The report included a photo from Boeing, which worked on the panel, which is called a door plug. In the photo, three of the four bolts that prevent the panel from moving upward are missing. The location of the fourth bolt is obscured.

The investigators said that the lack of certain damage around the panel indicates that all four bolts were missing before the plane took off from Portland, Oregon.

Pilots were forced to make a harrowing emergency landing with a hole in the side of the plane.

Without the bolts, nothing prevented the panel from sliding upward and detaching from “stop pads” that secured it to the airframe.

The preliminary report said the door plug, installed by supplier Spirit AeroSystems, arrived at Boeing’s factory near Seattle with five damaged rivets around the plug. A Boeing crew replaced the damaged rivets, which required them to remove the four bolts to open the plug.

The NTSB did not declare a probable cause for the accident – that will come at the end of an investigation that could last a year or longer.

“Whatever final conclusions are reached, Boeing is accountable for what happened,” CEO David Calhoun said in a statement. “An event like this must not happen on an airplane that leaves our factory. We simply must do better for our customers and their passengers.”

Investigators said they were still trying to determine who authorized the Boeing crew to open and reinstall the door plug.

Safety experts have said the accident could have been catastrophic if the Alaska jet had reached cruising altitude. The decompression in the cabin after the blowout would have been far stronger, and passengers and flight attendants might have been walking around instead of being belted into their seats.

The incident has added to questions about manufacturing quality at Boeing that started with the deadly crashes of two Max 8 jets in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether Boeing and its suppliers followed proper safety procedures in manufacturing parts for the Max. The FAA has barred Boeing from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-halts-boeing-max-production-expansion-improve-quality-control-also-lays-out-extensive">speeding up production of 737s</a>&nbsp;until the agency is satisfied about quality issues.

FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker said Tuesday that his agency is about halfway through a six-week audit of manufacturing processes at Boeing and its key supplier on the Max, Spirit AeroSystems. He said the agency is confronted with two questions — what’s wrong with the Max 9, and “what’s going on with the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/faa-administrator-boeing-safety-oversight-8b8433b3c6c9bcb31980f7a979ce3326">production at Boeing</a>?”

Spirit AeroSystems, which Boeing spun off as a separate company nearly 20 years ago, said in a statement that it was reviewing the NTSB preliminary report and was working with Boeing and regulators “on continuous improvement in our processes and meeting the highest standards of safety, quality and reliability.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705012450283.png" alt="This image taken Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, and released by the National Transportation Safety Board, shows a section of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 that is missing panel on a Boeing 737-9 MAX in Portland, Ore. Federal officials are investigating Boeing's oversight of production of a panel that blew off a jetliner in midflight last week. (NTSB via AP)" />
 <figcaption>This image taken Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, and released by the National Transportation Safety Board, shows a section of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 that is missing panel on a Boeing 737-9 MAX in Portland, Ore. Federal officials are investigating Boeing's oversight of production of a panel that blew off a jetliner in midflight last week. (NTSB via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Bolts that helped secure a panel to the frame of a Boeing 737 Max 9 were missing before the panel blew off the Alaska Airlines plane last month, according to accident investigators.The National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary report on the Jan. 5 incident Tuesday.The report included a photo from Boeing, which worked on the panel, which is called a door plug. In the photo, three of the four bolts that prevent the panel from moving upward are missing. The location of the fourth bolt is obscured.The investigators said that the lack of certain damage around the panel indicates that all four bolts were missing before the plane took off from Portland, Oregon.Pilots were forced to make a harrowing emergency landing with a hole in the side of the plane.Without the bolts, nothing prevented the panel from sliding upward and detaching from “stop pads” that secured it to the airframe.The preliminary report said the door plug, installed by supplier Spirit AeroSystems, arrived at Boeing’s factory near Seattle with five damaged rivets around the plug. A Boeing crew replaced the damaged rivets, which required them to remove the four bolts to open the plug.The NTSB did not declare a probable cause for the accident – that will come at the end of an investigation that could last a year or longer.“Whatever final conclusions are reached, Boeing is accountable for what happened,” CEO David Calhoun said in a statement. “An event like this must not happen on an airplane that leaves our factory. We simply must do better for our customers and their passengers.”Investigators said they were still trying to determine who authorized the Boeing crew to open and reinstall the door plug.Safety experts have said the accident could have been catastrophic if the Alaska jet had reached cruising altitude. The decompression in the cabin after the blowout would have been far stronger, and passengers and flight attendants might have been walking around instead of being belted into their seats.The incident has added to questions about manufacturing quality at Boeing that started with the deadly crashes of two Max 8 jets in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people.The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether Boeing and its suppliers followed proper safety procedures in manufacturing parts for the Max. The FAA has barred Boeing from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-halts-boeing-max-production-expansion-improve-quality-control-also-lays-out-extensive">speeding up production of 737s</a>&nbsp;until the agency is satisfied about quality issues.FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker said Tuesday that his agency is about halfway through a six-week audit of manufacturing processes at Boeing and its key supplier on the Max, Spirit AeroSystems. He said the agency is confronted with two questions — what’s wrong with the Max 9, and “what’s going on with the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/faa-administrator-boeing-safety-oversight-8b8433b3c6c9bcb31980f7a979ce3326">production at Boeing</a>?”Spirit AeroSystems, which Boeing spun off as a separate company nearly 20 years ago, said in a statement that it was reviewing the NTSB preliminary report and was working with Boeing and regulators “on continuous improvement in our processes and meeting the highest standards of safety, quality and reliability.”

Missing bolts: Report reveals new details on jet's mid-flight blowout

LINCOLN, NE&nbsp;– Governor Jim Pillen traveled to Eagle Pass, Texas on Sunday, joining&nbsp;&nbsp; 13 other Republican Governors for a security briefing on Operation Lone Star. That update, hosted by Governor Greg Abbott and Texas border security officials, was followed by a nationally broadcast news conference from nearby Shelby Park, which has served as the base camp for operations to this point.&nbsp;

“Our federal government continues to ignore our border crisis,” said Gov. Pillen. “The highest calling of government is public safety. We, as governors, must stand together to stop the constant influx of illegal drugs, weapons, and human trafficking.”&nbsp;

Many of the governors who traveled to Texas this past weekend were among a larger group of 24 who signed a&nbsp;<a></a><a href="https://governor.nebraska.gov/press/gov-pillen-restates-nebraska%E2%80%99s-commitment-stand-texas">joint statement</a>&nbsp;calling out President Biden’s administration for abdicating its constitutional duties to the states.&nbsp; During the security update, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) revealed it has seized over 458 million doses of fentanyl. More than 38,700 criminal arrests have taken place, resulting in 35,100 felony charges.

“All we ask is that the President enforce the laws of our country,” said Gov. Pillen. “The urgency of the southern border has not changed. It continues to be a threat to national security, food security, and a growing humanitarian crisis. Nebraska will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Gov. Abbott, his team and other governors who are determined to act on this issue.”

Part of the reason for Gov. Pillen’s visit was to assess the status of current operations and understand how Nebraska can continue to assist Texas going forward. He was joined in his visit by Major General Craig Strong, adjutant general for the Nebraska National Guard. Last year, Gov. Pillen ordered the deployment of more than 60 soldiers to Texas as well as a smaller group of state troopers who assisted with drone surveillance operations.

“Nebraska is committed to continuing its support with personnel and equipment,” said Gov. Pillen. “Final decisions will be made once we know more fully the specific needs and locations where deployments would be most helpful.”

LINCOLN, NE&nbsp;– Governor Jim Pillen traveled to Eagle Pass, Texas on Sunday, joining&nbsp;&nbsp; 13 other Republican Governors for a security briefing on Operation Lone Star. That update, hosted by Governor Greg Abbott and Texas border security officials, was followed by a nationally broadcast news conference from nearby Shelby Park, which has served as the base camp for operations to this point.&nbsp;“Our federal government continues to ignore our border crisis,” said Gov. Pillen. “The highest calling of government is public safety. We, as governors, must stand together to stop the constant influx of illegal drugs, weapons, and human trafficking.”&nbsp;Many of the governors who traveled to Texas this past weekend were among a larger group of 24 who signed a&nbsp;<a></a><a href="https://governor.nebraska.gov/press/gov-pillen-restates-nebraska%E2%80%99s-commitment-stand-texas">joint statement</a>&nbsp;calling out President Biden’s administration for abdicating its constitutional duties to the states.&nbsp; During the security update, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) revealed it has seized over 458 million doses of fentanyl. More than 38,700 criminal arrests have taken place, resulting in 35,100 felony charges.“All we ask is that the President enforce the laws of our country,” said Gov. Pillen. “The urgency of the southern border has not changed. It continues to be a threat to national security, food security, and a growing humanitarian crisis. Nebraska will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Gov. Abbott, his team and other governors who are determined to act on this issue.”Part of the reason for Gov. Pillen’s visit was to assess the status of current operations and understand how Nebraska can continue to assist Texas going forward. He was joined in his visit by Major General Craig Strong, adjutant general for the Nebraska National Guard. Last year, Gov. Pillen ordered the deployment of more than 60 soldiers to Texas as well as a smaller group of state troopers who assisted with drone surveillance operations.“Nebraska is committed to continuing its support with personnel and equipment,” said Gov. Pillen. “Final decisions will be made once we know more fully the specific needs and locations where deployments would be most helpful.”

 Gov. Pillen Visits Border, Reaffirms Nebraska’s Commitment to Texas

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investigators plan to interview two police officers who were working off duty in Nebraska’s largest city&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/omaha-police-nebraska-shooting-deadly-db3b25b907752a328e4fc50120f642bc">when they shot and killed two men</a>&nbsp;in an SUV, a police spokesperson said Monday.

Authorities still provided few details about what led to the confrontation or what happened during it.

The two Omaha officers were working side jobs at a business around 2 a.m. Saturday when they opened fire on the men in the SUV, according to initial police statements over the weekend. The men, Fernando Rodriguez-Juarez, 26, and Jonathan Hernandez-Rosales, 28, died later at a hospital.

Officer Chris Gordon, a police spokesman, said that the officers will be interviewed Tuesday and that the department will probably release their names after that. And he said police will probably hold a news conference Thursday.

A candlelight memorial popped up at the scene Sunday, video from KETV-TV showed.

Police said over the weekend that they found a handgun in the vehicle, but they didn’t say whether it was illegal or what led the two off-duty officers to shoot the men. Police also haven’t said whether the two officers identified themselves as police or whether they were wearing their police uniforms.

One of the officers was wearing a body camera when the shooting happened, and detectives were reviewing businesses’ security footage, authorities said.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investigators plan to interview two police officers who were working off duty in Nebraska’s largest city&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/omaha-police-nebraska-shooting-deadly-db3b25b907752a328e4fc50120f642bc">when they shot and killed two men</a>&nbsp;in an SUV, a police spokesperson said Monday.Authorities still provided few details about what led to the confrontation or what happened during it.The two Omaha officers were working side jobs at a business around 2 a.m. Saturday when they opened fire on the men in the SUV, according to initial police statements over the weekend. The men, Fernando Rodriguez-Juarez, 26, and Jonathan Hernandez-Rosales, 28, died later at a hospital.Officer Chris Gordon, a police spokesman, said that the officers will be interviewed Tuesday and that the department will probably release their names after that. And he said police will probably hold a news conference Thursday.A candlelight memorial popped up at the scene Sunday, video from KETV-TV showed.Police said over the weekend that they found a handgun in the vehicle, but they didn’t say whether it was illegal or what led the two off-duty officers to shoot the men. Police also haven’t said whether the two officers identified themselves as police or whether they were wearing their police uniforms.One of the officers was wearing a body camera when the shooting happened, and detectives were reviewing businesses’ security footage, authorities said.

Off-duty Omaha officers who fatally shot 2 men will be interviewed by investigators

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan jury convicted a school shooter’s mother of involuntary manslaughter Tuesday in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/oxford-high-school-shooting">killings of four students in 2021,</a>&nbsp;making her the first parent in the U.S. to be held responsible for a child carrying out a mass school attack.

Prosecutors say Jennifer Crumbley had a duty under state law to prevent her son, who was 15 at the time, from harming others. She was accused of failing to secure a gun and ammunition at home and failing to get help to support Ethan Crumbley's mental health.

The four guilty verdicts — one for each student slain at Oxford High School — were returned after roughly 11 hours of jury deliberations.

Jennifer Crumbley, 45, looked down and shook her head slightly as each juror was polled after the verdicts were read.

On her way out of the courtroom, prosecutor Karen McDonald hugged Craig Shilling, the father of victim Justin Shilling, and the family of Madisyn Baldwin.

Jennifer and James Crumbley were the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oxford-high-school-shooting-shootings-education-violence-crime-31b054a2e403275f119b5e919f7fbc43">first parents in the U.S.</a>&nbsp;to be charged in a mass school shooting committed by their child. James Crumbley faces trial in March.

"The cries have been heard, and I feel this verdict is gonna echo throughout every household in the country,” Craig Shilling told reporters.

“I feel it’s necessary, and I’m happy with the verdict. It’s still a sad situation to be in. It’s gotta stop. It’s an accountability, and this is what we’ve been asking for for a long time now," Shilling said.

A gag order by the judge prevented McDonald and defense attorney Shannon Smith from speaking to reporters.

On&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-school-shooting-timeline-79e4111a45567d79ffbc63acb75ba24a">the morning of Nov. 30, 2021,</a>&nbsp;school staff members were concerned about a violent drawing of a gun, bullet and wounded man, accompanied by desperate phrases, on Ethan Crumbley’s math assignment. His parents were called to the school for a brief meeting, but they didn't take the boy home.

A few hours later, Ethan Crumbley pulled a handgun from his backpack and shot 10 students and a teacher. No one had checked the backpack.

The gun was the Sig Sauer 9 mm his father had purchased with him just four days earlier. Jennifer Crumbley had taken her son to a shooting range that same weekend.

“You're the last adult to have possession of that gun,” assistant prosecutor Marc Keast said while cross-examining the mother last week. “You saw your son shoot the last practice round before the (school) shooting on Nov. 30. You saw how he stood. ... He knew how to use the gun."

Jennifer Crumbley replied, “Yes, he did."

Besides 17-year-old Justin Shilling and 17-year old Madisyn Baldwin, Hana St. Juliana, 14, and Tate Myre, 16, were also killed. Seven people were wounded.

Ethan Crumbley, now 17,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oxford-michigan-school-shooting-ethan-crumbley-sentencing-fb10065053ca542b0d443671bab53947">pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism</a>&nbsp;and is serving a life sentence.

Jennifer Crumbley told jurors that it was her husband's job to keep track of the gun. She also said she saw no signs of mental distress in her son.

“We would talk. We did a lot of things together," she testified. "I trusted him, and I felt I had an open door. He could come to me about anything.”

In a journal found by police, Ethan Crumbley wrote that his parents wouldn’t listen to his pleas for help.

“I have zero help for my mental problems and it’s causing me to shoot up the ... school,” he wrote.

The words with the drawing that prompted a counselor to call the Crumbleys to the school said: “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me. The world is dead. My life is useless.”

Prosecutors introduced evidence that Ethan Crumbley texted his mother in spring 2021 about “demons” throwing bowls and other hallucinations. But she told the jury that it was “just Ethan messing around.”

“I have asked myself if I would have done anything differently. I wouldn’t have. I wish he would have killed us instead,” she testified.

The jury of six men and six women included people who own guns or grew up with them in their home. The jurors said they could put their opinions about guns aside and serve fairly.

Jennifer Crumbley will get credit for roughly 2 1/2 years in the county jail when she returns to court for sentencing on April 9. The judge will set the minimum prison sentence, based on scoring guidelines and other factors.

It will be up to the Michigan parole board to determine how long she actually stays in prison. The maximum term for involuntary manslaughter is 15 years.

Prosecutors have not said if they will ask for consecutive sentences on the four convictions, which could mean a maximum of 60 years if Judge Cheryl Matthews agrees.

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan jury received instructions from a judge and began deliberations Monday in a novel trial against a school shooter's mother who could go to prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/oxford-high-school-shooting">deaths of four students in 2021.</a>

“You must not let sympathy, bias or prejudice influence your decision,” Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews said.

Prosecutors say Jennifer Crumbley was grossly negligent when she failed to tell Oxford High School officials that the family had guns, including a 9 mm handgun that was used by her son, Ethan Crumbley, at a shooting range just a few days earlier.

The school was concerned about a macabre drawing of a gun, bullet and wounded man, accompanied by desperate phrases, on a math assignment. But Ethan was allowed to stay in school on Nov. 30, 2021, following a roughly 12-minute meeting with Jennifer and James Crumbley, who didn't take him home.

The teenager pulled the gun from his backpack in the afternoon and shot 10 students and a teacher, killing four peers. No one had checked the backpack.

“He literally drew a picture of what he was going to do. It says, ‘Help me,’” prosecutor Karen McDonald said during closing arguments Friday in suburban Detroit.

Jennifer Crumbley knew the gun in the drawing was identical to the new one at home, McDonald said.

“She knew it wasn't stored properly," the prosecutor added. “She knew that he was proficient with the gun. She knew he had access to ammunition.”

“Just the smallest steps” by Jennifer Crumbley could have saved the lives of Hana St. Juliana, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling and Madisyn Baldwin, the prosecutor said.

Defense attorney Shannon Smith told jurors that a conviction would have a chilling effect on unwitting parents whose kids break the law. The tragedy, she argued, was not foreseeable.

Ethan Crumbley was a “skilled manipulator” who didn’t have mental illness, and the gun was the responsibility of James Crumbley, not his wife, Smith said.

“Unfortunately this is a case where the prosecution made a charging decision way too fast,” Smith said. “It was motivated by obvious reasons, for political gain and done for media attention.”

She said the case won’t bring justice to the victims or their families: “It certainly doesn’t bring back any lives.”

The jury of six men and six women includes some gun owners or people who grew up with firearms in their house. They said it wouldn’t interfere with their ability to be fair.

The four students who died at Oxford High School, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) north of Detroit, were Hana St. Juliana, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling and Madisyn Baldwin.

Jennifer Crumbley, 45, and James Crumbley, 47, are the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oxford-high-school-shooting-shootings-education-violence-crime-31b054a2e403275f119b5e919f7fbc43">first parents in the U.S.</a>&nbsp;to be charged in a mass school shooting committed by their child. The latter faces trial in March.

Besides knowledge of the gun, the Crumbleys are accused of ignoring their son's mental health needs. In a journal found by police in his backpack, he wrote that they wouldn't listen to his pleas for help.

“I have zero help for my mental problems and it’s causing me to shoot up the ... school,” Ethan wrote.

The maximum penalty for involuntary manslaughter is 15 years in prison. The Crumbleys have been in jail for more than two years, unable to post $500,000 bond while awaiting trial.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638621694054.png" alt="Crumbley as shown in her November 2021 booking photo from Oakland Co. Michigan" />
 <figcaption>Crumbley as shown in her November 2021 booking photo from Oakland Co. Michigan</figcaption>
 </figure>PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan jury convicted a school shooter’s mother of involuntary manslaughter Tuesday in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/oxford-high-school-shooting">killings of four students in 2021,</a>&nbsp;making her the first parent in the U.S. to be held responsible for a child carrying out a mass school attack.Prosecutors say Jennifer Crumbley had a duty under state law to prevent her son, who was 15 at the time, from harming others. She was accused of failing to secure a gun and ammunition at home and failing to get help to support Ethan Crumbley's mental health.The four guilty verdicts — one for each student slain at Oxford High School — were returned after roughly 11 hours of jury deliberations.Jennifer Crumbley, 45, looked down and shook her head slightly as each juror was polled after the verdicts were read.On her way out of the courtroom, prosecutor Karen McDonald hugged Craig Shilling, the father of victim Justin Shilling, and the family of Madisyn Baldwin.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638551635768.png" alt="Ethan Crumbley's November 2021 booking photo from Oakland Co. Michigan" />
 <figcaption>Ethan Crumbley's November 2021 booking photo from Oakland Co. Michigan</figcaption>
 </figure>“Thank you,” a man whispered to her.Jennifer and James Crumbley were the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oxford-high-school-shooting-shootings-education-violence-crime-31b054a2e403275f119b5e919f7fbc43">first parents in the U.S.</a>&nbsp;to be charged in a mass school shooting committed by their child. James Crumbley faces trial in March."The cries have been heard, and I feel this verdict is gonna echo throughout every household in the country,” Craig Shilling told reporters.“I feel it’s necessary, and I’m happy with the verdict. It’s still a sad situation to be in. It’s gotta stop. It’s an accountability, and this is what we’ve been asking for for a long time now," Shilling said.A gag order by the judge prevented McDonald and defense attorney Shannon Smith from speaking to reporters.On&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-school-shooting-timeline-79e4111a45567d79ffbc63acb75ba24a">the morning of Nov. 30, 2021,</a>&nbsp;school staff members were concerned about a violent drawing of a gun, bullet and wounded man, accompanied by desperate phrases, on Ethan Crumbley’s math assignment. His parents were called to the school for a brief meeting, but they didn't take the boy home.A few hours later, Ethan Crumbley pulled a handgun from his backpack and shot 10 students and a teacher. No one had checked the backpack.The gun was the Sig Sauer 9 mm his father had purchased with him just four days earlier. Jennifer Crumbley had taken her son to a shooting range that same weekend.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638621716369.png" alt="James Crumbley as shown in his 2021 booking. photo from Oakland County, Michigan" />
 <figcaption>James Crumbley as shown in his 2021 booking. photo from Oakland County, Michigan</figcaption>
 </figure>“You're the last adult to have possession of that gun,” assistant prosecutor Marc Keast said while cross-examining the mother last week. “You saw your son shoot the last practice round before the (school) shooting on Nov. 30. You saw how he stood. ... He knew how to use the gun."Jennifer Crumbley replied, “Yes, he did."Besides 17-year-old Justin Shilling and 17-year old Madisyn Baldwin, Hana St. Juliana, 14, and Tate Myre, 16, were also killed. Seven people were wounded.Ethan Crumbley, now 17,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oxford-michigan-school-shooting-ethan-crumbley-sentencing-fb10065053ca542b0d443671bab53947">pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism</a>&nbsp;and is serving a life sentence.Jennifer Crumbley told jurors that it was her husband's job to keep track of the gun. She also said she saw no signs of mental distress in her son.“We would talk. We did a lot of things together," she testified. "I trusted him, and I felt I had an open door. He could come to me about anything.”In a journal found by police, Ethan Crumbley wrote that his parents wouldn’t listen to his pleas for help.“I have zero help for my mental problems and it’s causing me to shoot up the ... school,” he wrote.The words with the drawing that prompted a counselor to call the Crumbleys to the school said: “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me. The world is dead. My life is useless.”Prosecutors introduced evidence that Ethan Crumbley texted his mother in spring 2021 about “demons” throwing bowls and other hallucinations. But she told the jury that it was “just Ethan messing around.”“I have asked myself if I would have done anything differently. I wouldn’t have. I wish he would have killed us instead,” she testified.The jury of six men and six women included people who own guns or grew up with them in their home. The jurors said they could put their opinions about guns aside and serve fairly.Jennifer Crumbley will get credit for roughly 2 1/2 years in the county jail when she returns to court for sentencing on April 9. The judge will set the minimum prison sentence, based on scoring guidelines and other factors.It will be up to the Michigan parole board to determine how long she actually stays in prison. The maximum term for involuntary manslaughter is 15 years.Prosecutors have not said if they will ask for consecutive sentences on the four convictions, which could mean a maximum of 60 years if Judge Cheryl Matthews agrees.------------------PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan jury received instructions from a judge and began deliberations Monday in a novel trial against a school shooter's mother who could go to prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/oxford-high-school-shooting">deaths of four students in 2021.</a>“You must not let sympathy, bias or prejudice influence your decision,” Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews said.Prosecutors say Jennifer Crumbley was grossly negligent when she failed to tell Oxford High School officials that the family had guns, including a 9 mm handgun that was used by her son, Ethan Crumbley, at a shooting range just a few days earlier.The school was concerned about a macabre drawing of a gun, bullet and wounded man, accompanied by desperate phrases, on a math assignment. But Ethan was allowed to stay in school on Nov. 30, 2021, following a roughly 12-minute meeting with Jennifer and James Crumbley, who didn't take him home.The teenager pulled the gun from his backpack in the afternoon and shot 10 students and a teacher, killing four peers. No one had checked the backpack.“He literally drew a picture of what he was going to do. It says, ‘Help me,’” prosecutor Karen McDonald said during closing arguments Friday in suburban Detroit.Jennifer Crumbley knew the gun in the drawing was identical to the new one at home, McDonald said.“She knew it wasn't stored properly," the prosecutor added. “She knew that he was proficient with the gun. She knew he had access to ammunition.”“Just the smallest steps” by Jennifer Crumbley could have saved the lives of Hana St. Juliana, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling and Madisyn Baldwin, the prosecutor said.Defense attorney Shannon Smith told jurors that a conviction would have a chilling effect on unwitting parents whose kids break the law. The tragedy, she argued, was not foreseeable.Ethan Crumbley was a “skilled manipulator” who didn’t have mental illness, and the gun was the responsibility of James Crumbley, not his wife, Smith said.“Unfortunately this is a case where the prosecution made a charging decision way too fast,” Smith said. “It was motivated by obvious reasons, for political gain and done for media attention.”She said the case won’t bring justice to the victims or their families: “It certainly doesn’t bring back any lives.”The jury of six men and six women includes some gun owners or people who grew up with firearms in their house. They said it wouldn’t interfere with their ability to be fair.The four students who died at Oxford High School, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) north of Detroit, were Hana St. Juliana, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling and Madisyn Baldwin.Jennifer Crumbley, 45, and James Crumbley, 47, are the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oxford-high-school-shooting-shootings-education-violence-crime-31b054a2e403275f119b5e919f7fbc43">first parents in the U.S.</a>&nbsp;to be charged in a mass school shooting committed by their child. The latter faces trial in March.Ethan Crumbley, now 17,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oxford-michigan-school-shooting-ethan-crumbley-sentencing-fb10065053ca542b0d443671bab53947">pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism</a>&nbsp;and is serving a life sentence.Besides knowledge of the gun, the Crumbleys are accused of ignoring their son's mental health needs. In a journal found by police in his backpack, he wrote that they wouldn't listen to his pleas for help.“I have zero help for my mental problems and it’s causing me to shoot up the ... school,” Ethan wrote.The maximum penalty for involuntary manslaughter is 15 years in prison. The Crumbleys have been in jail for more than two years, unable to post $500,000 bond while awaiting trial.___

History: Mother of school shooter guilty of manslaughter

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Conservative lawmakers who want to intertwine religion with school curriculum in Republican-dominated Nebraska presented a slew of bills Monday to the state Legislature’s education committee.

The list includes a bill that would give parents more control over their local school’s library books and curriculum and another that would allow public school students to receive school credit for attending religious classes outside school. Another measure would change school funding to loop in private school tuition while forbidding the state from interfering in private schools’ curriculum or beliefs.

Sen. Dave Murman, the conservative chairman of the Nebraska Legislature’s Education Committee, has revived his so-called parents rights bill that would make it easier for parents to object to curriculum and remove books from school libraries. The bill introduced last year was among those that stalled as conservatives focused on passing a bill to allow taxpayer money to be used to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/private-school-scholarships-nebraska-taxpayers-c7be118aa5a43b3ebc2da82aacaa4e29">fund private school scholarships</a>. That measure, signed into law last June, is the subject of a ballot referendum that will ask voters in November to repeal it.

Murman, a farmer from Glenvil,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-united-states-government-nebraska-7bb277db7ac120358c90de7528ed864c">took over as chairman</a>&nbsp;of the committee last year, when Republicans in the officially nonpartisan, one-chamber Legislature ousted a Democratic former schoolteacher from the post in what was widely seen as an effort by conservatives to “crack and pack” key committees to get more of their bills to the floor for debate.

Those bills are part of a broader Republican push nationwide to target a variety of culture issues in education, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/diversity-equity-inclusion-legislation-7bd8d4d52aaaa9902dde59a257874686">diversity, equity and inclusion</a>&nbsp;programs and the type of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/conservatives-educators-coronavirus-masks-book-banning-cfe02e318d95070d468c88e7294d8aa9">books allowed</a>&nbsp;in school libraries. Conservative officials across the country have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/conservatives-educators-coronavirus-masks-book-banning-cfe02e318d95070d468c88e7294d8aa9">increasingly tried to limit the type of books that children are exposed to</a>, including books that address structural racism and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-education-gender-identity-virginia-a3d4b656bb58d0472af2a1a69ab62708">LGBTQ+ issues</a>.

Sen. Steve Erdman’s school funding bill would set up a $5 billion education funding bill that would shift costs from local property taxes to the state’s general fund by setting up an education savings account for each student in the state. That money would be distributed by the state treasurer to fund a student’s education at their local public school — or could go to help cover the cost of private school tuition or even costs associated with home schooling. The bill is modeled on an Arizona law, Erdman said.

Critics contend Arizona has seen no academic gains since its school choice law went into effect and that it has seen fly-by-night charter schools open in strip malls that collect state money, only to later close. Others argued Erdman’s bill would hurt funding for rural school districts like his own, which has fewer than 350 students.

But it is a section within that bill that the state “is strictly forbidden from altering the curriculum or beliefs of a private school” that others questioned.

“If a private school introduced critical race theory in their curriculum or required singing ‘Lift Every Voice (and Sing)’ every morning, I can guarantee you there would be an uproar from this Legislature over that,” Ron Cunningham of Lincoln testified. “But under this bill, the way it’s written, you couldn’t do anything about it.”

State Sen. Loren Lippincott’s bill would give school credit to public school students who attend religious classes outside of school during school hours. Allowing the religious education, he said, would help students “develop a stronger sense of morality” and would help lead to “fewer behavioral issues in schools.”

Middle and high school students could partake, and the religious credit program would be open to all religions, as long as it “does not undeniably promote licentiousness or practices that are inconsistent with school policy.”

Not all bills before the committee Monday sought to enmesh religion with education. One offered by Omaha Sen. Kathleen Kauth — best know for her bill last year that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-transgender-ban-nebraska-filibuster-b0b88845d29f1aaadf7936b7304a0507">restricted gender-confirming care</a>&nbsp;for people under 19 — would ease the process for teachers certified in other states to teach in Nebraska classrooms as the state struggles with a teacher shortage.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Conservative lawmakers who want to intertwine religion with school curriculum in Republican-dominated Nebraska presented a slew of bills Monday to the state Legislature’s education committee.The list includes a bill that would give parents more control over their local school’s library books and curriculum and another that would allow public school students to receive school credit for attending religious classes outside school. Another measure would change school funding to loop in private school tuition while forbidding the state from interfering in private schools’ curriculum or beliefs.Sen. Dave Murman, the conservative chairman of the Nebraska Legislature’s Education Committee, has revived his so-called parents rights bill that would make it easier for parents to object to curriculum and remove books from school libraries. The bill introduced last year was among those that stalled as conservatives focused on passing a bill to allow taxpayer money to be used to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/private-school-scholarships-nebraska-taxpayers-c7be118aa5a43b3ebc2da82aacaa4e29">fund private school scholarships</a>. That measure, signed into law last June, is the subject of a ballot referendum that will ask voters in November to repeal it.Murman, a farmer from Glenvil,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-united-states-government-nebraska-7bb277db7ac120358c90de7528ed864c">took over as chairman</a>&nbsp;of the committee last year, when Republicans in the officially nonpartisan, one-chamber Legislature ousted a Democratic former schoolteacher from the post in what was widely seen as an effort by conservatives to “crack and pack” key committees to get more of their bills to the floor for debate.Those bills are part of a broader Republican push nationwide to target a variety of culture issues in education, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/diversity-equity-inclusion-legislation-7bd8d4d52aaaa9902dde59a257874686">diversity, equity and inclusion</a>&nbsp;programs and the type of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/conservatives-educators-coronavirus-masks-book-banning-cfe02e318d95070d468c88e7294d8aa9">books allowed</a>&nbsp;in school libraries. Conservative officials across the country have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/conservatives-educators-coronavirus-masks-book-banning-cfe02e318d95070d468c88e7294d8aa9">increasingly tried to limit the type of books that children are exposed to</a>, including books that address structural racism and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-education-gender-identity-virginia-a3d4b656bb58d0472af2a1a69ab62708">LGBTQ+ issues</a>.Sen. Steve Erdman’s school funding bill would set up a $5 billion education funding bill that would shift costs from local property taxes to the state’s general fund by setting up an education savings account for each student in the state. That money would be distributed by the state treasurer to fund a student’s education at their local public school — or could go to help cover the cost of private school tuition or even costs associated with home schooling. The bill is modeled on an Arizona law, Erdman said.Critics contend Arizona has seen no academic gains since its school choice law went into effect and that it has seen fly-by-night charter schools open in strip malls that collect state money, only to later close. Others argued Erdman’s bill would hurt funding for rural school districts like his own, which has fewer than 350 students.But it is a section within that bill that the state “is strictly forbidden from altering the curriculum or beliefs of a private school” that others questioned.“If a private school introduced critical race theory in their curriculum or required singing ‘Lift Every Voice (and Sing)’ every morning, I can guarantee you there would be an uproar from this Legislature over that,” Ron Cunningham of Lincoln testified. “But under this bill, the way it’s written, you couldn’t do anything about it.”State Sen. Loren Lippincott’s bill would give school credit to public school students who attend religious classes outside of school during school hours. Allowing the religious education, he said, would help students “develop a stronger sense of morality” and would help lead to “fewer behavioral issues in schools.”Middle and high school students could partake, and the religious credit program would be open to all religions, as long as it “does not undeniably promote licentiousness or practices that are inconsistent with school policy.”Not all bills before the committee Monday sought to enmesh religion with education. One offered by Omaha Sen. Kathleen Kauth — best know for her bill last year that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-transgender-ban-nebraska-filibuster-b0b88845d29f1aaadf7936b7304a0507">restricted gender-confirming care</a>&nbsp;for people under 19 — would ease the process for teachers certified in other states to teach in Nebraska classrooms as the state struggles with a teacher shortage.

Conservative Nebraska lawmakers push bills that would intertwine religion with public education

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals panel ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump can face trial on charges that he plotted to overturn the results of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">the 2020 election</a>, rejecting the former president’s claims that he is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-justice-department-special-counsel-f82dbd294cd7b963dd69f1ecdf90aded">immune from prosecution</a>&nbsp;and breathing life back into a landmark prosecution that had been effectively frozen while the court considered the arguments.

The decision marks the second time in as many months that judges have spurned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-special-counsel-immunity-appeal-64eec975e6a602949eb4b90315239318">Trump’s immunity arguments</a>&nbsp;and held that he can be prosecuted for actions undertaken while in the White House and in the run-up to Jan. 6, 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of his supporters</a>&nbsp;stormed the U.S. Capitol. But it also sets the stage for additional appeals from the Republican ex-president that could reach the U.S. Supreme Court and result in further delays.

The one-month gap between when the appeals court heard arguments and when it issued its ruling has already created uncertainty about the timing of any trial in a calendar-jammed election year, with the judge overseeing the case&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-justice-department-us-capitol-9ab9da935bc620d57c4192134f81acde">last week canceling the March 4 date that was initially set</a>&nbsp;and not immediately scheduling a replacement one. The judges gave Trump until February 12 to ask the Supreme Court to pause the ruling.

The trial date carries obvious and enormous political ramifications, with special counsel Jack Smith's team hoping to prosecute Trump this year and the Republican primary front-runner seeking to delay it until after the November election. If Trump were to defeat President Joe Biden, he could presumably try to use his position as head of the executive branch to order a new attorney general to dismiss the federal cases or he potentially could seek a pardon for himself.

The unanimous ruling, which had been expected given the skepticism with which the three judges on the panel greeted the Trump team's arguments, was unsparing in its repudiation of the claim that a former president could be shielded from prosecution for actions taken while in office.

“Presidential immunity against federal indictment would mean that, as to the President, the Congress could not legislate, the Executive could not prosecute and the Judiciary could not review. We cannot accept that the office of the Presidency places its former occupants above the law for all time thereafter,” the judges wrote.

They also sharply rejected Trump’s claim that “a President has unbounded authority to commit crimes that would neutralize the most fundamental check on executive power — the recognition and implementation of election results.”

“Nor can we sanction his apparent contention that the Executive has carte blanche to violate the rights of individual citizens to vote and to have their votes count,” they wrote.

The appeals court took center stage in the immunity dispute after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-14th-amendment-immunity-supreme-court-d3f001f66c5c3e85302b8772753ed769">the Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;in December said it was at least temporarily staying out of it, rejecting a request from Smith's team to take up the matter quickly and issue a speedy ruling. But the court could yet still decide to act on a Trump team appeal, adding to the uncertainty of a trial date.

The Supreme Court has held that presidents are immune from civil liability for official acts, and Trump’s lawyers have for months argued that that protection should be extended to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-special-counsel-immunity-appeal-64eec975e6a602949eb4b90315239318">criminal prosecution</a>&nbsp;as well.

They said the actions Trump was accused of in his failed bid to cling to power after he lost the 2020 election to Biden, including badgering his vice president to refuse to certify the results of the election, all fell within the “outer perimeters” of a president’s official acts.

But Smith’s team has said that no such immunity exists in the U.S. Constitution or in prior cases and that, in any event, Trump’s actions weren’t part of his official duties.

U.S. District Judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-judge-tanya-chutkan-capitol-riot-9ba5c18d315697d759521425ea203012">Tanya Chutkan</a>, who is presiding over the case, rejected Trump’s arguments in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-immunity-donald-trump-a98872759762c95fa925ff831df27388">a Dec. 1 opinion</a>&nbsp;that said the office of the president “does not confer a lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680634182015.png" alt="File Former President Donald Trump in a New York courtroom in April 2023 (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)" />
 <figcaption>File Former President Donald Trump in a New York courtroom in April 2023 (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals panel ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump can face trial on charges that he plotted to overturn the results of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">the 2020 election</a>, rejecting the former president’s claims that he is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-justice-department-special-counsel-f82dbd294cd7b963dd69f1ecdf90aded">immune from prosecution</a>&nbsp;and breathing life back into a landmark prosecution that had been effectively frozen while the court considered the arguments.The decision marks the second time in as many months that judges have spurned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-special-counsel-immunity-appeal-64eec975e6a602949eb4b90315239318">Trump’s immunity arguments</a>&nbsp;and held that he can be prosecuted for actions undertaken while in the White House and in the run-up to Jan. 6, 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of his supporters</a>&nbsp;stormed the U.S. Capitol. But it also sets the stage for additional appeals from the Republican ex-president that could reach the U.S. Supreme Court and result in further delays.The one-month gap between when the appeals court heard arguments and when it issued its ruling has already created uncertainty about the timing of any trial in a calendar-jammed election year, with the judge overseeing the case&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-justice-department-us-capitol-9ab9da935bc620d57c4192134f81acde">last week canceling the March 4 date that was initially set</a>&nbsp;and not immediately scheduling a replacement one. The judges gave Trump until February 12 to ask the Supreme Court to pause the ruling.The trial date carries obvious and enormous political ramifications, with special counsel Jack Smith's team hoping to prosecute Trump this year and the Republican primary front-runner seeking to delay it until after the November election. If Trump were to defeat President Joe Biden, he could presumably try to use his position as head of the executive branch to order a new attorney general to dismiss the federal cases or he potentially could seek a pardon for himself.The unanimous ruling, which had been expected given the skepticism with which the three judges on the panel greeted the Trump team's arguments, was unsparing in its repudiation of the claim that a former president could be shielded from prosecution for actions taken while in office.“Presidential immunity against federal indictment would mean that, as to the President, the Congress could not legislate, the Executive could not prosecute and the Judiciary could not review. We cannot accept that the office of the Presidency places its former occupants above the law for all time thereafter,” the judges wrote.They also sharply rejected Trump’s claim that “a President has unbounded authority to commit crimes that would neutralize the most fundamental check on executive power — the recognition and implementation of election results.”“Nor can we sanction his apparent contention that the Executive has carte blanche to violate the rights of individual citizens to vote and to have their votes count,” they wrote.The appeals court took center stage in the immunity dispute after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-14th-amendment-immunity-supreme-court-d3f001f66c5c3e85302b8772753ed769">the Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;in December said it was at least temporarily staying out of it, rejecting a request from Smith's team to take up the matter quickly and issue a speedy ruling. But the court could yet still decide to act on a Trump team appeal, adding to the uncertainty of a trial date.The Supreme Court has held that presidents are immune from civil liability for official acts, and Trump’s lawyers have for months argued that that protection should be extended to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-special-counsel-immunity-appeal-64eec975e6a602949eb4b90315239318">criminal prosecution</a>&nbsp;as well.They said the actions Trump was accused of in his failed bid to cling to power after he lost the 2020 election to Biden, including badgering his vice president to refuse to certify the results of the election, all fell within the “outer perimeters” of a president’s official acts.But Smith’s team has said that no such immunity exists in the U.S. Constitution or in prior cases and that, in any event, Trump’s actions weren’t part of his official duties.U.S. District Judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-judge-tanya-chutkan-capitol-riot-9ba5c18d315697d759521425ea203012">Tanya Chutkan</a>, who is presiding over the case, rejected Trump’s arguments in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-immunity-donald-trump-a98872759762c95fa925ff831df27388">a Dec. 1 opinion</a>&nbsp;that said the office of the president “does not confer a lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”Trump’s lawyers then appealed to the D.C. appeals court, but Smith asked the Supreme Court to weigh in first, in hopes of securing a fast and definitive ruling and preserving the March 4 trial date. The high court declined the request, leaving the matter with the appeals court.The case was argued before Judges Florence Pan and J. Michelle Childs, appointees of Biden, a Democrat, and Karen LeCraft Henderson, who was named to the bench by President George H.W. Bush, a Republican. The judges made clear their skepticism of Trump’s claims during arguments last month, when they peppered his lawyer with tough questions and posed a series of extreme hypotheticals as a way to test his legal theory of immunity — including whether a president who directed Navy commandos to assassinate a political rival could be prosecuted.Trump’s lawyer, D. John Sauer, answered yes — but only if a president had first been impeached and convicted by Congress. That view was in keeping with the team’s position that the Constitution did not permit the prosecution of ex-presidents who had been impeached but then acquitted, like Trump.The case in Washington is one of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-investigations-other-charges-b8b064a00caad4306fb54d2f6a320468">four criminal prosecutions</a>&nbsp;Trump faces as he seeks to reclaim the White House this year. He faces federal charges in Florida that he illegally retained classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, a case that was also brought by Smith and is set for trial in May. He’s also charged in state court in Georgia with scheming to subvert that state’s 2020 election and in New York in connection with hush money payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels. He has denied any wrongdoing.