KANSAS CITY (AP) —A quarter of U.S. congregations in the United Methodist Church have received permission to leave the denomination during a five-year window, closing this month, that authorized departures for congregations over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-gay-rights-f3fc3ec9e1f39501495d227d5a0963f8">disputes</a>&nbsp;involving the church's LGBTQ-related policies.

This year alone, 5,641 congregations received permission from their regional conferences to leave the denomination as of Thursday, according to an unofficial tally by United Methodist News. In total, 7,658 have received permission since 2019. Thursday marked the last scheduled regional vote, according to the news service, when the Texas Annual Conference authorized four congregations’ departures.

The vast major are conservative-leaning churches responding to what they see as the United Methodists' failure to enforce bans on same-sex marriage and the ordaining of openly LGBTQ persons.

The new year is expected to bring more changes.

The first denomination-wide legislative gathering in eight years, slated for spring 2024, will consider&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-gay-rights-marriage-1ed8df15ecbb36700cbe638b29dc6617">calls to liberalize</a>&nbsp;policies on marriage and ordination. It will also debate rival proposals, either to decentralize the international church — which has at least as many members outside the United States as in — or provide overseas congregations with the same exit option their U.S. counterparts had.

The schism marks a historic shift in a denomination that was until recently the third largest in the United States, and perhaps the closest to the mainstream of American religious culture — its steeples prominent in rural crossroads and urban squares, scenes of countless potluck suppers, earnest social outreach, and warm yet decorous worship.

Many departing congregations have joined the more conservative&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-gay-rights-f3fc3ec9e1f39501495d227d5a0963f8">Global Methodist Church</a>, with others joining smaller denominations, going independent or still considering their options.

United Methodist rules forbid same-sex marriage rites and the ordination of “self-avowed practicing homosexuals,” but progressive Methodist churches and regional governing bodies in the U.S. have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-gay-rights-marriage-1ed8df15ecbb36700cbe638b29dc6617">increasingly been defying</a>&nbsp;these rules.

Conservatives have mobilized like-minded congregations to exit. The Global Methodist Church has declared its intention to enforce such rules.

“We are sad about losing anybody,” said New York Area Bishop Thomas Bickerton, president of the United Methodists’ Council of Bishops. “There’s also — at the end of the year — grief and trauma, parishioners that have said goodbye to friends, pastors who have had relationships over the years that have ended.”

He depicted the debates in the church as difficult, and said some who urged churches to disaffiliate used “falsehoods."

“This whole disaffiliation process has in large measure not been about human sexuality, it’s been about power, control and money. That’s surprising and disappointing,” Bickerton said. “It’s time for this denomination to pivot” to focusing on mission rather than disaffiliation votes.

The United Methodists reported having 30,543 U.S. churches as of 2019 and 6 million U.S. members as of 2021. It had at least one church in 95% of U.S. counties, more than any other religious group, according to the 2020 Religion Census, produced by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies.

There's no immediate estimate on how many individual members are leaving the UMC, since some members of departing congregations are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-methodists-schism-disaffiliation-lgbtq-44fd14d471124d23e1fd5677a8f2b1d9">joining other UMC churches,</a>&nbsp;but the departing churches include some of the largest in their states. UMC officials are already preparing historic budget cuts to denominational agencies in anticipation of lower revenue from fewer churches.

The UMC also reports having 7 million members overseas as of 2019, the majority in Africa, where more conservative sexual mores are common.

In 2019, a special legislative gathering of Methodists voted to strengthen longstanding bans on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ ordination. The votes came from a coalition of conservatives in the U.S. and overseas, particularly from fast-growing African churches. At the same time, that conference offered a five-year window for U.S. churches to leave under somewhat favorable terms, such as being able to keep their properties while compensating the denomination for certain costs.

That measure was expected to be used by progressive congregations dissenting with the letter of the church law, and a handful did take the church up on its offer. But in the end, the vast majority of departing congregations reflect conservative dismay over what they saw as the denomination's failure to discipline those defying church law, as well as other liberal trends.

In the legislative General Conference, scheduled for April and May in Charlotte, North Carolina, efforts to lift bans on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ ordination are expected to have a strong chance, given the departure of many conservative votes.

The delegates will also consider a decentralization plan favored by progressives — which, among other things, would enable U.S. and overseas churches to set separate standards for ordination and marriage — and another sought by conservatives enabling overseas churches to leave under the same provisions that U.S. churches had.

The Rev. Keith Boyette, who is the Global Methodist Church’s top executive, said it has registered about 4,100 U.S. churches so far — former UMC churches as well as new ones organized by former United Methodists whose congregations voted to stay in the UMC. It has been organizing in other countries where United Methodist churches or individuals left that denomination, he said, such as Bulgaria, Slovakia, Kenya, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It’s unclear how many U.S. churches are going independent, but “the fact that so many churches have aligned indicates their commitment to wanting to be part of a connectional system,” Boyette said.

The Rev. Scott Field, president of the conservative Wesleyan Covenant Association, which has advocated for churches leaving the UMC, said congregations’ experiences varied in regional conferences, depending on what financial and other conditions they have required of churches. “It’s been punitive in some and it’s worked seamlessly in others,” he said.

Under the slogan, “Fair for some, fair for all,” the group will be advocating for overseas churches to have the same option to leave.

Field predicted “an African wave” of churches seeking to leave.

Several African bishops, however, issued a statement in 2022 denouncing efforts to get churches to leave as false and destructive.

Field also predicted many U.S. churches, despite missing the 2023 deadline, may try to exit under other church law provisions.

“We’d like every congregation, whether it’s a liberationist church or a solidly evangelical church, to end up where they’d like to be,” Field said. “It makes no sense for our United Methodist Church to attempt locking the gate.”

Jan Lawrence, executive director of the Reconciling Ministries Network, said the personal toll of the schism is deep.

She knew members of a church that had an acrimonious break after it chose to disaffiliate. “It really broke relationships,” she said.

She expressed hope that the 2024 General Conference will open ordination and marriage rites to LGBTQ persons — realizing a decades-long goal for the network.

“Those churches that are disaffiliating and joining the Global Methodist Church, I hope they find what they’re looking for and they’re able to thrive as a new denomination,” she said. "I don’t know anyone that doesn’t want everybody to live into what they believe God is calling them to do.”

Bickerton said he particularly laments the departure of many churches that are longtime, rural-area fixtures.

“When Methodism came to the United States, it went to where the people were. It was carried in the saddlebags of the circuit riders,” he said.

A return to informal ministry may be needed to maintain a presence in many regions, he said.

“The hallmarks of United Methodism is a theology based on grace, hope, joy, love and justice,” he said. “Where do we send people strategically so that message can be heard?”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702820221196.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>By PETER SMITH&nbsp;KANSAS CITY (AP) —A quarter of U.S. congregations in the United Methodist Church have received permission to leave the denomination during a five-year window, closing this month, that authorized departures for congregations over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-gay-rights-f3fc3ec9e1f39501495d227d5a0963f8">disputes</a>&nbsp;involving the church's LGBTQ-related policies.This year alone, 5,641 congregations received permission from their regional conferences to leave the denomination as of Thursday, according to an unofficial tally by United Methodist News. In total, 7,658 have received permission since 2019. Thursday marked the last scheduled regional vote, according to the news service, when the Texas Annual Conference authorized four congregations’ departures.The vast major are conservative-leaning churches responding to what they see as the United Methodists' failure to enforce bans on same-sex marriage and the ordaining of openly LGBTQ persons.The new year is expected to bring more changes.The first denomination-wide legislative gathering in eight years, slated for spring 2024, will consider&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-gay-rights-marriage-1ed8df15ecbb36700cbe638b29dc6617">calls to liberalize</a>&nbsp;policies on marriage and ordination. It will also debate rival proposals, either to decentralize the international church — which has at least as many members outside the United States as in — or provide overseas congregations with the same exit option their U.S. counterparts had.The schism marks a historic shift in a denomination that was until recently the third largest in the United States, and perhaps the closest to the mainstream of American religious culture — its steeples prominent in rural crossroads and urban squares, scenes of countless potluck suppers, earnest social outreach, and warm yet decorous worship.Many departing congregations have joined the more conservative&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-gay-rights-f3fc3ec9e1f39501495d227d5a0963f8">Global Methodist Church</a>, with others joining smaller denominations, going independent or still considering their options.United Methodist rules forbid same-sex marriage rites and the ordination of “self-avowed practicing homosexuals,” but progressive Methodist churches and regional governing bodies in the U.S. have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-gay-rights-marriage-1ed8df15ecbb36700cbe638b29dc6617">increasingly been defying</a>&nbsp;these rules.Conservatives have mobilized like-minded congregations to exit. The Global Methodist Church has declared its intention to enforce such rules.“We are sad about losing anybody,” said New York Area Bishop Thomas Bickerton, president of the United Methodists’ Council of Bishops. “There’s also — at the end of the year — grief and trauma, parishioners that have said goodbye to friends, pastors who have had relationships over the years that have ended.”He depicted the debates in the church as difficult, and said some who urged churches to disaffiliate used “falsehoods."“This whole disaffiliation process has in large measure not been about human sexuality, it’s been about power, control and money. That’s surprising and disappointing,” Bickerton said. “It’s time for this denomination to pivot” to focusing on mission rather than disaffiliation votes.The United Methodists reported having 30,543 U.S. churches as of 2019 and 6 million U.S. members as of 2021. It had at least one church in 95% of U.S. counties, more than any other religious group, according to the 2020 Religion Census, produced by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies.There's no immediate estimate on how many individual members are leaving the UMC, since some members of departing congregations are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-methodists-schism-disaffiliation-lgbtq-44fd14d471124d23e1fd5677a8f2b1d9">joining other UMC churches,</a>&nbsp;but the departing churches include some of the largest in their states. UMC officials are already preparing historic budget cuts to denominational agencies in anticipation of lower revenue from fewer churches.The UMC also reports having 7 million members overseas as of 2019, the majority in Africa, where more conservative sexual mores are common.In 2019, a special legislative gathering of Methodists voted to strengthen longstanding bans on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ ordination. The votes came from a coalition of conservatives in the U.S. and overseas, particularly from fast-growing African churches. At the same time, that conference offered a five-year window for U.S. churches to leave under somewhat favorable terms, such as being able to keep their properties while compensating the denomination for certain costs.That measure was expected to be used by progressive congregations dissenting with the letter of the church law, and a handful did take the church up on its offer. But in the end, the vast majority of departing congregations reflect conservative dismay over what they saw as the denomination's failure to discipline those defying church law, as well as other liberal trends.In the legislative General Conference, scheduled for April and May in Charlotte, North Carolina, efforts to lift bans on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ ordination are expected to have a strong chance, given the departure of many conservative votes.The delegates will also consider a decentralization plan favored by progressives — which, among other things, would enable U.S. and overseas churches to set separate standards for ordination and marriage — and another sought by conservatives enabling overseas churches to leave under the same provisions that U.S. churches had.The Rev. Keith Boyette, who is the Global Methodist Church’s top executive, said it has registered about 4,100 U.S. churches so far — former UMC churches as well as new ones organized by former United Methodists whose congregations voted to stay in the UMC. It has been organizing in other countries where United Methodist churches or individuals left that denomination, he said, such as Bulgaria, Slovakia, Kenya, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.It’s unclear how many U.S. churches are going independent, but “the fact that so many churches have aligned indicates their commitment to wanting to be part of a connectional system,” Boyette said.The Rev. Scott Field, president of the conservative Wesleyan Covenant Association, which has advocated for churches leaving the UMC, said congregations’ experiences varied in regional conferences, depending on what financial and other conditions they have required of churches. “It’s been punitive in some and it’s worked seamlessly in others,” he said.Under the slogan, “Fair for some, fair for all,” the group will be advocating for overseas churches to have the same option to leave.Field predicted “an African wave” of churches seeking to leave.Several African bishops, however, issued a statement in 2022 denouncing efforts to get churches to leave as false and destructive.Field also predicted many U.S. churches, despite missing the 2023 deadline, may try to exit under other church law provisions.“We’d like every congregation, whether it’s a liberationist church or a solidly evangelical church, to end up where they’d like to be,” Field said. “It makes no sense for our United Methodist Church to attempt locking the gate.”Jan Lawrence, executive director of the Reconciling Ministries Network, said the personal toll of the schism is deep.She knew members of a church that had an acrimonious break after it chose to disaffiliate. “It really broke relationships,” she said.She expressed hope that the 2024 General Conference will open ordination and marriage rites to LGBTQ persons — realizing a decades-long goal for the network.“Those churches that are disaffiliating and joining the Global Methodist Church, I hope they find what they’re looking for and they’re able to thrive as a new denomination,” she said. "I don’t know anyone that doesn’t want everybody to live into what they believe God is calling them to do.”Bickerton said he particularly laments the departure of many churches that are longtime, rural-area fixtures.“When Methodism came to the United States, it went to where the people were. It was carried in the saddlebags of the circuit riders,” he said.A return to informal ministry may be needed to maintain a presence in many regions, he said.“The hallmarks of United Methodism is a theology based on grace, hope, joy, love and justice,” he said. “Where do we send people strategically so that message can be heard?”____

Thousands of United Methodist churches in the US quit the denomination

WASHINGTON (AP) — When you buy eyedrops at a U.S. store, you might assume you're getting a product made in a clean, well-maintained factory that’s passed muster with health regulators.

But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eyedrops-recall-fda-infection-cvs-rite-aid-a9471104de34efd152137d3fdba9c260">repeated recalls</a>&nbsp;involving over-the-counter drops are drawing new attention to just how little U.S. officials know about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eyedrops-recall-fda-warning-india-11624105e31a68102d414594c85766f0">conditions</a>&nbsp;at some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1edfda229b11bf9f9181ff6a1271a6bc">manufacturing plants</a>&nbsp;on the other side of the world — and the limited tools they have to intervene when there's a problem.

The Food and Drug Administration is asking Congress for new powers, including the ability to mandate drug recalls and require eyedrop makers to undergo inspections before shipping products to the U.S. But experts say those capabilities will do little without more staff and resources for foreign inspections, which were a challenge even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced regulators to skip thousands of visits.

“The FDA is not getting its job done in terms of drug quality assurance inspections abroad,” said David Ridley of Duke University and co-author of a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.00686">recent paper</a>&nbsp;tracking the downturn in inspections. “Very few foreign drugmakers have been inspected in the past four years.”

In 2022, FDA foreign inspections were down 79% from 2019, according to agency records collected by Ridley's group. Inspections increased this year but are still far below pre-pandemic levels.

FDA spokesman Jeremy Kahn said: “The FDA works to inspect as many facilities possible, but ultimately industry is responsible for the quality of their products."

An October recall of two dozen eyedrop brands came after FDA staff found cracked floors, barefoot workers and other unsanitary conditions at a Mumbai plant that supplied products to CVS, Walmart and other major retailers. It was the first time FDA staff had visited the site.

That inspection was prompted by an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-business-health-4572be6da44f4fab4e0f691f5e37e3ed">earlier recall</a>&nbsp;of tainted eyedrops from a different Indian plant that's been linked to four&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eyedrops-recall-ezicare-delsam-outbreak-2a0f0cc1273cc71b122702e6180492ca">deaths</a>&nbsp;and more than a dozen cases of vision loss. That&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eyedrops-infection-outbreak-fda-1e266befa854dc7c0ce65def0da9a0bc">plant</a>&nbsp;had also never been previously inspected.

“These are very rare instances, but what we’ve seen is that these products can cause real harm,” said Dr. Timothy Janetos, an ophthalmologist at Northwestern University. “Something needs to change.”

Prescription medicines are highly regulated. Before a drugmaker can sell one in the U.S., it must undergo FDA review to establish its safety and effectiveness. As part of the process, the FDA typically inspects the factory where the drug will be made.

But eyedrops and other over-the-counter products don’t undergo preliminary review or inspections. Instead, they are governed by a different system called a monograph, essentially a generic recipe for all medicines in a particular class. So long as drugmakers attest that they are using the standard recipe, they can launch a product within days of filing with the FDA.

“It’s nothing more than electronic paperwork,” said Dr. Sandra Brown of the Dry Eye Foundation, a nonprofit advocating for increased regulation. “There’s no requirement for the facility to be inspected prior to shipping for sale.”

The FDA says it has flexibility to adjust its review process “to ensure safety."

But the agency is asking Congress for the power to require manufacturers of eyedrops and other sterile products to give at least six months notice before shipping products from a new factory. That would give inspectors time to visit facilities that aren’t on their radar.

The proposal could face pushback from some over-the-counter drugmakers, who aren’t accustomed to preapproval inspections.

But Brown says the unique risks of tainted eyedrops require a different approach from pills and tablets.

“Anything you swallow is going to meet up with your stomach acid, which is going to kill most bacteria," Brown said. “It’s much more dangerous to put a product in your eye.”

The FDA&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-warns-consumers-not-purchase-or-use-certain-eye-drops-several-major-brands-due-risk-eye">warned consumers</a>&nbsp;in late October not to use the eyedrops sold at CVS, Rite-Aid and other stores. But the products weren’t officially recalled until Nov. 15, almost three weeks later.

That's because Indian manufacturer,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/kilitch-healthcare-india-limited-issues-voluntary-nationwide-recall-various-eye-drops-potential">Kilitch Healthcare</a>, initially declined to cooperate. The FDA can force recalls of food, medical devices and many other products, but it lacks the same authority for drugs and instead must ask companies to voluntarily take action.

The FDA recently asked Congress for mandatory recall authority over drugs.

Since the 1990s, drug manufacturing has increasingly moved to India, China and other lower-cost countries.

The Government Accountability Office has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-103611">raised concerns</a>&nbsp;for years about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/india-china-us-news-medication-health-care-industry-699f56acec5542ffbc4aa95b8ce6a0cf">FDA’s oversight</a>&nbsp;of the global supply chain, flagging it as a&nbsp;<a href="https://files.gao.gov/reports/GAO-23-106203/index.html#appendix26">“high-risk” issue</a>&nbsp;for more than a decade.

The FDA said in a statement it uses “all available tools” to ensure Americans get “high quality, safe and effective” medications.

The agency generally prioritizes factories that have never been inspected or haven’t been inspected in the last five years. It halted most routine, in-person foreign inspections in March 2020 and did not resume them until 2022. The agency didn’t conduct any inspections in India during the first year of COVID-19.

FDA leaders have long said it's challenging to recruit and keep overseas inspectors.

Experts say Congress can and should address that.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When you buy eyedrops at a U.S. store, you might assume you're getting a product made in a clean, well-maintained factory that’s passed muster with health regulators.But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eyedrops-recall-fda-infection-cvs-rite-aid-a9471104de34efd152137d3fdba9c260">repeated recalls</a>&nbsp;involving over-the-counter drops are drawing new attention to just how little U.S. officials know about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eyedrops-recall-fda-warning-india-11624105e31a68102d414594c85766f0">conditions</a>&nbsp;at some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1edfda229b11bf9f9181ff6a1271a6bc">manufacturing plants</a>&nbsp;on the other side of the world — and the limited tools they have to intervene when there's a problem.The Food and Drug Administration is asking Congress for new powers, including the ability to mandate drug recalls and require eyedrop makers to undergo inspections before shipping products to the U.S. But experts say those capabilities will do little without more staff and resources for foreign inspections, which were a challenge even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced regulators to skip thousands of visits.“The FDA is not getting its job done in terms of drug quality assurance inspections abroad,” said David Ridley of Duke University and co-author of a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.00686">recent paper</a>&nbsp;tracking the downturn in inspections. “Very few foreign drugmakers have been inspected in the past four years.”In 2022, FDA foreign inspections were down 79% from 2019, according to agency records collected by Ridley's group. Inspections increased this year but are still far below pre-pandemic levels.FDA spokesman Jeremy Kahn said: “The FDA works to inspect as many facilities possible, but ultimately industry is responsible for the quality of their products."An October recall of two dozen eyedrop brands came after FDA staff found cracked floors, barefoot workers and other unsanitary conditions at a Mumbai plant that supplied products to CVS, Walmart and other major retailers. It was the first time FDA staff had visited the site.That inspection was prompted by an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-business-health-4572be6da44f4fab4e0f691f5e37e3ed">earlier recall</a>&nbsp;of tainted eyedrops from a different Indian plant that's been linked to four&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eyedrops-recall-ezicare-delsam-outbreak-2a0f0cc1273cc71b122702e6180492ca">deaths</a>&nbsp;and more than a dozen cases of vision loss. That&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eyedrops-infection-outbreak-fda-1e266befa854dc7c0ce65def0da9a0bc">plant</a>&nbsp;had also never been previously inspected.“These are very rare instances, but what we’ve seen is that these products can cause real harm,” said Dr. Timothy Janetos, an ophthalmologist at Northwestern University. “Something needs to change.”Experts point to three possible changes:EARLIER INSPECTIONSPrescription medicines are highly regulated. Before a drugmaker can sell one in the U.S., it must undergo FDA review to establish its safety and effectiveness. As part of the process, the FDA typically inspects the factory where the drug will be made.But eyedrops and other over-the-counter products don’t undergo preliminary review or inspections. Instead, they are governed by a different system called a monograph, essentially a generic recipe for all medicines in a particular class. So long as drugmakers attest that they are using the standard recipe, they can launch a product within days of filing with the FDA.“It’s nothing more than electronic paperwork,” said Dr. Sandra Brown of the Dry Eye Foundation, a nonprofit advocating for increased regulation. “There’s no requirement for the facility to be inspected prior to shipping for sale.”The FDA says it has flexibility to adjust its review process “to ensure safety."But the agency is asking Congress for the power to require manufacturers of eyedrops and other sterile products to give at least six months notice before shipping products from a new factory. That would give inspectors time to visit facilities that aren’t on their radar.The proposal could face pushback from some over-the-counter drugmakers, who aren’t accustomed to preapproval inspections.But Brown says the unique risks of tainted eyedrops require a different approach from pills and tablets.“Anything you swallow is going to meet up with your stomach acid, which is going to kill most bacteria," Brown said. “It’s much more dangerous to put a product in your eye.”REQUIRING RECALLSThe FDA&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-warns-consumers-not-purchase-or-use-certain-eye-drops-several-major-brands-due-risk-eye">warned consumers</a>&nbsp;in late October not to use the eyedrops sold at CVS, Rite-Aid and other stores. But the products weren’t officially recalled until Nov. 15, almost three weeks later.That's because Indian manufacturer,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/kilitch-healthcare-india-limited-issues-voluntary-nationwide-recall-various-eye-drops-potential">Kilitch Healthcare</a>, initially declined to cooperate. The FDA can force recalls of food, medical devices and many other products, but it lacks the same authority for drugs and instead must ask companies to voluntarily take action.The FDA recently asked Congress for mandatory recall authority over drugs.FUNDING FOREIGN INSPECTORSSince the 1990s, drug manufacturing has increasingly moved to India, China and other lower-cost countries.The Government Accountability Office has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-103611">raised concerns</a>&nbsp;for years about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/india-china-us-news-medication-health-care-industry-699f56acec5542ffbc4aa95b8ce6a0cf">FDA’s oversight</a>&nbsp;of the global supply chain, flagging it as a&nbsp;<a href="https://files.gao.gov/reports/GAO-23-106203/index.html#appendix26">“high-risk” issue</a>&nbsp;for more than a decade.The FDA said in a statement it uses “all available tools” to ensure Americans get “high quality, safe and effective” medications.The agency generally prioritizes factories that have never been inspected or haven’t been inspected in the last five years. It halted most routine, in-person foreign inspections in March 2020 and did not resume them until 2022. The agency didn’t conduct any inspections in India during the first year of COVID-19.FDA leaders have long said it's challenging to recruit and keep overseas inspectors.Experts say Congress can and should address that.

After recalls and infections, experts say safer eyedrops will require new FDA powers

LONDON (AP) — A U.S. warship shot down 14 suspected attack drones over the Red Sea on Saturday, and a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/houthis-shipping-red-sea-navy-israel-6dc5fbff6d28fead5d6ef1224cba5a14">commercial ships,</a>&nbsp;the British and American militaries said.

Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, and have launched drones and missiles targeting Israel, as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;threatens to spread.

U.S. Central Command said that the destroyer USS Carney “successfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems" launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

The drones “were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries,” Central Command tweeted.

U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that HMS Diamond fired a Sea Viper missile and destroyed a drone that was “targeting merchant shipping.” The overnight action is the first time the Royal Navy has shot down an aerial target in anger since the 1991 Gulf War.

Shapps said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-yemen-houthis-attack-ships-f67d941c260528ac40315ecab4c34ca3">attacks on commercial ships</a>&nbsp;in the global trade artery by Yemen’s Houthi rebels “represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security."

“The U.K. remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade,” he said in a statement.

HMS Diamond was sent to the region two weeks ago as a deterrent, joining vessels from the U.S., France and other countries.

Global shipping has become a target during the war between Israel and Hamas, which like the Houthis is backed by Iran.

Houthi rebels said they fired a barrage of drones on Saturday toward the port city of Eilat in southern Israel. The announcement came hours after Egypt’s state-run media reported that Egyptian air defense had shot down a “flying object” off the Egyptian resort town of Dahab on the Red Sea.

Israeli-linked vessels also have been targeted, but the threat to trade has grown as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-ship-attack-houthi-rebels-red-sea-946b40e6393af6216c0b6ef734311be9">container ships and oil tankers</a>&nbsp;flagged to countries like Norway and Liberia have been attacked or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-ship-attacks-us-navy-1727df3d95e548c6e4d20b51f096268f">drawn missile fire</a>&nbsp;while traversing the waterway between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Earlier this month, three commercial ships in the Red Sea were struck by ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen. A U.S. warship shot down three drones during the assault, the U.S. military said.

French container shipping line CMA CGM Group said Saturday it had ordered all its vessels scheduled to pass through the Red Sea to “pause their journey in safe waters with immediate effect until further notice.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702740562018.png" alt="U.S. Carney -photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Carney -photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>LONDON (AP) — A U.S. warship shot down 14 suspected attack drones over the Red Sea on Saturday, and a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/houthis-shipping-red-sea-navy-israel-6dc5fbff6d28fead5d6ef1224cba5a14">commercial ships,</a>&nbsp;the British and American militaries said.Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, and have launched drones and missiles targeting Israel, as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;threatens to spread.U.S. Central Command said that the destroyer USS Carney “successfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems" launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.The drones “were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries,” Central Command tweeted.U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that HMS Diamond fired a Sea Viper missile and destroyed a drone that was “targeting merchant shipping.” The overnight action is the first time the Royal Navy has shot down an aerial target in anger since the 1991 Gulf War.Shapps said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-yemen-houthis-attack-ships-f67d941c260528ac40315ecab4c34ca3">attacks on commercial ships</a>&nbsp;in the global trade artery by Yemen’s Houthi rebels “represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security."“The U.K. remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade,” he said in a statement.HMS Diamond was sent to the region two weeks ago as a deterrent, joining vessels from the U.S., France and other countries.Global shipping has become a target during the war between Israel and Hamas, which like the Houthis is backed by Iran.Houthi rebels said they fired a barrage of drones on Saturday toward the port city of Eilat in southern Israel. The announcement came hours after Egypt’s state-run media reported that Egyptian air defense had shot down a “flying object” off the Egyptian resort town of Dahab on the Red Sea.Israeli-linked vessels also have been targeted, but the threat to trade has grown as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-ship-attack-houthi-rebels-red-sea-946b40e6393af6216c0b6ef734311be9">container ships and oil tankers</a>&nbsp;flagged to countries like Norway and Liberia have been attacked or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-ship-attacks-us-navy-1727df3d95e548c6e4d20b51f096268f">drawn missile fire</a>&nbsp;while traversing the waterway between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.Earlier this month, three commercial ships in the Red Sea were struck by ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen. A U.S. warship shot down three drones during the assault, the U.S. military said.French container shipping line CMA CGM Group said Saturday it had ordered all its vessels scheduled to pass through the Red Sea to “pause their journey in safe waters with immediate effect until further notice.”

Battle of the Red Sea: U.S. warship shot down 14 attack drones 

LINCOLN, NE&nbsp;– Governor Jim Pillen hosted the Missouri River Summit, bringing together governors, representatives of the U.S. Corps of Engineers and other state water experts – for a discussion about water management and related issues as well as steps to mitigate future events.

“The importance of the Missouri River is undisputed. From Great Falls, Montana to St. Louis, Missouri, we rely on it for our agriculture, transportation, hydroelectricity, wildlife habitat and more,” said Gov. Pillen. “We must all work together, and we must act proactively. For those reasons, it is important as states that we continue to have open dialogue with each other and with the U.S. Corps of Engineers.”

Gov. Pillen was joined by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Missouri Governor Mike Parson for the meeting at the Kiewit Luminarium in Omaha.

Collaboration among states was one of the top takeaways in the aftermath of river flooding in 2019. From that effort, work began on the Lower Missouri River Flood Risk and Resiliency Plan – a document that is designed to streamline project planning at the local, state and federal levels.

“Prior to 2019, work through the Corps was primarily reactive to an event,” said Gov. Pillen. “Since then, the focus has shifted to how we can jointly be proactive and stave off a water-related event, before it becomes catastrophic.”

Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NDRC) Director Tom Riley, who also attended the summit, agreed.

“Redefining our process -- by having states work in conjunction with the Corps, has allowed us to move at a pace much faster than we could have without that collaboration,” said Riley. “I think we all agree, we need to have action. This is a much better way to do business and develop solutions that will have a meaningful impact.”

At the summit, Gov. Pillen shared his expectations for managing river flooding and low flows. In December of 2022, ice jams along the Missouri near Omaha impacted utility operations and caused concern for both the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) and the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD). Gov. Pillen challenged the Corps to improve communication, which might allow low flows and subsequent ice jams to be averted. He also called for updating the management plan for winter ice events, which after several decades, is significantly outdated.

In a matter unrelated to Missouri river management, Gov. Pillen complimented members of the Corps for making strides in processing permit applications necessary for dredge and fill projects.

“This has absolved the state for having to assume that responsibility,” said Gov. Pillen. “It is a great example of how improvements by the Corps have reduced those timelines, allowing projects to be completed without unnecessary delays.”

The Corps receives the majority of its management directives from Congress, through the bi-annual Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). The next bill is scheduled for introduction in 2024, and would provide authorizations for flood control studies and project funding, setting and/or removing regulatory limitations, as well as giving direction to various Corps activities across the nation.

LINCOLN, NE&nbsp;– Governor Jim Pillen hosted the Missouri River Summit, bringing together governors, representatives of the U.S. Corps of Engineers and other state water experts – for a discussion about water management and related issues as well as steps to mitigate future events.“The importance of the Missouri River is undisputed. From Great Falls, Montana to St. Louis, Missouri, we rely on it for our agriculture, transportation, hydroelectricity, wildlife habitat and more,” said Gov. Pillen. “We must all work together, and we must act proactively. For those reasons, it is important as states that we continue to have open dialogue with each other and with the U.S. Corps of Engineers.”Gov. Pillen was joined by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Missouri Governor Mike Parson for the meeting at the Kiewit Luminarium in Omaha.Collaboration among states was one of the top takeaways in the aftermath of river flooding in 2019. From that effort, work began on the Lower Missouri River Flood Risk and Resiliency Plan – a document that is designed to streamline project planning at the local, state and federal levels.“Prior to 2019, work through the Corps was primarily reactive to an event,” said Gov. Pillen. “Since then, the focus has shifted to how we can jointly be proactive and stave off a water-related event, before it becomes catastrophic.”Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NDRC) Director Tom Riley, who also attended the summit, agreed.“Redefining our process -- by having states work in conjunction with the Corps, has allowed us to move at a pace much faster than we could have without that collaboration,” said Riley. “I think we all agree, we need to have action. This is a much better way to do business and develop solutions that will have a meaningful impact.”At the summit, Gov. Pillen shared his expectations for managing river flooding and low flows. In December of 2022, ice jams along the Missouri near Omaha impacted utility operations and caused concern for both the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) and the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD). Gov. Pillen challenged the Corps to improve communication, which might allow low flows and subsequent ice jams to be averted. He also called for updating the management plan for winter ice events, which after several decades, is significantly outdated.In a matter unrelated to Missouri river management, Gov. Pillen complimented members of the Corps for making strides in processing permit applications necessary for dredge and fill projects.“This has absolved the state for having to assume that responsibility,” said Gov. Pillen. “It is a great example of how improvements by the Corps have reduced those timelines, allowing projects to be completed without unnecessary delays.”The Corps receives the majority of its management directives from Congress, through the bi-annual Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). The next bill is scheduled for introduction in 2024, and would provide authorizations for flood control studies and project funding, setting and/or removing regulatory limitations, as well as giving direction to various Corps activities across the nation.

Gov. Pillen Brings Together Governors and Corps for Missouri River Summit 

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels slammed into a cargo ship Friday in the Red Sea near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, following another attack only hours earlier that struck a separate vessel, authorities said.

The missile attack on the MSC Palatium III and the earlier assault on the Al Jasrah&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-ship-attack-missile-israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip-b2478db9aaad81ca447e6a393480f9a8">escalate a maritime campaign</a>&nbsp;by the Iranian-backed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">Houthis</a>. The attacks also endanger ships traveling through a vital corridor for cargo and energy shipments for both Europe and Asia from the Suez Canal out to the Indian Ocean.

The Houthis say their attacks aim to end the pounding Israeli air-and-ground offensive targeting the Gaza Strip amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-12-14-2023-a9d904ed51ea5cfa98966c8f203cbc45">that country's war on Hamas</a>. However, the links to the ships targeted in the rebel assaults have grown more tenuous as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-yemen-houthis-attack-ships-f67d941c260528ac40315ecab4c34ca3">the attacks continue</a>.

“The Yemeni armed forces confirm they will continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports from navigating in the (Red Sea) until they bring in the food and medicine that our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip need,” the Houthi military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said in a statement claiming responsibility for Friday's attacks.

Meanwhile, hijackers, likely from Somalia, separately seized a Bulgarian ship in the Arabian Sea.

A U.S. defense official and the private intelligence firm Ambrey said the MSC Palatium III, a Liberian-flagged container ship, caught fire after the strike.&nbsp;

Two missiles were fired in the attack, likely trying to hit the Al Jasrah, the U.S. official said. One went wide and splashed down in the water, the other slammed into the Palatium, the official said.

The Palatium turned around after the attack and was now trying to head south, tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed.

The Switzerland-based MSC, or Mediterranean Shipping Co., earlier had another vessel, the MSC Alanya, warned by the Houthis around the Bab el-Mandeb, Ambrey said. “The parent company had cooperated with Israel, and this was likely the reason why she was threatened.”

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters. MSC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the earlier Al Jasrah attack, it remained unclear if it was a missile or drone that hit the vessel, the official said. Ambrey and the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which monitors Mideast shipping lanes, also confirmed that attack.

“The projectile reportedly hit the port side of the vessel and one container fell overboard due to the impact,” Ambrey said. “The projectile caused a ‘fire on deck’ which was broadcast via” radio.

The Al Jasrah is operated by German-based shipper Hapag-Lloyd, which said no crew member had been hurt in the attack.

“Hapag-Lloyd will take additional measures to secure the safety of our crews,” the company said, without elaborating.

Ambrey noted that Hapag-Lloyd “is known to have offices in the Israeli ports of Ashdod, Haifa and Tel Aviv.”

In his statement, military spokesman Saree claimed the Houthis targeted the Palatium III and the Alanya — not the Al Jasrah. It wasn't immediately clear why he erroneously identified the second ship.

The attacks Friday further escalate a campaign by the Houthi rebels, who have claimed responsibility for a series of missile assaults in recent days that just missed shipping in the Red Sea and its strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

On Thursday, the Houthis fired a ballistic missile that missed a container ship traveling through the strait.

The day before that, two missiles fired from Houthi-held territory&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-ship-attacks-us-navy-1727df3d95e548c6e4d20b51f096268f">missed a commercial tanker loaded with Indian-manufactured jet fuel</a>&nbsp;near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Also near the strait, a missile fired by Houthis on Monday night slammed into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-ship-attack-houthi-rebels-red-sea-946b40e6393af6216c0b6ef734311be9">a Norwegian-flagged tanker in the Red Sea</a>.

Global shipping has increasingly been targeted as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to become a wider regional conflict — even during a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-ceasefire-what-to-know-af1cfbc9dcaa1485ed7a9efaca7ec2b7">brief pause in fighting</a>&nbsp;during which Hamas exchanged hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The collapse of the truce has raised the risk of more sea attacks.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is only 29 kilometers (18 miles) wide at its narrowest point, limiting traffic to two channels for inbound and outbound shipments, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Nearly 10% of all oil traded at sea passes through it. An estimated $1 trillion in goods pass through the strait annually.

In November, Houthis&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-red-sea-ship-yemen-houthis-65b611ff878a411900037e7c9a8ee17b">seized a vehicle transport ship</a>&nbsp;linked to Israel in the Red Sea off Yemen. The rebels still hold the vessel near the port city of Hodeida. Separately, a container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-ship-drone-attack-symi-39929cae42a191b2f242896a053123a7">came under attack</a>&nbsp;by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean.

A separate, tentative cease-fire between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition fighting on behalf of Yemen’s exiled government has held for months despite that country’s long war. That’s raised concerns that any wider conflict in the sea — or a potential reprisal strike from Western forces — could reignite those tensions in the Arab world’s poorest nation.

Also Thursday, unknown attackers boarded the Malta-flagged bulk carrier Ruen, managed by Navigation Maritime Bulgare, in the Arabian Sea off the Yemeni island of Socotra, Ambrey and the UKMTO said. Bulgarian authorities said the ship’s 18-member crew hailed from Angola, Bulgaria and Myanmar.

“The necessary steps have been taken to pass the information on to all foreign partners and institutions that we will count on to provide assistance,” Bulgarian Foreign Minister Maria Gabriel told reporters Friday.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the assault. However, suspicion immediately fell on pirates from Somalia. Somali piracy had dropped in recent years, but there has been growing concern it could resume amid the wider chaos of the Houthi attacks and the political uncertainty gripping the east African nation.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels slammed into a cargo ship Friday in the Red Sea near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, following another attack only hours earlier that struck a separate vessel, authorities said.The missile attack on the MSC Palatium III and the earlier assault on the Al Jasrah&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-ship-attack-missile-israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip-b2478db9aaad81ca447e6a393480f9a8">escalate a maritime campaign</a>&nbsp;by the Iranian-backed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">Houthis</a>. The attacks also endanger ships traveling through a vital corridor for cargo and energy shipments for both Europe and Asia from the Suez Canal out to the Indian Ocean.The Houthis say their attacks aim to end the pounding Israeli air-and-ground offensive targeting the Gaza Strip amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-12-14-2023-a9d904ed51ea5cfa98966c8f203cbc45">that country's war on Hamas</a>. However, the links to the ships targeted in the rebel assaults have grown more tenuous as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-yemen-houthis-attack-ships-f67d941c260528ac40315ecab4c34ca3">the attacks continue</a>.“The Yemeni armed forces confirm they will continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports from navigating in the (Red Sea) until they bring in the food and medicine that our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip need,” the Houthi military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said in a statement claiming responsibility for Friday's attacks.Meanwhile, hijackers, likely from Somalia, separately seized a Bulgarian ship in the Arabian Sea.A U.S. defense official and the private intelligence firm Ambrey said the MSC Palatium III, a Liberian-flagged container ship, caught fire after the strike.&nbsp;Two missiles were fired in the attack, likely trying to hit the Al Jasrah, the U.S. official said. One went wide and splashed down in the water, the other slammed into the Palatium, the official said.The Palatium turned around after the attack and was now trying to head south, tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed.The Switzerland-based MSC, or Mediterranean Shipping Co., earlier had another vessel, the MSC Alanya, warned by the Houthis around the Bab el-Mandeb, Ambrey said. “The parent company had cooperated with Israel, and this was likely the reason why she was threatened.”The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters. MSC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.In the earlier Al Jasrah attack, it remained unclear if it was a missile or drone that hit the vessel, the official said. Ambrey and the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which monitors Mideast shipping lanes, also confirmed that attack.“The projectile reportedly hit the port side of the vessel and one container fell overboard due to the impact,” Ambrey said. “The projectile caused a ‘fire on deck’ which was broadcast via” radio.The Al Jasrah is operated by German-based shipper Hapag-Lloyd, which said no crew member had been hurt in the attack.“Hapag-Lloyd will take additional measures to secure the safety of our crews,” the company said, without elaborating.Ambrey noted that Hapag-Lloyd “is known to have offices in the Israeli ports of Ashdod, Haifa and Tel Aviv.”In his statement, military spokesman Saree claimed the Houthis targeted the Palatium III and the Alanya — not the Al Jasrah. It wasn't immediately clear why he erroneously identified the second ship.The attacks Friday further escalate a campaign by the Houthi rebels, who have claimed responsibility for a series of missile assaults in recent days that just missed shipping in the Red Sea and its strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.On Thursday, the Houthis fired a ballistic missile that missed a container ship traveling through the strait.The day before that, two missiles fired from Houthi-held territory&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-ship-attacks-us-navy-1727df3d95e548c6e4d20b51f096268f">missed a commercial tanker loaded with Indian-manufactured jet fuel</a>&nbsp;near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Also near the strait, a missile fired by Houthis on Monday night slammed into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-ship-attack-houthi-rebels-red-sea-946b40e6393af6216c0b6ef734311be9">a Norwegian-flagged tanker in the Red Sea</a>.Global shipping has increasingly been targeted as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to become a wider regional conflict — even during a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-ceasefire-what-to-know-af1cfbc9dcaa1485ed7a9efaca7ec2b7">brief pause in fighting</a>&nbsp;during which Hamas exchanged hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The collapse of the truce has raised the risk of more sea attacks.The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is only 29 kilometers (18 miles) wide at its narrowest point, limiting traffic to two channels for inbound and outbound shipments, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Nearly 10% of all oil traded at sea passes through it. An estimated $1 trillion in goods pass through the strait annually.In November, Houthis&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-red-sea-ship-yemen-houthis-65b611ff878a411900037e7c9a8ee17b">seized a vehicle transport ship</a>&nbsp;linked to Israel in the Red Sea off Yemen. The rebels still hold the vessel near the port city of Hodeida. Separately, a container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-ship-drone-attack-symi-39929cae42a191b2f242896a053123a7">came under attack</a>&nbsp;by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean.A separate, tentative cease-fire between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition fighting on behalf of Yemen’s exiled government has held for months despite that country’s long war. That’s raised concerns that any wider conflict in the sea — or a potential reprisal strike from Western forces — could reignite those tensions in the Arab world’s poorest nation.Also Thursday, unknown attackers boarded the Malta-flagged bulk carrier Ruen, managed by Navigation Maritime Bulgare, in the Arabian Sea off the Yemeni island of Socotra, Ambrey and the UKMTO said. Bulgarian authorities said the ship’s 18-member crew hailed from Angola, Bulgaria and Myanmar.“The necessary steps have been taken to pass the information on to all foreign partners and institutions that we will count on to provide assistance,” Bulgarian Foreign Minister Maria Gabriel told reporters Friday.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the assault. However, suspicion immediately fell on pirates from Somalia. Somali piracy had dropped in recent years, but there has been growing concern it could resume amid the wider chaos of the Houthi attacks and the political uncertainty gripping the east African nation.

U.S. warships monitor more ballistic missile attacks in Red Sea

LOS ANGELES (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/matthew-perry-dead-drowning-friends-f2963e83691d2bd2a8626d85a69c73cb">Matthew Perry</a>&nbsp;died from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, according to the results of an autopsy on the 54-year-old “Friends” actor released Friday.

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said in the autopsy report that Perry also drowned in “the heated end of his pool,” but that it was a secondary factor in his Oct. 28 death, deemed an accident.

The report says coronary artery disease and buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid use disorder, also contributed.

Perry was declared dead after being found unresponsive at his home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. Investigators performed the autopsy the following day.

The actor had taken drugs in the past but had been “reportedly clean for 19 months," according to the report. The coroner said he was reported to have been having ketamine infusion therapy to deal with depression and anxiety, and his last treatment was 1 1/2 weeks before his death.

Perry had played pickleball earlier in the day, the report says, and his assistant, who lives with him, found him face down in the pool after returning from errands.

The assistant told investigators Perry had not been sick, had not made any health complaints, and had not shown evidence of recent alcohol or drug use.

Perry was open about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/matthew-perry-foundation-death-addiction-aa74b3e424c652a4325166231057ecd4">discussing his struggles with addiction</a>&nbsp;dating back to his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/matthew-perry-china-friends-fandom-0876bc8bf20b613c336d8c684eb5524f">time on “Friends”</a>&nbsp;in the 1990s.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698541233773.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/matthew-perry-dead-drowning-friends-f2963e83691d2bd2a8626d85a69c73cb">Matthew Perry</a>&nbsp;died from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, according to the results of an autopsy on the 54-year-old “Friends” actor released Friday.The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said in the autopsy report that Perry also drowned in “the heated end of his pool,” but that it was a secondary factor in his Oct. 28 death, deemed an accident.The report says coronary artery disease and buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid use disorder, also contributed.Perry was declared dead after being found unresponsive at his home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. Investigators performed the autopsy the following day.The actor had taken drugs in the past but had been “reportedly clean for 19 months," according to the report. The coroner said he was reported to have been having ketamine infusion therapy to deal with depression and anxiety, and his last treatment was 1 1/2 weeks before his death.Perry had played pickleball earlier in the day, the report says, and his assistant, who lives with him, found him face down in the pool after returning from errands.The assistant told investigators Perry had not been sick, had not made any health complaints, and had not shown evidence of recent alcohol or drug use.Perry was open about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/matthew-perry-foundation-death-addiction-aa74b3e424c652a4325166231057ecd4">discussing his struggles with addiction</a>&nbsp;dating back to his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/matthew-perry-china-friends-fandom-0876bc8bf20b613c336d8c684eb5524f">time on “Friends”</a>&nbsp;in the 1990s.

Medical examiner reports cause of death for Matthew Perry

WASHINGTON (AP) — A jury awarded $148 million in damages on Friday to two former Georgia election workers who sued&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/giuliani-trump-election-indictments-georgia-eb2ff2ca7a94f9f80e95e897584c8e7d">Rudy Giuliani</a>, the former New York mayor, who was one referred to as 'America's Mayor,&nbsp;for defamation over lies he spread about them in 2020 that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rudy-giuliani-georgia-election-workers-defamation-trial-0151222465923e9dcad489adb7661f0a">upended their lives</a>&nbsp;with racist threats and harassment.

The damages verdict follows emotional testimony from Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, who tearfully described becoming the target of a false conspiracy theory pushed by Giuliani and other Republicans as they tried to keep then-President Donald Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election.

Giuliani&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/giuliani-georgia-election-workers-defamation-lawsuit-9b561a195fb74d991abc89d1b6587d66">had already been found liable</a>&nbsp;in the case and previously&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/giuliani-georgia-election-workers-lawsuit-false-statements-afc64a565ee778c6914a1a69dc756064">conceded in court documents</a>&nbsp;that he falsely accused the women of ballot fraud. Even so, the former New York City mayor continued to repeat his baseless allegations about the women in comments to reporters outside the Washington, D.C., courthouse this week.

Giuliani’s lawyer acknowledged that his client was wrong but insisted that Giuliani was not fully responsible for the vitriol the women faced. The defense sought to largely pin the blame on a right-wing website that published the surveillance video of the two women counting ballots.

The judgment adds to growing financial and legal peril for Giuliani, who was among the loudest proponents of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">Trump’s false claims</a>&nbsp;of election fraud that are now a key part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/index.html">criminal cases against the former president</a>.

Giuliani had already been showing signs of financial strain as he defends himself against costly lawsuits and investigations stemming from his representation of Trump. His lawyer suggested that the defamation case could financially ruin the former mayor, saying “it would be the end of Mr. Giuliani.”

And Giuliani is still facing his biggest test yet: fighting criminal charges in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-indictment-arraignment-trump-giuliani-c5abbd260f44947a1c01211136108bfe">the Georgia case</a>&nbsp;accusing Trump and 18 others of working to subvert the results of the 2020 election, won by Democrat Joe Biden, in that state. Giuliani has pleaded not guilty and characterized the case as politically motivated.

Jurors in the defamation case heard recordings of Giuliani falsely accusing the election workers of sneaking in ballots in suitcases, counting ballots multiple times and tampering with voting machines. Trump also repeated the conspiracy theories through his social media accounts. Lawyers for Moss and Freeman, who are Black, also played for jurors&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/giuliani-georgia-election-workers-moss-freeman-defamation-19fbeae3f5231654b4625787a78419e0">audio recordings of the graphic and racist threats</a>&nbsp;the women received.

The women’s lawyers asked for at least $24 million for each woman in defamation damages alone. They also sought compensation for their emotional harm and punitive damages.

On the witness stand, Moss and Freeman described fearing for their lives as hateful messages poured in. Moss told jurors she tried to change her appearance, seldom leaves her home and suffers from panic attacks. Her mother described strangers banging on her door and recounted fleeing her home after people came with bullhorns and the FBI told her she wasn’t safe.

“It’s so scary, anytime I go somewhere, if I have to use my name,” Freeman said, gasping through her tears to get her words out. “I miss my old neighborhood because I was me, I could introduce myself. Now I don’t have a name, really.”

Defense attorney Joseph Sibley told jurors they should compensate the women for what they are owed, but he urged them to “remember this is a great man.”

An attorney for Moss and Freeman, in his closing argument, highlighted how Giuliani has not stopped repeating the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rudy-giuliani-georgia-election-workers-defamation-trial-0151222465923e9dcad489adb7661f0a">false conspiracy theory</a>&nbsp;asserting the workers interfered in the November 2020 presidential election. Attorney Michael Gottlieb played a video of Giuliani outside the courthouse on Monday, in which Giuliani falsely claimed the women were “engaged in changing votes.”

“Mr. Giuliani has shown over and over again he will not take our client’s names out of his mouth,” Gottlieb said. “Facts will not stop him. He says he isn’t sorry and he’s telegraphing he will do this again. Believe him.”

The judge overseeing the election workers’ lawsuit had already ordered Giuliani and his business entities to pay tens of thousands of dollars in attorneys’ fees. In holding Giuliani liable, the judge ruled that the former mayor gave “only lip service” to complying with his legal obligations while trying to portray himself as the victim in the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692827609455.png" alt="Giuliani photo Fulton County" />
 <figcaption>Giuliani photo Fulton County</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A jury awarded $148 million in damages on Friday to two former Georgia election workers who sued&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/giuliani-trump-election-indictments-georgia-eb2ff2ca7a94f9f80e95e897584c8e7d">Rudy Giuliani</a>, the former New York mayor, who was one referred to as 'America's Mayor,&nbsp;for defamation over lies he spread about them in 2020 that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rudy-giuliani-georgia-election-workers-defamation-trial-0151222465923e9dcad489adb7661f0a">upended their lives</a>&nbsp;with racist threats and harassment.The damages verdict follows emotional testimony from Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, who tearfully described becoming the target of a false conspiracy theory pushed by Giuliani and other Republicans as they tried to keep then-President Donald Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election.Giuliani&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/giuliani-georgia-election-workers-defamation-lawsuit-9b561a195fb74d991abc89d1b6587d66">had already been found liable</a>&nbsp;in the case and previously&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/giuliani-georgia-election-workers-lawsuit-false-statements-afc64a565ee778c6914a1a69dc756064">conceded in court documents</a>&nbsp;that he falsely accused the women of ballot fraud. Even so, the former New York City mayor continued to repeat his baseless allegations about the women in comments to reporters outside the Washington, D.C., courthouse this week.Giuliani’s lawyer acknowledged that his client was wrong but insisted that Giuliani was not fully responsible for the vitriol the women faced. The defense sought to largely pin the blame on a right-wing website that published the surveillance video of the two women counting ballots.The judgment adds to growing financial and legal peril for Giuliani, who was among the loudest proponents of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">Trump’s false claims</a>&nbsp;of election fraud that are now a key part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/index.html">criminal cases against the former president</a>.Giuliani had already been showing signs of financial strain as he defends himself against costly lawsuits and investigations stemming from his representation of Trump. His lawyer suggested that the defamation case could financially ruin the former mayor, saying “it would be the end of Mr. Giuliani.”And Giuliani is still facing his biggest test yet: fighting criminal charges in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-indictment-arraignment-trump-giuliani-c5abbd260f44947a1c01211136108bfe">the Georgia case</a>&nbsp;accusing Trump and 18 others of working to subvert the results of the 2020 election, won by Democrat Joe Biden, in that state. Giuliani has pleaded not guilty and characterized the case as politically motivated.Jurors in the defamation case heard recordings of Giuliani falsely accusing the election workers of sneaking in ballots in suitcases, counting ballots multiple times and tampering with voting machines. Trump also repeated the conspiracy theories through his social media accounts. Lawyers for Moss and Freeman, who are Black, also played for jurors&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/giuliani-georgia-election-workers-moss-freeman-defamation-19fbeae3f5231654b4625787a78419e0">audio recordings of the graphic and racist threats</a>&nbsp;the women received.The women’s lawyers asked for at least $24 million for each woman in defamation damages alone. They also sought compensation for their emotional harm and punitive damages.On the witness stand, Moss and Freeman described fearing for their lives as hateful messages poured in. Moss told jurors she tried to change her appearance, seldom leaves her home and suffers from panic attacks. Her mother described strangers banging on her door and recounted fleeing her home after people came with bullhorns and the FBI told her she wasn’t safe.“It’s so scary, anytime I go somewhere, if I have to use my name,” Freeman said, gasping through her tears to get her words out. “I miss my old neighborhood because I was me, I could introduce myself. Now I don’t have a name, really.”Defense attorney Joseph Sibley told jurors they should compensate the women for what they are owed, but he urged them to “remember this is a great man.”An attorney for Moss and Freeman, in his closing argument, highlighted how Giuliani has not stopped repeating the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rudy-giuliani-georgia-election-workers-defamation-trial-0151222465923e9dcad489adb7661f0a">false conspiracy theory</a>&nbsp;asserting the workers interfered in the November 2020 presidential election. Attorney Michael Gottlieb played a video of Giuliani outside the courthouse on Monday, in which Giuliani falsely claimed the women were “engaged in changing votes.”“Mr. Giuliani has shown over and over again he will not take our client’s names out of his mouth,” Gottlieb said. “Facts will not stop him. He says he isn’t sorry and he’s telegraphing he will do this again. Believe him.”The judge overseeing the election workers’ lawsuit had already ordered Giuliani and his business entities to pay tens of thousands of dollars in attorneys’ fees. In holding Giuliani liable, the judge ruled that the former mayor gave “only lip service” to complying with his legal obligations while trying to portray himself as the victim in the case.___

'America's Mayor' ordered to pay $148M to election workers he defamed

JERUSALEM (AP)—The Israeli military on Friday mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages during its ground operation in the Gaza Strip, military officials said.

The army’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Israeli troops found the hostages and erroneously identified them as a threat. He said it was not clear if they had escaped their captors or been abandoned.

The deaths occurred in the Gaza City area of Shijaiyah, where troops have engaged in fierce battles against Hamas militants in recent days. He said the army expressed “deep sorrow” and was investigating.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian president was set to meet Friday with U.S. officials to discuss postwar arrangements for Gaza that could include reactivating Palestinian security forces driven out by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hamas-gaza-palestinian-authority-israel-war-ed7018dbaae09b81513daf3bda38109a">Hamas</a>&nbsp;in its 2007 takeover of the territory.

Any role for Palestinian security forces in Gaza is bound to elicit strong opposition from Israel, which seeks to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-overall-security-responsibility-gaza-b86055806b733f41b6d7b4e2f0974985">maintain an open-ended security presence</a>&nbsp;there. The Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank but is deeply unpopular with Palestinians.

While Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it wipes out Gaza's Hamas rulers, the international call for a cease-fire has grown in volume. Israel has drawn international outrage and rare&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-israel-hamas-oct-7-44c4229d4c1270d9cfa484b664a22071">criticism from the U.S.</a>&nbsp;— its main ally — over the killing of civilians.

More than 18,700 Palestinians have been killed since Israel declared war on Hamas, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Health Ministry in Gaza</a>, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. Israel says 116 of its soldiers have died in its ground offensive after Hamas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-attack-military-war-a8f63b07641212f0de61861844e5e71e">raided southern Israel</a>&nbsp;on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and taking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hostages-gaza-b6ffc286ca7d4b48caaada43e9c6e411">about 240 hostages</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701204582165.png" alt="File photo Israeli soldiers look at photos of people killed and taken captive by Hamas militants during their violent rampage through the Nova music festival in southern Israel, which are displayed at the site of the event(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)" />
 <figcaption>File photo Israeli soldiers look at photos of people killed and taken captive by Hamas militants during their violent rampage through the Nova music festival in southern Israel, which are displayed at the site of the event(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)</figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM (AP)—The Israeli military on Friday mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages during its ground operation in the Gaza Strip, military officials said.The army’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Israeli troops found the hostages and erroneously identified them as a threat. He said it was not clear if they had escaped their captors or been abandoned.The deaths occurred in the Gaza City area of Shijaiyah, where troops have engaged in fierce battles against Hamas militants in recent days. He said the army expressed “deep sorrow” and was investigating.Meanwhile, the Palestinian president was set to meet Friday with U.S. officials to discuss postwar arrangements for Gaza that could include reactivating Palestinian security forces driven out by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hamas-gaza-palestinian-authority-israel-war-ed7018dbaae09b81513daf3bda38109a">Hamas</a>&nbsp;in its 2007 takeover of the territory.Any role for Palestinian security forces in Gaza is bound to elicit strong opposition from Israel, which seeks to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-overall-security-responsibility-gaza-b86055806b733f41b6d7b4e2f0974985">maintain an open-ended security presence</a>&nbsp;there. The Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank but is deeply unpopular with Palestinians.While Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it wipes out Gaza's Hamas rulers, the international call for a cease-fire has grown in volume. Israel has drawn international outrage and rare&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-israel-hamas-oct-7-44c4229d4c1270d9cfa484b664a22071">criticism from the U.S.</a>&nbsp;— its main ally — over the killing of civilians.More than 18,700 Palestinians have been killed since Israel declared war on Hamas, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Health Ministry in Gaza</a>, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. Israel says 116 of its soldiers have died in its ground offensive after Hamas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-attack-military-war-a8f63b07641212f0de61861844e5e71e">raided southern Israel</a>&nbsp;on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and taking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hostages-gaza-b6ffc286ca7d4b48caaada43e9c6e411">about 240 hostages</a>.----------

Israeli military: 3 hostages mistakenly killed in Gaza

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/state-auditor-slams-riverboat-gamble-with-defunct-red-way-airline-saying-the-deal-clearly-violated-law-drained-700000-in-taxpayer-funds/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — State Auditor Mike Foley, in a forensic audit released Thursday, slammed a “riverboat gamble” Lincoln officials made with the now-defunct Red Way Airlines, saying it cost local taxpayers $700,000 and that ticket holders still haven’t been reimbursed for cancelled flights.

The Lincoln Airport Authority had contracted with Red Way to provide new destinations from the Lincoln Airport, pledging, with approval of the Lincoln City Council and Lancaster County Board, $3 million in pandemic-related, federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for the venture.

But the Colorado-based startup shut down in August after only three months of operation, after flights drew far fewer passengers than projected, despite offering one-way tickets for as little as $9.

Foley, in an<a target="_blank" href="https://auditors.nebraska.gov/APA_Reports/2023/OE550201-12142023-December_14_2023_Lincoln_Airport_Authority_Letter.pdf">&nbsp;84-page report</a>&nbsp;to the Airport Authority, said that Red Way “clearly violated” federal regulations by draining a $1.5 million escrow account intended to repay customers for tickets purchased on flights that were cancelled.

The audit also estimated that, despite earlier news reports, Red Way probably still owes jilted customers more than $100,000.

Overall, Foley said that the Lincoln Airport Authority provided more than $700,000 in local public funds under its control to assist Red Way, as well as waiving tens of thousands of dollars in fees that the airline would have been obligated to pay.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“In the final analysis, Red Way was a failed riverboat gamble bankrolled by taxpayers,” the auditor said in a press release.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Had the Red Way business plan been prepared for the eyes of a reputable commercial bank lender, its proponents would not have gotten past the junior teller,” Foley added. “The cavalier treatment of government funds as monopoly money paved the way for the plan to be sold as a worthy risk to elected officials, who accepted it with few questions asked.”

In September, the Lincoln Airport Authority told&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://journalstar.com/news/local/business/inside-look-at-red-way-airlines-failure/article_5a9fb522-4814-11ee-9dc2-976ab4feea49.html">the Lincoln Journal-Star</a>&nbsp;that the Red Way deal was a risk, to expand service at the airport, that didn’t work out. Officials there set up an interview with the Examiner later Thursday.

Calls and an email to Red Way CEO Nick Wangler were not immediately returned on Thursday afternoon. Wangler formed Fly Next LLC, of which Red Way was its trade name, in February.

Initially, Red Way offered flights to Orlando, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Atlanta, Georgia; Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin, Texas; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; and Nashville, Tennessee.

Instead of owning its own aircraft, Red Way leased planes from an Florida company, Global Crossing. According to the audit, Red Way paid that firm $4.3 million by September 12.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702589121988.jpeg" alt=" The Lincoln Airport’s “Red Way Airlines” is the subject of a state audity. Red Way shut down Aug. 31 after just three months of service. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> The Lincoln Airport’s “Red Way Airlines” is the subject of a state audity. Red Way shut down Aug. 31 after just three months of service. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Paul Hammel<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/state-auditor-slams-riverboat-gamble-with-defunct-red-way-airline-saying-the-deal-clearly-violated-law-drained-700000-in-taxpayer-funds/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — State Auditor Mike Foley, in a forensic audit released Thursday, slammed a “riverboat gamble” Lincoln officials made with the now-defunct Red Way Airlines, saying it cost local taxpayers $700,000 and that ticket holders still haven’t been reimbursed for cancelled flights.The Lincoln Airport Authority had contracted with Red Way to provide new destinations from the Lincoln Airport, pledging, with approval of the Lincoln City Council and Lancaster County Board, $3 million in pandemic-related, federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for the venture.But the Colorado-based startup shut down in August after only three months of operation, after flights drew far fewer passengers than projected, despite offering one-way tickets for as little as $9.Foley, in an<a target="_blank" href="https://auditors.nebraska.gov/APA_Reports/2023/OE550201-12142023-December_14_2023_Lincoln_Airport_Authority_Letter.pdf">&nbsp;84-page report</a>&nbsp;to the Airport Authority, said that Red Way “clearly violated” federal regulations by draining a $1.5 million escrow account intended to repay customers for tickets purchased on flights that were cancelled.The audit also estimated that, despite earlier news reports, Red Way probably still owes jilted customers more than $100,000.Overall, Foley said that the Lincoln Airport Authority provided more than $700,000 in local public funds under its control to assist Red Way, as well as waiving tens of thousands of dollars in fees that the airline would have been obligated to pay.&nbsp;&nbsp;“In the final analysis, Red Way was a failed riverboat gamble bankrolled by taxpayers,” the auditor said in a press release.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Had the Red Way business plan been prepared for the eyes of a reputable commercial bank lender, its proponents would not have gotten past the junior teller,” Foley added. “The cavalier treatment of government funds as monopoly money paved the way for the plan to be sold as a worthy risk to elected officials, who accepted it with few questions asked.”In September, the Lincoln Airport Authority told&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://journalstar.com/news/local/business/inside-look-at-red-way-airlines-failure/article_5a9fb522-4814-11ee-9dc2-976ab4feea49.html">the Lincoln Journal-Star</a>&nbsp;that the Red Way deal was a risk, to expand service at the airport, that didn’t work out. Officials there set up an interview with the Examiner later Thursday.Calls and an email to Red Way CEO Nick Wangler were not immediately returned on Thursday afternoon. Wangler formed Fly Next LLC, of which Red Way was its trade name, in February.Initially, Red Way offered flights to Orlando, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Atlanta, Georgia; Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin, Texas; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; and Nashville, Tennessee.Instead of owning its own aircraft, Red Way leased planes from an Florida company, Global Crossing. According to the audit, Red Way paid that firm $4.3 million by September 12.

State auditor slams ‘riverboat gamble’ with defunct Red Way Airline, saying the deal ‘clearly violated’ law, drained $700,000 in taxpayer funds

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress was departing Washington on Thursday without a deal to pass wartime support for Ukraine, but Senate negotiators and President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden’s</a>&nbsp;administration were still racing to wrap up a border security compromise to unlock the stalemate before the end of the year.

The Senate planned to come back next week in hopes of passing the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb">$110 billion package of aid</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine, Israel and other national security and finalizing a deal to place new restrictions on asylum claims at the U.S. border. But the House showed no sign of returning to push the legislation through the full Congress.

Lawmakers leaving the impasse unresolved through the holidays would mean the Biden administration would have to rely on a dwindling supply of funds for Ukraine. The wartime aid has so far been vital to Ukraine’s defending against Russia’s invasion, but an emboldened Russian President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-russia-press-conference-moscow-ukraine-ef4e88fda50e6ad75b8a1979b95d9fcc">Vladimir Putin earlier Thursday</a>&nbsp;recommitted to his goals in the war.

Repelling Russia has been one of Biden’s chief foreign policy goals. But the Democratic president is facing stiff opposition from Republicans in Congress — both from populist conservatives who no longer want to fund the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">nearly two-year-old conflict</a>&nbsp;and GOP senators who have been traditional allies to Ukraine’s defense but insist that the U.S. also enact policies aimed at cutting the historic number of migrants who are arriving at the U.S. border with Mexico.

Top administration officials, including White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and Biden’s legislative affairs director Shuwanza Goff, met with Senate negotiators Thursday evening. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, rescheduled the Senate to return to Washington on Monday to give negotiators more time to reach the framework of a deal.

“We have to get this done,” Schumer said, adding that he would push for a Senate vote on the funding package next week even if an agreement is not in place.

In an earlier speech on the Senate floor, Schumer said that the deadlock in Congress has left “Putin mocking our resolve.” He cast the decisions facing lawmakers as a potential turning point of history: “There is too much on the line for Ukraine, for America, for Western democracy, to throw in the towel right now.”

But the House ended work and departed for the holidays, with Republican Speaker Mike Johnson showing no sign he will have members return until the second week of January.

In fact, Johnson’s office sent around a clip from a Zelenskyy interview suggesting aid could wait until the new year.

Senate Republicans also expressed doubt there was time left this year to both reach an agreement and work through writing the text of legislation, with Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio saying there would be a “revolt” by Republicans if they were forced into a quick vote.

A core group of Senate negotiators and Biden administration officials were expected to work through the weekend narrowing a list of priorities aimed at curtailing the number of migrants applying for asylum at the U.S. border.

“We are making progress, I feel more confident today than I did yesterday,” Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent who has often been central to Senate deal-making, told The Associated Press.

Faced with historic numbers of migrants at the U.S. border with Mexico, the White House has negotiated a change to the law that would allow Homeland Security officials to stop migrants from applying for asylum if the number of total crossings exceeded a certain capacity.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-israel-funding-us-mexico-border-e1da808689aeef52308d19010a5e3cfa">Negotiators have also considered several other policies</a>&nbsp;that resemble those pursued under former President Donald Trump’s administration, including detaining people who claim asylum at the border and granting nationwide authority to quickly remove migrants who have been in the U.S. for less than two years.

Sinema declined to discuss details of the talks but said her aim was to craft a package that has both the policy and funding to “create an orderly, safe, secure and humane process” for seeking asylum or immigrating for “other legal reasons.” She added that negotiators understand they will lose support from wings of both conservatives and progressives, but were aiming to pass the package in the Senate with majorities of both parties.

“There will probably be folks on the edges of the political spectrum who are not happy with a solution that secures our border, brings order and is humane,” Sinema said.

In one friction point in talks, the White House has resisted Republican demands to curtail&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-biden-haiti-cuba-nicaragua-venezuela-trial-982e96527e266b46dc95388f31a93824">a humanitarian parole program</a>&nbsp;that has allowed tens of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the U.S., often at ports of entry other than the border, according to several people familiar with the talks who discussed them only on the condition of anonymity.

Still, immigration advocates have been dismayed at the White House’s concessions in the talks.

Sen. Alex Padilla, the California Democrat who has spearheaded Senate resistance to the plans, said he has told Biden “to be careful because Republicans are hellbent on dragging us into harmful policy territory.”

Congress has struggled for decades to find any agreement on border and immigration policy, yet Republicans argue that the Biden administration opened the door for a policy negotiation both by including border-related funding in the national security package and openly calling for Congress to take up reforms.

But the complicated and contentious nature of the issue prompted many GOP senators to conclude that there would be no deal for Ukraine aid this year, even as they pledged to prove Putin wrong for doubting U.S. support for Ukraine.

“Sometimes democracies take a little more time, but the resolve is real,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.

Some Democrats fretted that leaving the funding deadlock hanging for weeks could precipitate the deal’s collapse.

“Actions speak louder than words,” said Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702600274009.png" alt="Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says there will be a vote next week on the national security supplemental aid request for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, as well as border security.-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says there will be a vote next week on the national security supplemental aid request for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, as well as border security.-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress was departing Washington on Thursday without a deal to pass wartime support for Ukraine, but Senate negotiators and President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden’s</a>&nbsp;administration were still racing to wrap up a border security compromise to unlock the stalemate before the end of the year.The Senate planned to come back next week in hopes of passing the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb">$110 billion package of aid</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine, Israel and other national security and finalizing a deal to place new restrictions on asylum claims at the U.S. border. But the House showed no sign of returning to push the legislation through the full Congress.Lawmakers leaving the impasse unresolved through the holidays would mean the Biden administration would have to rely on a dwindling supply of funds for Ukraine. The wartime aid has so far been vital to Ukraine’s defending against Russia’s invasion, but an emboldened Russian President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-russia-press-conference-moscow-ukraine-ef4e88fda50e6ad75b8a1979b95d9fcc">Vladimir Putin earlier Thursday</a>&nbsp;recommitted to his goals in the war.Repelling Russia has been one of Biden’s chief foreign policy goals. But the Democratic president is facing stiff opposition from Republicans in Congress — both from populist conservatives who no longer want to fund the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">nearly two-year-old conflict</a>&nbsp;and GOP senators who have been traditional allies to Ukraine’s defense but insist that the U.S. also enact policies aimed at cutting the historic number of migrants who are arriving at the U.S. border with Mexico.Top administration officials, including White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and Biden’s legislative affairs director Shuwanza Goff, met with Senate negotiators Thursday evening. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, rescheduled the Senate to return to Washington on Monday to give negotiators more time to reach the framework of a deal.“We have to get this done,” Schumer said, adding that he would push for a Senate vote on the funding package next week even if an agreement is not in place.In an earlier speech on the Senate floor, Schumer said that the deadlock in Congress has left “Putin mocking our resolve.” He cast the decisions facing lawmakers as a potential turning point of history: “There is too much on the line for Ukraine, for America, for Western democracy, to throw in the towel right now.”But the House ended work and departed for the holidays, with Republican Speaker Mike Johnson showing no sign he will have members return until the second week of January.In fact, Johnson’s office sent around a clip from a Zelenskyy interview suggesting aid could wait until the new year.Senate Republicans also expressed doubt there was time left this year to both reach an agreement and work through writing the text of legislation, with Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio saying there would be a “revolt” by Republicans if they were forced into a quick vote.A core group of Senate negotiators and Biden administration officials were expected to work through the weekend narrowing a list of priorities aimed at curtailing the number of migrants applying for asylum at the U.S. border.“We are making progress, I feel more confident today than I did yesterday,” Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent who has often been central to Senate deal-making, told The Associated Press.Faced with historic numbers of migrants at the U.S. border with Mexico, the White House has negotiated a change to the law that would allow Homeland Security officials to stop migrants from applying for asylum if the number of total crossings exceeded a certain capacity.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-israel-funding-us-mexico-border-e1da808689aeef52308d19010a5e3cfa">Negotiators have also considered several other policies</a>&nbsp;that resemble those pursued under former President Donald Trump’s administration, including detaining people who claim asylum at the border and granting nationwide authority to quickly remove migrants who have been in the U.S. for less than two years.Sinema declined to discuss details of the talks but said her aim was to craft a package that has both the policy and funding to “create an orderly, safe, secure and humane process” for seeking asylum or immigrating for “other legal reasons.” She added that negotiators understand they will lose support from wings of both conservatives and progressives, but were aiming to pass the package in the Senate with majorities of both parties.“There will probably be folks on the edges of the political spectrum who are not happy with a solution that secures our border, brings order and is humane,” Sinema said.In one friction point in talks, the White House has resisted Republican demands to curtail&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-biden-haiti-cuba-nicaragua-venezuela-trial-982e96527e266b46dc95388f31a93824">a humanitarian parole program</a>&nbsp;that has allowed tens of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the U.S., often at ports of entry other than the border, according to several people familiar with the talks who discussed them only on the condition of anonymity.Still, immigration advocates have been dismayed at the White House’s concessions in the talks.Sen. Alex Padilla, the California Democrat who has spearheaded Senate resistance to the plans, said he has told Biden “to be careful because Republicans are hellbent on dragging us into harmful policy territory.”Congress has struggled for decades to find any agreement on border and immigration policy, yet Republicans argue that the Biden administration opened the door for a policy negotiation both by including border-related funding in the national security package and openly calling for Congress to take up reforms.But the complicated and contentious nature of the issue prompted many GOP senators to conclude that there would be no deal for Ukraine aid this year, even as they pledged to prove Putin wrong for doubting U.S. support for Ukraine.“Sometimes democracies take a little more time, but the resolve is real,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.Some Democrats fretted that leaving the funding deadlock hanging for weeks could precipitate the deal’s collapse.“Actions speak louder than words,” said Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado.

Senators delay holiday to work on $110B funding for Ukraine, Israel

FORT CALHOUN, Neb. (AP) — The suspect in the stabbing death of a Catholic priest in eastern Nebraska had no connection to the priest or the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-catholic-priest-killed-gutgsell-e634b68f496074893b58eb45229805ed">small town where the stabbing occurred</a>&nbsp;last week, prosecutors said during a court hearing Thursday.

Kierre Williams, 43, was ordered held without bond while he awaits trial on first-degree murder, burglary and two felony weapons counts in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-catholic-priest-stabbed-rectory-gutgsell-c48a12fd9ad044709e8ebbb8f53e4eab">Sunday killing</a>&nbsp;of the Rev. Stephen Gutgsell in the rectory next door to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun.

The 65-year-old priest called 911 before dawn Sunday to report that a man had broken into the rectory and was in his kitchen holding a knife. When a deputy arrived at the home minutes later, he said he found Gutgsell lying near the kitchen, bleeding profusely from stab wounds. Gutgsell was rushed to a hospital in nearby Omaha, where he died of his wounds.

FORT CALHOUN, Neb. (AP) — The suspect in the stabbing death of a Catholic priest in eastern Nebraska had no connection to the priest or the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-catholic-priest-killed-gutgsell-e634b68f496074893b58eb45229805ed">small town where the stabbing occurred</a>&nbsp;last week, prosecutors said during a court hearing Thursday.Kierre Williams, 43, was ordered held without bond while he awaits trial on first-degree murder, burglary and two felony weapons counts in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-catholic-priest-stabbed-rectory-gutgsell-c48a12fd9ad044709e8ebbb8f53e4eab">Sunday killing</a>&nbsp;of the Rev. Stephen Gutgsell in the rectory next door to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun.The 65-year-old priest called 911 before dawn Sunday to report that a man had broken into the rectory and was in his kitchen holding a knife. When a deputy arrived at the home minutes later, he said he found Gutgsell lying near the kitchen, bleeding profusely from stab wounds. Gutgsell was rushed to a hospital in nearby Omaha, where he died of his wounds.The murder charge alone carries a possible death penalty, the judge noted.Williams, who attended the hearing via video conference wearing a jail-issued orange jumpsuit, appeared taken aback by the mention of the murder charge being a capital punishment crime. He said he was told by his lawyer, Brian Craig of the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy, that he faced a sentence of life in prison if convicted of the murder charge.County Attorney Scott VanderSchaaf, the lead prosecutor in the case, did not immediately return phone and email messages Thursday asking whether he intends to seek the death penalty or when that decision will be made.Gutgsell’s stabbing is the second killing this year in the normally quiet Omaha bedroom community of Fort Calhoun, home to about 1,000 people. Investigators have said both killings happened during break-ins where there was no clear connection between the intruders and the victims.