CHICAGO (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ivf-frozen-embryo-alabama-court-7c968cc00201731d7baba5a284655b0d">The recent ruling in Alabama</a>&nbsp;that frozen embryos are legally considered children created a political firestorm after&nbsp;<a href="https://publicportal-api.alappeals.gov/courts/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13/cms/case/343D203A-B13D-463A-8176-C46E3AE4F695/docketentrydocuments/E3D95592-3CBE-4384-AFA6-063D4595AA1D">the decision</a>&nbsp;halted treatment for many couples seeking to have families through fertility treatments. It also has turned the spotlight on the importance of institutions that are poised to play a central in this year's elections: state supreme courts.

<a href="https://publicportal-api.alappeals.gov/courts/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13/cms/case/343d203a-b13d-463a-8176-c46e3ae4f695/docketentrydocuments/e3d95592-3cbe-4384-afa6-063d4595aa1d">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the ruling

Decisions by states' highest courts have become especially critical in the nearly two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a constitutional right to abortion. This year, campaigns for state supreme court seats are expected to be among the most expensive and bitterly contested races on the ballot. At stake are future decisions over abortion, other reproductive rights, gerrymandering, voting rights and other crucial issues.

“This is where the action is,” said Jessie Hill, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-frozen-embryos-pause-4cf5d3139e1a6cbc62bc5ad9946cc1b8">The ruling</a>&nbsp;on Feb. 16 by the Republican-majority Alabama Supreme Court to consider frozen embryos created through IVF to be children under state law has unexpectedly made&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-ivf-embryos-ruling-republicans-campaign-democrats-5fa61803333ab1ec1062835397c15570">in vitro fertilization, or IVF,</a>&nbsp;an emerging&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-ivf-legislation-0506c070085407b8983bf55409b1465c">issue</a>&nbsp;in campaigns up and down the ballot. With multiple providers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-ivf-legislation-0506c070085407b8983bf55409b1465c">pausing fertility treatments</a>&nbsp;in the state, fearing criminal charges or punitive damages, the GOP-controlled Legislature is under pressure&nbsp;<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/alabama-lawmakers-look-for-ivf-solution-as-patients-remain-in-limbo/ar-BB1iYLgW">to come up with a fix</a>.

After the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20The%20Supreme,Wade.">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;in 2022, eliminating federal protections for abortion rights, the decision unleashed a flurry of activity in the states, from legislation to lawsuits that often have ended up before state supreme courts. Those cases have magnified the stakes of having liberals or conservatives controlling a majority on those courts.

“Many people may not have realized that state supreme courts can decide on these kinds of issues that have such a direct impact on their everyday lives," Hill said. "But this Alabama ruling is a reminder that these courts hold so much power, especially now, over people’s rights.”

This year's elections bring&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-supreme-courts-abortion-redistricting-2024-931a453131fac282815ae31b4f0ea271">80 races</a>&nbsp;for supreme court seats in 33 states, including a few such as Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia where partisan control is on the line. At least four states will have state supreme court races on Super Tuesday, including Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas. Others, including Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Oregon and West Virginia will have contests through the spring.

In Alabama, five of the nine seats on the all-Republican Supreme Court are on the ballot.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-frozen-embryos-conservative-christian-views-ruling-d9b7f720b5ef865ab35205ad36061f2d?utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">Chief Justice Tom Parker</a>, 72, who cited verses from the Bible and Christian theologians in his concurring opinion in the IVF case, is unable to seek another term because the Mississippi Constitution does not allow judges older than 70 to be elected.

Since Roe fell in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/state-court-abortion-litigation-tracker#arizona">about 40 lawsuits</a>&nbsp;challenging abortion bans have been filed in 23 states, and many have worked their up to to states' highest courts as advocates search state constitutions for protections to abortion rights.

According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://reproductiverights.org/maps/state-constitutions-and-abortion-rights/">Center for Reproductive Rights</a>, 30 state supreme courts have decided cases challenging abortion restrictions under their state constitutions. Of these, 12 have recognized protections for abortion rights in state constitutions, while four have denied their state constitutions protect abortion rights. Other state high courts have either upheld or blocked abortion restrictions without explicitly deciding on whether their state constitutions protect abortion rights.

These rulings have had direct consequences for those trying to access abortion care. In December, the Texas Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-ban-supreme-court-decision-10767891a475e7ce2c82b1404450908a">overturned a court order</a>&nbsp;that would have allowed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-kate-cox-texas-exceptions-e85664b2ab76bcb689b1b91913d3e33e">Dallas woman</a>&nbsp;to get an abortion after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-texas-court-kate-cox-complications-3e24f473b0eab907993ddcad189e8115">her story</a>&nbsp;of being forced to leave the state to terminate her nonviable pregnancy sparked a national outcry.

Abortion rights are just one recent example of the U.S. Supreme Court deferring to states on major issues, said Douglas Keith, senior counsel in the judiciary program at the Brennan Center for Justice, which tracks spending in judicial races. The U.S. Supreme Court also stepped back from ruling on issues such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/54daa625511445969fee66696f7979c2">partisan gerrymandering</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-act-supreme-court-black-voters-6f840911e360c44fd2e4947cc743baa2">voting rights</a>, often making state supreme courts the final word on those issues.

“The Dobbs decision and others made clear that these courts would be the ones to decide these fundamental issues during a time where the U.S. Supreme Court was taking a step back from protecting certain rights,” Keith said.

State courts also are involved in the process of getting statewide citizen initiatives to the ballot, often deciding disputes over the technical requirements of petitions and the signature-gathering process. They will be play a pivotal role this year, as reproductive rights groups seek to place measures protecting abortion before voters in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ballot-amendment-ban-protection-states-2024-052ff9846f8416efb725240af22b92ec">a number of states</a>.

State supreme courts are expected to rule on such measures planned in Florida, Missouri and Nevada.

Florida’s Republican attorney general in January&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-abortion-ballot-elections-931be34f9ffdd6d74f6beade05eeee47">asked</a>&nbsp;the state Supreme Court to keep a proposed abortion rights amendment off the ballot.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-ballot-constitution-ruling-edb5f44fc0f9799d01cda22cd1f70b40">In Missouri</a>, an appeals court ruled in October that summaries written by Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, an abortion opponent who is running for governor, were politically partisan and misleading. The Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear Ashcroft's appeal of the ruling.

A Nevada district court judge in January&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nevada-abortion-access-ballot-471e9036864c030cc5296e7c78da8dad">approved</a>&nbsp;an abortion-rights ballot measure petition as eligible for signature-gathering, despite a legal challenge by anti-abortion groups. In November, the judge rejected an earlier petition that was much broader, including protections for prenatal care, postpartum care, vasectomies, tubal ligations, miscarriages and infertility. Nevadans for Reproductive Freedoms, the group behind the petition, appealed that rejection to the Nevada Supreme Court and is awaiting a ruling.

Activists also aim to place abortion rights on the ballot in Arizona, where Republican governors have appointed all seven of the Supreme Court justices.

“In many cases, state supreme courts have a lot of power to shut down direct democracy by preventing a question from getting on the ballot,” said Brian Fitzpatrick, a professor at Vanderbilt Law School.

Strategies that attempt to derail ballot initiatives are part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ballot-initiatives-voters-democracy-2024-602ebb8a74d7ae45163d79c065a23ef0">blueprint</a>&nbsp;created by anti-abortion groups in other states, including Ohio, where voters last year overwhelmingly decided to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-abortion-amendment-election-2023-fe3e06747b616507d8ca21ea26485270">enshrine abortion rights</a>&nbsp;in the state constitution.

Even with voter approval, the Ohio Supreme Court will be the “ultimate arbiter” of how to interpret the constitutional amendment and how it will affect existing abortion laws, said Hill, the Case Western law professor who served as a consultant to the Ohio campaign to enshrine abortion rights. This means the state's Supreme Court races this year, starting with a March 19 primary, will be vital to abortion rights in the state, as well as other topics including gerrymandering, environmental protections and criminal justice, she said.

With three seats up for a vote and a current 4-3 Republican majority, Democrats have an opportunity to flip the majority of the court for the first time since 1986 while Republicans will try to expand their control.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-election-abortion-0d188b5c6f841546f98436c1ab8180fa">result</a>&nbsp;of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-abortion-spending-82a3481a75665110e6d4b3d503ee2a24">heated race</a>&nbsp;in Wisconsin last year already has had an impact, after that state's Supreme Court flipped to a liberal majority for the first time in 15 years.

In December, the new Wisconsin Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-redistricting-eccbcfee414d1943073a9fb949743860">overturned</a>&nbsp;Republican-drawn&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-redistricting-legislature-5bc5c0347b26a40fd615f4faf7583b46">legislative maps</a>&nbsp;and ordered new district boundary lines to be drawn. Wisconsin is a swing state but also is one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-impeachment-republicans-gerrymandering-legislature-21fc8c3cf99623a379cbf4dd01ed0b8c">most heavily gerrymandered</a>&nbsp;in the country, allowing Republicans to have outsized majorities in the Legislature. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-abortion-ban-lawsuit-planned-parenthood-1518465359ed39a39d38e14a8d97a94e">lawsuit</a>&nbsp;challenging Wisconsin’s abortion ban might also be headed to the state supreme court.

“There have been immediate consequences for redistricting that have fundamentally reshaped politics in Wisconsin,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of an elections and campaign newsletter published by the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “It goes to show just how important these races are.”

CHICAGO (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ivf-frozen-embryo-alabama-court-7c968cc00201731d7baba5a284655b0d">The recent ruling in Alabama</a>&nbsp;that frozen embryos are legally considered children created a political firestorm after&nbsp;<a href="https://publicportal-api.alappeals.gov/courts/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13/cms/case/343D203A-B13D-463A-8176-C46E3AE4F695/docketentrydocuments/E3D95592-3CBE-4384-AFA6-063D4595AA1D">the decision</a>&nbsp;halted treatment for many couples seeking to have families through fertility treatments. It also has turned the spotlight on the importance of institutions that are poised to play a central in this year's elections: state supreme courts.<a href="https://publicportal-api.alappeals.gov/courts/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13/cms/case/343d203a-b13d-463a-8176-c46e3ae4f695/docketentrydocuments/e3d95592-3cbe-4384-afa6-063d4595aa1d">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the rulingDecisions by states' highest courts have become especially critical in the nearly two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a constitutional right to abortion. This year, campaigns for state supreme court seats are expected to be among the most expensive and bitterly contested races on the ballot. At stake are future decisions over abortion, other reproductive rights, gerrymandering, voting rights and other crucial issues.“This is where the action is,” said Jessie Hill, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-frozen-embryos-pause-4cf5d3139e1a6cbc62bc5ad9946cc1b8">The ruling</a>&nbsp;on Feb. 16 by the Republican-majority Alabama Supreme Court to consider frozen embryos created through IVF to be children under state law has unexpectedly made&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-ivf-embryos-ruling-republicans-campaign-democrats-5fa61803333ab1ec1062835397c15570">in vitro fertilization, or IVF,</a>&nbsp;an emerging&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-ivf-legislation-0506c070085407b8983bf55409b1465c">issue</a>&nbsp;in campaigns up and down the ballot. With multiple providers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-ivf-legislation-0506c070085407b8983bf55409b1465c">pausing fertility treatments</a>&nbsp;in the state, fearing criminal charges or punitive damages, the GOP-controlled Legislature is under pressure&nbsp;<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/alabama-lawmakers-look-for-ivf-solution-as-patients-remain-in-limbo/ar-BB1iYLgW">to come up with a fix</a>.After the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20The%20Supreme,Wade.">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;in 2022, eliminating federal protections for abortion rights, the decision unleashed a flurry of activity in the states, from legislation to lawsuits that often have ended up before state supreme courts. Those cases have magnified the stakes of having liberals or conservatives controlling a majority on those courts.“Many people may not have realized that state supreme courts can decide on these kinds of issues that have such a direct impact on their everyday lives," Hill said. "But this Alabama ruling is a reminder that these courts hold so much power, especially now, over people’s rights.”This year's elections bring&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-supreme-courts-abortion-redistricting-2024-931a453131fac282815ae31b4f0ea271">80 races</a>&nbsp;for supreme court seats in 33 states, including a few such as Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia where partisan control is on the line. At least four states will have state supreme court races on Super Tuesday, including Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas. Others, including Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Oregon and West Virginia will have contests through the spring.In Alabama, five of the nine seats on the all-Republican Supreme Court are on the ballot.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-frozen-embryos-conservative-christian-views-ruling-d9b7f720b5ef865ab35205ad36061f2d?utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">Chief Justice Tom Parker</a>, 72, who cited verses from the Bible and Christian theologians in his concurring opinion in the IVF case, is unable to seek another term because the Mississippi Constitution does not allow judges older than 70 to be elected.Since Roe fell in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/state-court-abortion-litigation-tracker#arizona">about 40 lawsuits</a>&nbsp;challenging abortion bans have been filed in 23 states, and many have worked their up to to states' highest courts as advocates search state constitutions for protections to abortion rights.According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://reproductiverights.org/maps/state-constitutions-and-abortion-rights/">Center for Reproductive Rights</a>, 30 state supreme courts have decided cases challenging abortion restrictions under their state constitutions. Of these, 12 have recognized protections for abortion rights in state constitutions, while four have denied their state constitutions protect abortion rights. Other state high courts have either upheld or blocked abortion restrictions without explicitly deciding on whether their state constitutions protect abortion rights.These rulings have had direct consequences for those trying to access abortion care. In December, the Texas Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-ban-supreme-court-decision-10767891a475e7ce2c82b1404450908a">overturned a court order</a>&nbsp;that would have allowed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-kate-cox-texas-exceptions-e85664b2ab76bcb689b1b91913d3e33e">Dallas woman</a>&nbsp;to get an abortion after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-texas-court-kate-cox-complications-3e24f473b0eab907993ddcad189e8115">her story</a>&nbsp;of being forced to leave the state to terminate her nonviable pregnancy sparked a national outcry.Abortion rights are just one recent example of the U.S. Supreme Court deferring to states on major issues, said Douglas Keith, senior counsel in the judiciary program at the Brennan Center for Justice, which tracks spending in judicial races. The U.S. Supreme Court also stepped back from ruling on issues such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/54daa625511445969fee66696f7979c2">partisan gerrymandering</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-act-supreme-court-black-voters-6f840911e360c44fd2e4947cc743baa2">voting rights</a>, often making state supreme courts the final word on those issues.“The Dobbs decision and others made clear that these courts would be the ones to decide these fundamental issues during a time where the U.S. Supreme Court was taking a step back from protecting certain rights,” Keith said.State courts also are involved in the process of getting statewide citizen initiatives to the ballot, often deciding disputes over the technical requirements of petitions and the signature-gathering process. They will be play a pivotal role this year, as reproductive rights groups seek to place measures protecting abortion before voters in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ballot-amendment-ban-protection-states-2024-052ff9846f8416efb725240af22b92ec">a number of states</a>.State supreme courts are expected to rule on such measures planned in Florida, Missouri and Nevada.Florida’s Republican attorney general in January&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-abortion-ballot-elections-931be34f9ffdd6d74f6beade05eeee47">asked</a>&nbsp;the state Supreme Court to keep a proposed abortion rights amendment off the ballot.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-ballot-constitution-ruling-edb5f44fc0f9799d01cda22cd1f70b40">In Missouri</a>, an appeals court ruled in October that summaries written by Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, an abortion opponent who is running for governor, were politically partisan and misleading. The Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear Ashcroft's appeal of the ruling.A Nevada district court judge in January&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nevada-abortion-access-ballot-471e9036864c030cc5296e7c78da8dad">approved</a>&nbsp;an abortion-rights ballot measure petition as eligible for signature-gathering, despite a legal challenge by anti-abortion groups. In November, the judge rejected an earlier petition that was much broader, including protections for prenatal care, postpartum care, vasectomies, tubal ligations, miscarriages and infertility. Nevadans for Reproductive Freedoms, the group behind the petition, appealed that rejection to the Nevada Supreme Court and is awaiting a ruling.Activists also aim to place abortion rights on the ballot in Arizona, where Republican governors have appointed all seven of the Supreme Court justices.“In many cases, state supreme courts have a lot of power to shut down direct democracy by preventing a question from getting on the ballot,” said Brian Fitzpatrick, a professor at Vanderbilt Law School.Strategies that attempt to derail ballot initiatives are part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ballot-initiatives-voters-democracy-2024-602ebb8a74d7ae45163d79c065a23ef0">blueprint</a>&nbsp;created by anti-abortion groups in other states, including Ohio, where voters last year overwhelmingly decided to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-abortion-amendment-election-2023-fe3e06747b616507d8ca21ea26485270">enshrine abortion rights</a>&nbsp;in the state constitution.Even with voter approval, the Ohio Supreme Court will be the “ultimate arbiter” of how to interpret the constitutional amendment and how it will affect existing abortion laws, said Hill, the Case Western law professor who served as a consultant to the Ohio campaign to enshrine abortion rights. This means the state's Supreme Court races this year, starting with a March 19 primary, will be vital to abortion rights in the state, as well as other topics including gerrymandering, environmental protections and criminal justice, she said.With three seats up for a vote and a current 4-3 Republican majority, Democrats have an opportunity to flip the majority of the court for the first time since 1986 while Republicans will try to expand their control.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-election-abortion-0d188b5c6f841546f98436c1ab8180fa">result</a>&nbsp;of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-abortion-spending-82a3481a75665110e6d4b3d503ee2a24">heated race</a>&nbsp;in Wisconsin last year already has had an impact, after that state's Supreme Court flipped to a liberal majority for the first time in 15 years.In December, the new Wisconsin Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-redistricting-eccbcfee414d1943073a9fb949743860">overturned</a>&nbsp;Republican-drawn&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-redistricting-legislature-5bc5c0347b26a40fd615f4faf7583b46">legislative maps</a>&nbsp;and ordered new district boundary lines to be drawn. Wisconsin is a swing state but also is one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-impeachment-republicans-gerrymandering-legislature-21fc8c3cf99623a379cbf4dd01ed0b8c">most heavily gerrymandered</a>&nbsp;in the country, allowing Republicans to have outsized majorities in the Legislature. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-abortion-ban-lawsuit-planned-parenthood-1518465359ed39a39d38e14a8d97a94e">lawsuit</a>&nbsp;challenging Wisconsin’s abortion ban might also be headed to the state supreme court.“There have been immediate consequences for redistricting that have fundamentally reshaped politics in Wisconsin,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of an elections and campaign newsletter published by the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “It goes to show just how important these races are.”___

IVF ruling highlights importance of state court races in US elections

WASHINGTON (AP) — The transcript of the congressional deposition of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>&nbsp;was released late Thursday, providing a full view of the contentious testimony that took place behind closed doors Wednesday as Republicans aggressively questioned the central figure in their impeachment inquiry.

<a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Hunter-Biden-Transcript_Redacted.pdf">Click here to read the</a> transcript

The nearly 230 pages of questioning laid bare the deep-seated hostility between President Joe Biden's son and the GOP lawmakers who have been investigating his family for the past several years. Arguments were frequent and tempers short, providing a preview of what is sure to come when Republicans hold a public hearing with Hunter Biden in the next several weeks.

He was defiant through the deposition as Republicans flooded him with questions about his former business affairs and his life, his answers veering from heated to emotional as he talked of his long battle with addiction and turmoil in his personal life.

Throughout the nearly seven-hour deposition, Hunter Biden remained adamant on one point, vehemently and repeatedly denying under oath that his father ever financially benefited or participated in any of his business work.

The 14-month Republican investigation into the Biden family has centered on Hunter Biden and his overseas work for clients in Ukraine, China, Romania and other countries. Republicans have long questioned whether those business dealings involved corruption and influence peddling by President Biden, particularly in the years when he was vice president.

Republican investigators zeroed in on a series of dinners and meetings that took place after Joe Biden left the vice presidency in which the younger Biden put his father on speakerphone while in the company of business partners.

“And why would you place your dad on speakerphone?” an unidentified Republican staffer asked.

“I’m surprised my dad hasn’t called me right now, and if he did, I would put him on speakerphone to say hi to you and to Congressman Raskin and everybody else in the room,” Hunter Biden replied. “It is nothing nefarious literally.”

He said that after the tragedies his family has suffered — including the death of his mother and two siblings — calls in his family are always answered, no matter what.

“You always pick up the phone. It’s something that we always do. And you can ask anybody that I know,” Hunter Biden added.

Large portions of the testimony Wednesday diverged into Hunter Biden's well-documented battle with drug and alcohol addiction.

In one particularly harsh exchange, Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, questioned whether the president’s son’s business dealings, particularly with the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma, were legitimate. Gaetz asked, “Were you on drugs when you were on the Burisma board?”

Hunter responded: “Mr. Gaetz, look me in the eye. You really think that’s appropriate to ask me?”

Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, intervened, telling his client he didn't need to respond.

“I will answer it this way: I have been absolutely transparent about my drug use,” Hunter Biden said. “I’m sorry; I’m an addict. I was an addict.”

He told the panel he has been in recovery for more than four years and works “really, really hard at it” under what he called an enormous amount of pressure.

“Was I an addict? Yes, I was an addict,” he said. “What does that have to do with whether or not you’re going to go forward with an impeachment of my father other than to simply try to embarrass me?”

Gaetz tried to interrupt, but Hunter Biden kept talking: “Why? Why?"

Another point of interest for House Republicans' investigation is what they describe as Hunter Biden and associates selling the Biden “brand” to clients overseas.

One of their purported key witnesses, Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter Biden, testified to the House Oversight Committee last year that the president's family sold “the illusion of access” to the corridors of power in Washington. Republicans questioned whether Burisma, the Ukrainian energy firm, wanted Hunter Biden on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-europe-business-c49555d51eb243e09a42f7577fc5937f">its board in 2014</a>&nbsp;"because your dad was the Vice President?”

“No, I don’t think that it’s fair,” Hunter Biden responded.

When asked about what value he brought to Burisma, Hunter Biden talked about the breadth of his resume and defended his family.

“Primarily, the name ‘Biden’ is my dad’s legacy. And he passed it down to me and, when my brother was alive, my brother, my sister, now to my children. It’s our responsibility to not screw that up."

He added, "If other people saw the brand as something that they could market, it’s not -- it was not with my -- without going through me first. And if they did so, they didn’t go through me first."

Rather than probe the Bidens, Democrats turn to the Trumps

Democrats at one point tried to turn the deposition back toward Donald Trump, contrasting the Bidens' business dealings with the former Republican president’s family and its business operations.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, the Democrat from California, led one particularly pointed exchange intended to draw out the differences between President Biden and Trump, the Republican front-runner to challenge him for the White House.

“Did your father ever employ in the Oval Office any direct family member to also work in the Oval Office?” Swalwell asked.

“My father has never employed any direct family members, to my knowledge,” Hunter Biden testified.

Swalwell went on to ask questions referring to the Trump hotel in Washington, D.C., Trump’s legal case in New York City, his daughter-in-law’s recent bid to lead the Republican National Committee and his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s business dealings with Saudi Arabia.

“As President and the leader of the party, has your father ever tried to install as the chairperson of the party a daughter-in-law or anyone else in the family?” Swalwell probed.

“No. And I don’t think that anyone in my family would be crazy enough to want to be the chairperson of the DNC” — the Democratic National Committee.

Had his father ever been fined $355 million? “No, he has not, thank God,” Hunter Biden testified.

The impeachment inquiry has focused on several pieces of evidence as Republicans try to build their case, including emails, text messages and a now-in-dispute laptop.

One email from a Hunter Biden business associate proposes a 10% equity stake in their firm to be held for “the big” guy, who Republicans say is Joe Biden. It's a message that has become central to the GOP claims of influence peddling, but one that another business associate Rob Walker has testified was all “bull-—-.”

Hunter Biden testified that he does not recall ever responding to the email. “I’m not even sure whether I ever fully read this.”

Further emails exhibited to the committee showed that any equity split would be made equally among the five partners, including Hunter Biden and his longtime business partner Jim Biden, who is the president’s brother and his uncle. The business deal with a Chinese energy company never happened, and no one was paid.

“There’s no secret big guy anywhere in this email?” asked a Democratic questioner.

“No, there’s not,” Hunter Biden replied.

“Joe Biden is not anywhere in this agreement?” he asked.

As for Hunter Biden’s laptop that was allegedly dropped off at a Delaware repair shop and the source for many allegations against the Biden family, he testified that he does not recall bringing it in.

If his computer needed repairs, Hunter Biden testified, “I would have gone to the Apple store.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704904282755.png" alt="File photo -Hunter Biden made a surprise appearance at the Capitol on Jan. 10-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File photo -Hunter Biden made a surprise appearance at the Capitol on Jan. 10-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The transcript of the congressional deposition of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>&nbsp;was released late Thursday, providing a full view of the contentious testimony that took place behind closed doors Wednesday as Republicans aggressively questioned the central figure in their impeachment inquiry.<a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Hunter-Biden-Transcript_Redacted.pdf">Click here to read the</a> transcriptThe nearly 230 pages of questioning laid bare the deep-seated hostility between President Joe Biden's son and the GOP lawmakers who have been investigating his family for the past several years. Arguments were frequent and tempers short, providing a preview of what is sure to come when Republicans hold a public hearing with Hunter Biden in the next several weeks.He was defiant through the deposition as Republicans flooded him with questions about his former business affairs and his life, his answers veering from heated to emotional as he talked of his long battle with addiction and turmoil in his personal life.Throughout the nearly seven-hour deposition, Hunter Biden remained adamant on one point, vehemently and repeatedly denying under oath that his father ever financially benefited or participated in any of his business work.Takeaways from the transcript:‘You always pick up the phone’The 14-month Republican investigation into the Biden family has centered on Hunter Biden and his overseas work for clients in Ukraine, China, Romania and other countries. Republicans have long questioned whether those business dealings involved corruption and influence peddling by President Biden, particularly in the years when he was vice president.Republican investigators zeroed in on a series of dinners and meetings that took place after Joe Biden left the vice presidency in which the younger Biden put his father on speakerphone while in the company of business partners.“And why would you place your dad on speakerphone?” an unidentified Republican staffer asked.“I’m surprised my dad hasn’t called me right now, and if he did, I would put him on speakerphone to say hi to you and to Congressman Raskin and everybody else in the room,” Hunter Biden replied. “It is nothing nefarious literally.”He said that after the tragedies his family has suffered — including the death of his mother and two siblings — calls in his family are always answered, no matter what.“You always pick up the phone. It’s something that we always do. And you can ask anybody that I know,” Hunter Biden added.Hunter Biden's ‘darkest days’Large portions of the testimony Wednesday diverged into Hunter Biden's well-documented battle with drug and alcohol addiction.In one particularly harsh exchange, Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, questioned whether the president’s son’s business dealings, particularly with the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma, were legitimate. Gaetz asked, “Were you on drugs when you were on the Burisma board?”Hunter responded: “Mr. Gaetz, look me in the eye. You really think that’s appropriate to ask me?”“Absolutely,” Gaetz said.Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, intervened, telling his client he didn't need to respond.“I will answer it this way: I have been absolutely transparent about my drug use,” Hunter Biden said. “I’m sorry; I’m an addict. I was an addict.”He told the panel he has been in recovery for more than four years and works “really, really hard at it” under what he called an enormous amount of pressure.“Was I an addict? Yes, I was an addict,” he said. “What does that have to do with whether or not you’re going to go forward with an impeachment of my father other than to simply try to embarrass me?”Gaetz tried to interrupt, but Hunter Biden kept talking: “Why? Why?"What was the ‘Biden brand’?Another point of interest for House Republicans' investigation is what they describe as Hunter Biden and associates selling the Biden “brand” to clients overseas.One of their purported key witnesses, Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter Biden, testified to the House Oversight Committee last year that the president's family sold “the illusion of access” to the corridors of power in Washington. Republicans questioned whether Burisma, the Ukrainian energy firm, wanted Hunter Biden on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-europe-business-c49555d51eb243e09a42f7577fc5937f">its board in 2014</a>&nbsp;"because your dad was the Vice President?”“No, I don’t think that it’s fair,” Hunter Biden responded.When asked about what value he brought to Burisma, Hunter Biden talked about the breadth of his resume and defended his family.“Primarily, the name ‘Biden’ is my dad’s legacy. And he passed it down to me and, when my brother was alive, my brother, my sister, now to my children. It’s our responsibility to not screw that up."He added, "If other people saw the brand as something that they could market, it’s not -- it was not with my -- without going through me first. And if they did so, they didn’t go through me first."Rather than probe the Bidens, Democrats turn to the TrumpsDemocrats at one point tried to turn the deposition back toward Donald Trump, contrasting the Bidens' business dealings with the former Republican president’s family and its business operations.Rep. Eric Swalwell, the Democrat from California, led one particularly pointed exchange intended to draw out the differences between President Biden and Trump, the Republican front-runner to challenge him for the White House.“Did your father ever employ in the Oval Office any direct family member to also work in the Oval Office?” Swalwell asked.“My father has never employed any direct family members, to my knowledge,” Hunter Biden testified.Swalwell went on to ask questions referring to the Trump hotel in Washington, D.C., Trump’s legal case in New York City, his daughter-in-law’s recent bid to lead the Republican National Committee and his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s business dealings with Saudi Arabia.“As President and the leader of the party, has your father ever tried to install as the chairperson of the party a daughter-in-law or anyone else in the family?” Swalwell probed.“No. And I don’t think that anyone in my family would be crazy enough to want to be the chairperson of the DNC” — the Democratic National Committee.Had his father ever been fined $355 million? “No, he has not, thank God,” Hunter Biden testified.Emails, text messages and the laptopThe impeachment inquiry has focused on several pieces of evidence as Republicans try to build their case, including emails, text messages and a now-in-dispute laptop.One email from a Hunter Biden business associate proposes a 10% equity stake in their firm to be held for “the big” guy, who Republicans say is Joe Biden. It's a message that has become central to the GOP claims of influence peddling, but one that another business associate Rob Walker has testified was all “bull-—-.”Hunter Biden testified that he does not recall ever responding to the email. “I’m not even sure whether I ever fully read this.”Further emails exhibited to the committee showed that any equity split would be made equally among the five partners, including Hunter Biden and his longtime business partner Jim Biden, who is the president’s brother and his uncle. The business deal with a Chinese energy company never happened, and no one was paid.“There’s no secret big guy anywhere in this email?” asked a Democratic questioner.“No, there’s not,” Hunter Biden replied.“Joe Biden is not anywhere in this agreement?” he asked.“No, he is not.”As for Hunter Biden’s laptop that was allegedly dropped off at a Delaware repair shop and the source for many allegations against the Biden family, he testified that he does not recall bringing it in.If his computer needed repairs, Hunter Biden testified, “I would have gone to the Apple store.”

Read transcript of Hunter Biden's deposition with GOP lawmakers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;appeared torn Wednesday about a challenge to a Trump-era ban on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-bump-stocks-atf-weapons-9d881998cbf454f5707f46e52153398e">bump stocks</a>, a gun accessory that allows semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly like machine guns and was used in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/las-vegas-mass-shooting">deadliest mass shooting</a>&nbsp;in modern U.S. history.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/22-976">Click here to listen</a> to the oral argument

The high court is weighing whether the Trump administration followed federal law when it reversed course and banned bump stocks after a gunman in Las Vegas attacked a country music festival with assault-style rifles in 2017. Many of the weapons were equipped with bump stocks and high-capacity magazines. More than 1,000 rounds were fired into the crowd in 11 minutes, killing 60 people and injuring hundreds more.

The arguments largely focused on whether guns with a bump stock can be considered illegal machine guns under federal law. A Texas gun shop owner argues that bump stocks don't change the core function of a semi-automatic weapon enough to make it illegal. The Biden administration says bump stocks fall firmly under the legal definition of machine gun.

The latest gun case to come before the justices offers a fresh test for a court with a conservative supermajority to define the limits of gun restrictions in an era where mass shootings are prevalent.

Conservative justices raised questions about whether machine-gun laws dating to the 1930s apply to bump stocks and about the Justice Department's previous finding that the accessories were legal.

“Intuitively, I am entirely sympathetic to your argument,” said Justice Amy Coney Barrett, “I think the question is, why didn't Congress pass that legislation to make this cover it more clearly?”

Justices from the court’s liberal wing suggested it was “common sense” that bump stocks would fall under laws aimed at Prohibition-era violence from gangsters such as Al Capone. “This is in the heartland of what they were concerned about, which is anything that takes just a little human action to produce more than one shot,” Justice Elena Kagan said.

Federal appeals courts have been divided over the bump stock rule.

A different case at the court challenges a federal law intended to keep guns away from people under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-guns-restrictions-domestic-violence-f75dc9b59d8cd02acf17d220ecf6ebb9">domestic violence restraining orders</a>, stemming from a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mississippi-state-government-delaware-california-massachusetts-3983cecfd1107c263d5309ec0d80a966">landmark 2022 decision</a>&nbsp;in which the six-justice conservative majority expanded gun rights.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-las-vegas-shootings-ff26110203da4a28bfd1d99022fb401c">bump stock</a>&nbsp;case is not directly about the Second Amendment. Instead, the plaintiffs argue that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives overstepped its authority in imposing the ban. The agency had previously decided bump stocks should not be classified as machine guns and therefore not be banned.

Marisa Marano, 42, survived the shooting at the show she attended with her sister, but struggles with the lasting effects on her life and and community. “I will never forget the sound of a machine gun firing into the crowd that night as Gina and I ran for our lives,” said Marano, who is now a volunteer for the group Moms Demand Action and hopes the Supreme Court upholds the ban.

Bump stocks are accessories that replace a rifle’s stock, the part that rests against the shoulder. They harness the gun’s recoil energy so that the trigger bumps against the shooter's stationary finger, allowing the gun to fire rapidly.

They were invented in the early 2000s. Under Republican President George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama, the ATF decided that bump stocks didn't transform semi-automatic weapons into machine guns. The agency revisited the issue&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/8e52e86face646999ed769c965840e63">at Trump's urging</a>&nbsp;after the Las Vegas shooting and reversed that decision.

The plaintiffs argue that rifles with bump stocks are different from machine guns because the shooter still must exert pressure on the weapon to keep the rapid fire going and the trigger keeps moving.

“It’s still one shot per function of the trigger, even though the shots are coming out of the barrel a lot faster than they were before,” said attorney Jonathan F. Mitchell, who argued on behalf of Texas gun shop owner and Army veteran Michael Cargill.

Government lawyers pointed out that traditional machine guns also require pressure from the shooter. They argue bump stocks fall under the legal definition of machine guns because the shooter's finger stays still while the gun fires hundreds of rounds per minute.

Brian Fletcher, principal deputy solicitor general, said that the ATF's previous findings were less in-depth than the review it undertook under Trump.

“After the Las Vegas shooting, the deadliest shooting in our nation’s history, I think it would have been irresponsible for the ATF not to take another look at this prior interpretation,” he said.

There were about 520,000 bump stocks in circulation when the ban went into effect in 2019, requiring people to either surrender or destroy them, at a combined estimated loss of $100 million, the plaintiffs said in court documents.

A panel of three judges on the federal appeals court in Washington upheld the ban, finding that “a bump stock is a self-regulating mechanism that allows a shooter to shoot more than one shot through a single pull of the trigger.” But the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-new-orleans-texas-state-government-b5990ed60ebb617055cc8d5c36a84050">invalidated the ban</a>, finding that the definition of machine guns under the National Firearms Act and Gun Control Act does not apply to bump stocks.

The Supreme Court took up an appeal of the 5th Circuit’s decision.

The case also comes at a time when the 6-3 conservative majority has been increasingly skeptical of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-chevron-regulations-environment-fish-e0c83212c892887860f7800c1ae1e02b">powers of federal agencies.</a>&nbsp;This term, the justices also are weighing challenges to aspects of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;appeared torn Wednesday about a challenge to a Trump-era ban on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-bump-stocks-atf-weapons-9d881998cbf454f5707f46e52153398e">bump stocks</a>, a gun accessory that allows semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly like machine guns and was used in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/las-vegas-mass-shooting">deadliest mass shooting</a>&nbsp;in modern U.S. history.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/22-976">Click here to listen</a> to the oral argumentThe high court is weighing whether the Trump administration followed federal law when it reversed course and banned bump stocks after a gunman in Las Vegas attacked a country music festival with assault-style rifles in 2017. Many of the weapons were equipped with bump stocks and high-capacity magazines. More than 1,000 rounds were fired into the crowd in 11 minutes, killing 60 people and injuring hundreds more.The arguments largely focused on whether guns with a bump stock can be considered illegal machine guns under federal law. A Texas gun shop owner argues that bump stocks don't change the core function of a semi-automatic weapon enough to make it illegal. The Biden administration says bump stocks fall firmly under the legal definition of machine gun.The latest gun case to come before the justices offers a fresh test for a court with a conservative supermajority to define the limits of gun restrictions in an era where mass shootings are prevalent.Conservative justices raised questions about whether machine-gun laws dating to the 1930s apply to bump stocks and about the Justice Department's previous finding that the accessories were legal.“Intuitively, I am entirely sympathetic to your argument,” said Justice Amy Coney Barrett, “I think the question is, why didn't Congress pass that legislation to make this cover it more clearly?”Justices from the court’s liberal wing suggested it was “common sense” that bump stocks would fall under laws aimed at Prohibition-era violence from gangsters such as Al Capone. “This is in the heartland of what they were concerned about, which is anything that takes just a little human action to produce more than one shot,” Justice Elena Kagan said.Federal appeals courts have been divided over the bump stock rule.A different case at the court challenges a federal law intended to keep guns away from people under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-guns-restrictions-domestic-violence-f75dc9b59d8cd02acf17d220ecf6ebb9">domestic violence restraining orders</a>, stemming from a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mississippi-state-government-delaware-california-massachusetts-3983cecfd1107c263d5309ec0d80a966">landmark 2022 decision</a>&nbsp;in which the six-justice conservative majority expanded gun rights.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-las-vegas-shootings-ff26110203da4a28bfd1d99022fb401c">bump stock</a>&nbsp;case is not directly about the Second Amendment. Instead, the plaintiffs argue that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives overstepped its authority in imposing the ban. The agency had previously decided bump stocks should not be classified as machine guns and therefore not be banned.That changed after Las Vegas.Marisa Marano, 42, survived the shooting at the show she attended with her sister, but struggles with the lasting effects on her life and and community. “I will never forget the sound of a machine gun firing into the crowd that night as Gina and I ran for our lives,” said Marano, who is now a volunteer for the group Moms Demand Action and hopes the Supreme Court upholds the ban.Bump stocks are accessories that replace a rifle’s stock, the part that rests against the shoulder. They harness the gun’s recoil energy so that the trigger bumps against the shooter's stationary finger, allowing the gun to fire rapidly.They were invented in the early 2000s. Under Republican President George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama, the ATF decided that bump stocks didn't transform semi-automatic weapons into machine guns. The agency revisited the issue&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/8e52e86face646999ed769c965840e63">at Trump's urging</a>&nbsp;after the Las Vegas shooting and reversed that decision.The plaintiffs argue that rifles with bump stocks are different from machine guns because the shooter still must exert pressure on the weapon to keep the rapid fire going and the trigger keeps moving.“It’s still one shot per function of the trigger, even though the shots are coming out of the barrel a lot faster than they were before,” said attorney Jonathan F. Mitchell, who argued on behalf of Texas gun shop owner and Army veteran Michael Cargill.Government lawyers pointed out that traditional machine guns also require pressure from the shooter. They argue bump stocks fall under the legal definition of machine guns because the shooter's finger stays still while the gun fires hundreds of rounds per minute.Brian Fletcher, principal deputy solicitor general, said that the ATF's previous findings were less in-depth than the review it undertook under Trump.“After the Las Vegas shooting, the deadliest shooting in our nation’s history, I think it would have been irresponsible for the ATF not to take another look at this prior interpretation,” he said.There were about 520,000 bump stocks in circulation when the ban went into effect in 2019, requiring people to either surrender or destroy them, at a combined estimated loss of $100 million, the plaintiffs said in court documents.A panel of three judges on the federal appeals court in Washington upheld the ban, finding that “a bump stock is a self-regulating mechanism that allows a shooter to shoot more than one shot through a single pull of the trigger.” But the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-new-orleans-texas-state-government-b5990ed60ebb617055cc8d5c36a84050">invalidated the ban</a>, finding that the definition of machine guns under the National Firearms Act and Gun Control Act does not apply to bump stocks.The Supreme Court took up an appeal of the 5th Circuit’s decision.The case also comes at a time when the 6-3 conservative majority has been increasingly skeptical of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-chevron-regulations-environment-fish-e0c83212c892887860f7800c1ae1e02b">powers of federal agencies.</a>&nbsp;This term, the justices also are weighing challenges to aspects of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Securities and Exchange Commission.A decision is expected by early summer.

🎧 Supreme Court appears torn over challenge to gun 'bump stocks'

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. military C-130 cargo planes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-meloni-white-house-ukraine-112dacd932a45f42621a25b304ae5d99">dropped food</a>&nbsp;in pallets over Gaza on Saturday in the opening stage of an emergency humanitarian assistance authorized by President Joe Biden after more than 100 Palestinians who had surged to pull goods off an aid convoy were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-02-29-2024-f9b5a62a80d8b83eac4946d3c85af58b">killed during a chaotic encounter with Israeli troops</a>.

Three planes from Air Forces Central dropped 66 bundles containing about 38,000 meals into Gaza at 8:30 a.m. EST (3:30 p.m. local). The bundles were dropped in southwest Gaza, on the beach along the territory's Mediterranean coast. The airdrop was coordinated with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, which said it had two food airdrops Saturday in northern Gaza and has conducted several rounds in recent months.

“The combined operation included U.S. Air Force and RJAF C-130 aircraft and respective Army Soldiers specialized in aerial delivery of supplies, built bundles and ensured the safe drop of food aid,” U.S. Central Command said in a post on "X", formerly known as Twitter.

The U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/airdrops-israel-gaza-palestinians-biden-9e6cfb3a2c7d909ca2a8a2abd25793ca">airdrop</a>&nbsp;is expected to be the first of many.

Three Biden administration officials said the planes dropped the military Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) — shelf-stable meals that contain a day's worth of calories in each sealed package — in locations that were thought would provide civilians with the greatest level of safety to access aid. Afterward, the U.S. monitored the sites and was able to see civilians approach and distribute food among themselves, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide additional details that had not been made public.

President Joe Biden on Friday announced the U.S. would begin air dropping food to starving Gazans after at least 115 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more wounded in the Thursday attack as they scrambled for aid, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza</a>&nbsp;said.

Hundreds of people had rushed about 30 trucks bringing a predawn delivery of aid to the north. Palestinians said nearby Israeli troops shot into the crowds. Israel said they fired warning shots toward the crowd and insisted many of the dead were trampled.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Friday that the airdrops were being planned to deliver emergency humanitarian assistance in a safe way to people on the ground. The United States believes the airdrops will help address the dire situation in Gaza, but they are no replacement for trucks, which can transport far more aid more effectively, though Thursday’s events also showed the risks with ground transport.

Kirby said the airdrops have an advantage over trucks because planes can move aid to a particular location very quickly. But in terms of volume, the airdrops will be “a supplement to, not a replacement for moving things in by ground.”

<a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/1555054/c-130-hercules/">The C-130 is widely used</a>&nbsp;to deliver aid to remote places because of its ability to land in austere environments.

A C-130 can airlift as much as 42,000 pounds of cargo and its crews know how to rig the cargo, which sometimes can include even vehicles, onto massive pallets that can be safely dropped out of the back of the aircraft.

Air Force loadmasters secure the bundles onto pallets with netting that is rigged for release in the back of a C-130, and then crews release it with a parachute when the aircraft reaches the intended delivery zone.

The Air Force's C-130 has been used in years past to air drop humanitarian into Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti and other locations and the airframe is used in an annual multi-national “Operation Christmas Drop” that air drops pallets of toys, supplies, nonperishable food and fishing supplies to remote locations in the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau.

Since the war began on Oct. 7, Israel has barred entry of food, water, medicine and other supplies, except for a trickle of aid entering the south from Egypt at the Rafah crossing and Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing.

The United Nations says one-quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million people&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-un-humanitarian-famine-gaza-malnutrition-cf622f843fe531fb6dbd5657a39d6b49">face starvation</a>. Aid officials have said that airdrops are not an efficient means of distributing aid and are a measure of last resort.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709398639068.png" alt="Photos U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photos U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. military C-130 cargo planes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-meloni-white-house-ukraine-112dacd932a45f42621a25b304ae5d99">dropped food</a>&nbsp;in pallets over Gaza on Saturday in the opening stage of an emergency humanitarian assistance authorized by President Joe Biden after more than 100 Palestinians who had surged to pull goods off an aid convoy were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-02-29-2024-f9b5a62a80d8b83eac4946d3c85af58b">killed during a chaotic encounter with Israeli troops</a>.Three planes from Air Forces Central dropped 66 bundles containing about 38,000 meals into Gaza at 8:30 a.m. EST (3:30 p.m. local). The bundles were dropped in southwest Gaza, on the beach along the territory's Mediterranean coast. The airdrop was coordinated with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, which said it had two food airdrops Saturday in northern Gaza and has conducted several rounds in recent months.“The combined operation included U.S. Air Force and RJAF C-130 aircraft and respective Army Soldiers specialized in aerial delivery of supplies, built bundles and ensured the safe drop of food aid,” U.S. Central Command said in a post on "X", formerly known as Twitter.The U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/airdrops-israel-gaza-palestinians-biden-9e6cfb3a2c7d909ca2a8a2abd25793ca">airdrop</a>&nbsp;is expected to be the first of many.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709398596719.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Three Biden administration officials said the planes dropped the military Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) — shelf-stable meals that contain a day's worth of calories in each sealed package — in locations that were thought would provide civilians with the greatest level of safety to access aid. Afterward, the U.S. monitored the sites and was able to see civilians approach and distribute food among themselves, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide additional details that had not been made public.President Joe Biden on Friday announced the U.S. would begin air dropping food to starving Gazans after at least 115 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more wounded in the Thursday attack as they scrambled for aid, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza</a>&nbsp;said.Hundreds of people had rushed about 30 trucks bringing a predawn delivery of aid to the north. Palestinians said nearby Israeli troops shot into the crowds. Israel said they fired warning shots toward the crowd and insisted many of the dead were trampled.White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Friday that the airdrops were being planned to deliver emergency humanitarian assistance in a safe way to people on the ground. The United States believes the airdrops will help address the dire situation in Gaza, but they are no replacement for trucks, which can transport far more aid more effectively, though Thursday’s events also showed the risks with ground transport.Kirby said the airdrops have an advantage over trucks because planes can move aid to a particular location very quickly. But in terms of volume, the airdrops will be “a supplement to, not a replacement for moving things in by ground.”<a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/1555054/c-130-hercules/">The C-130 is widely used</a>&nbsp;to deliver aid to remote places because of its ability to land in austere environments.A C-130 can airlift as much as 42,000 pounds of cargo and its crews know how to rig the cargo, which sometimes can include even vehicles, onto massive pallets that can be safely dropped out of the back of the aircraft.Air Force loadmasters secure the bundles onto pallets with netting that is rigged for release in the back of a C-130, and then crews release it with a parachute when the aircraft reaches the intended delivery zone.The Air Force's C-130 has been used in years past to air drop humanitarian into Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti and other locations and the airframe is used in an annual multi-national “Operation Christmas Drop” that air drops pallets of toys, supplies, nonperishable food and fishing supplies to remote locations in the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau.Since the war began on Oct. 7, Israel has barred entry of food, water, medicine and other supplies, except for a trickle of aid entering the south from Egypt at the Rafah crossing and Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing.The United Nations says one-quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million people&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-un-humanitarian-famine-gaza-malnutrition-cf622f843fe531fb6dbd5657a39d6b49">face starvation</a>. Aid officials have said that airdrops are not an efficient means of distributing aid and are a measure of last resort.

US military aircraft airdrops meals, supplies into Gaza 

Lincoln – Nebraskans will get to vote on whether to divert public tax dollars to private schools. The Nebraska Secretary of State today rejected an attempt to overturn last summer’s successful referendum petition that put repeal of LB753’s voucher scheme on the November ballot.

“This decision reflects the will of Nebraskans and the work of our 1,900 volunteer petition circulators,” said Jenni Benson, Support Our Schools Nebraska Board member. “Nebraskans have been clear that they want to vote on the issue of diverting public tax dollars to fund private schools. State lawmakers also must respect voters on this issue and reject new legislative attempts to impose voucher schemes on Nebraska taxpayers.”

Last summer, 117,415 Nebraska voters signed a referendum petition to let voters decide whether to repeal LB753’s voucher scheme. That was nearly double the number of signatures needed to put the issue on this November’s ballot.

Last October, Evnen certified the petition as meeting all legal requirements to put the issue on the ballot. On January 9, 2024,&nbsp; State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan sent a letter to Evnen asking him to reverse the certification.

“It is abundantly clear that Sen. Linehan and the out-of-state forces pushing this tax scheme are afraid to let Nebraskans vote on whether they want tax dollars diverted to private schools,” said Jenni Benson, Support Our Schools Nebraska sponsor. “Now, Sen. Linehan has introduced another voucher bill that will take tax dollars directly out of the state general fund and use it to fund private schools. Linehan should be ashamed of her blatant attempts to deny Nebraskans their right to vote on the issue.”

“Nebraska is the only state in the nation with a one-house legislature. The people of Nebraska, through our initiative and referendum process, serve as the second house,” said Benson. “The referendum is a right and a power reserved for the voters. Sen. Linehan’s attempt to infringe on that right&nbsp;undermines our democracy, stifles public participation, and removes a check on elected officials that is a hallmark of Nebraska’s unicameral system.”

Karen KilgarinSupport Our SchoolsLincoln – Nebraskans will get to vote on whether to divert public tax dollars to private schools. The Nebraska Secretary of State today rejected an attempt to overturn last summer’s successful referendum petition that put repeal of LB753’s voucher scheme on the November ballot.“This decision reflects the will of Nebraskans and the work of our 1,900 volunteer petition circulators,” said Jenni Benson, Support Our Schools Nebraska Board member. “Nebraskans have been clear that they want to vote on the issue of diverting public tax dollars to fund private schools. State lawmakers also must respect voters on this issue and reject new legislative attempts to impose voucher schemes on Nebraska taxpayers.”Last summer, 117,415 Nebraska voters signed a referendum petition to let voters decide whether to repeal LB753’s voucher scheme. That was nearly double the number of signatures needed to put the issue on this November’s ballot.Last October, Evnen certified the petition as meeting all legal requirements to put the issue on the ballot. On January 9, 2024,&nbsp; State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan sent a letter to Evnen asking him to reverse the certification.“It is abundantly clear that Sen. Linehan and the out-of-state forces pushing this tax scheme are afraid to let Nebraskans vote on whether they want tax dollars diverted to private schools,” said Jenni Benson, Support Our Schools Nebraska sponsor. “Now, Sen. Linehan has introduced another voucher bill that will take tax dollars directly out of the state general fund and use it to fund private schools. Linehan should be ashamed of her blatant attempts to deny Nebraskans their right to vote on the issue.”“Nebraska is the only state in the nation with a one-house legislature. The people of Nebraska, through our initiative and referendum process, serve as the second house,” said Benson. “The referendum is a right and a power reserved for the voters. Sen. Linehan’s attempt to infringe on that right&nbsp;undermines our democracy, stifles public participation, and removes a check on elected officials that is a hallmark of Nebraska’s unicameral system.”

Voters to Decide Fate of Private School Voucher Bill  Public school supporters pleased LB753 to remain on Nov. ballot

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans who test positive for COVID-19 no longer need to stay in isolation for five days, U.S. health officials announced Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/guidance/respiratory-virus-guidance.html">changed its longstanding guidance</a>, saying that people can return to work or regular activities if their symptoms are mild and improving and it's been a day since they've had a fever.

The change comes at a time when&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#demographicsovertime">COVID-19 is no longer the public health menace</a>&nbsp;it once was. It dropped from being the nation's third leading cause of death early in the pandemic to 10th last year.

Most people have some degree of immunity to the coronavirus from past vaccinations or from infections. And many people are not following the five-day isolation guidance anyway, some experts say.

“Our goal here is to continue to protect those at risk for severe illness while also reassuring folks that these recommendation are simple, clear, easy to understand, and can be followed,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, the CDC’s director,

However, some experts worry that the change may increase the risk of infection for older people and others who are more vulnerable to getting seriously ill.

COVID-19 is not causing as many hospitalizations and deaths as it did in the first years of the pandemic. The change is an effort to streamline recommendations so they are similar to longstanding recommendations for flu and other respiratory viruses. Many people with a runny nose, cough or other symptoms aren't testing to distinguish whether it's COVID-19, flu, or something else, officials say.

It may not be as stringent, but the guidance emphasizes that all people with respiratory symptoms should stay home while they are sick, said Dr. David Margolius, the head of Cleveland's health department.

People are likely still contagious when they test positive, and that hasn’t changed, said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health.

“What has changed is how much COVID is harming us as a population,” Nuzzo said.

Officials noted that some other countries and California and Oregon have eased isolation guidance in a manner similar to CDC’s latest change — and did not see an increases in cases.

If you have symptoms, stay home until your symptoms are mild and improving and it’s been a day since you've had a fever. But then you can remain cautious by wearing a mask and keeping a distance from others.

However, the CDC guidance for workers at nursing homes and other health care facilities is staying the same. That includes a recommendation that medical personnel stay home at least seven days after symptoms first appear, and that they test negative within two days of returning to work.

The agency is emphasizing that everyone should still try to prevent infections in the first place, by getting vaccinated, washing their hands, and taking steps to bring in more outdoor fresh air.

Yes, and even some who understand the rationale for the change have concerns.

“My biggest worry in all of this is that employers will take this change in guidance to require employees to come back to work ... before they are ready to, before they feel well enough, and before they are not likely to pose harm to their co-workers,” Nuzzo said.

COVID-19 remains especially dangerous to older people and those with other medical conditions. There are still more than&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklyhospitaladmissions_select_00">20,000 hospitalizations</a>&nbsp;and more than&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklydeaths_select_00">2,000 deaths</a>&nbsp;each week due to the coronavirus, according to the CDC. Those 65 and older have the highest hospitalization and death rates.

This week, the CDC said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccines-shots-over-65-84bd91f6c51db7bbb334bd18a07e4f3b">seniors should get another dose</a>&nbsp;of the updated COVID-19 vaccine.

IS THIS THE FIRST CHANGE FOR ISOLATION GUIDELINES?

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans who test positive for COVID-19 no longer need to stay in isolation for five days, U.S. health officials announced Friday.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/guidance/respiratory-virus-guidance.html">changed its longstanding guidance</a>, saying that people can return to work or regular activities if their symptoms are mild and improving and it's been a day since they've had a fever.The change comes at a time when&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#demographicsovertime">COVID-19 is no longer the public health menace</a>&nbsp;it once was. It dropped from being the nation's third leading cause of death early in the pandemic to 10th last year.Most people have some degree of immunity to the coronavirus from past vaccinations or from infections. And many people are not following the five-day isolation guidance anyway, some experts say.“Our goal here is to continue to protect those at risk for severe illness while also reassuring folks that these recommendation are simple, clear, easy to understand, and can be followed,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, the CDC’s director,However, some experts worry that the change may increase the risk of infection for older people and others who are more vulnerable to getting seriously ill.WHY ARE THE GUIDELINES CHANGING?COVID-19 is not causing as many hospitalizations and deaths as it did in the first years of the pandemic. The change is an effort to streamline recommendations so they are similar to longstanding recommendations for flu and other respiratory viruses. Many people with a runny nose, cough or other symptoms aren't testing to distinguish whether it's COVID-19, flu, or something else, officials say.It may not be as stringent, but the guidance emphasizes that all people with respiratory symptoms should stay home while they are sick, said Dr. David Margolius, the head of Cleveland's health department.People are likely still contagious when they test positive, and that hasn’t changed, said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health.“What has changed is how much COVID is harming us as a population,” Nuzzo said.Officials noted that some other countries and California and Oregon have eased isolation guidance in a manner similar to CDC’s latest change — and did not see an increases in cases.WHAT ARE THE NEW GUIDELINES?If you have symptoms, stay home until your symptoms are mild and improving and it’s been a day since you've had a fever. But then you can remain cautious by wearing a mask and keeping a distance from others.However, the CDC guidance for workers at nursing homes and other health care facilities is staying the same. That includes a recommendation that medical personnel stay home at least seven days after symptoms first appear, and that they test negative within two days of returning to work.The agency is emphasizing that everyone should still try to prevent infections in the first place, by getting vaccinated, washing their hands, and taking steps to bring in more outdoor fresh air.IS THERE OPPOSITION TO THIS CHANGE?Yes, and even some who understand the rationale for the change have concerns.“My biggest worry in all of this is that employers will take this change in guidance to require employees to come back to work ... before they are ready to, before they feel well enough, and before they are not likely to pose harm to their co-workers,” Nuzzo said.COVID-19 remains especially dangerous to older people and those with other medical conditions. There are still more than&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklyhospitaladmissions_select_00">20,000 hospitalizations</a>&nbsp;and more than&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklydeaths_select_00">2,000 deaths</a>&nbsp;each week due to the coronavirus, according to the CDC. Those 65 and older have the highest hospitalization and death rates.This week, the CDC said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccines-shots-over-65-84bd91f6c51db7bbb334bd18a07e4f3b">seniors should get another dose</a>&nbsp;of the updated COVID-19 vaccine.IS THIS THE FIRST CHANGE FOR ISOLATION GUIDELINES?

U.S. health officials drop 5-day isolation time for COVID-19

LINCOLN, NE -&nbsp;Governor Jim Pillen released a statement on the increased revenue projection by Nebraska Economic Forecasting Board. The board voted today to raise revenue projections by $50 million for the 24-25 biennium.

“Nebraska’s economy is strong and in a good financial position,” said Governor Pillen. “The forecasting board’s increased projection is another signal for needed property tax relief. The time is now, we must continue to work together to find a pathway forward to reduce property taxes for all Nebraskans.”

LINCOLN, NE -&nbsp;Governor Jim Pillen released a statement on the increased revenue projection by Nebraska Economic Forecasting Board. The board voted today to raise revenue projections by $50 million for the 24-25 biennium.“Nebraska’s economy is strong and in a good financial position,” said Governor Pillen. “The forecasting board’s increased projection is another signal for needed property tax relief. The time is now, we must continue to work together to find a pathway forward to reduce property taxes for all Nebraskans.”

Governor Pillen Touts Strong Nebraska Economy, Signaling the Time for Property Tax Relief is Now

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Three hundred miles apart, President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and likely Republican challenger&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;walked the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas Thursday, dueling trips underscoring how important immigration has become for the 2024 election and how much each man wants to use it to his advantage.

Each chose an optimal location to make his points, their schedules remarkably similar. They each got a briefing on operations and issues, walked along the border and gave remarks that overlapped. But that's where the comparisons ended.

Biden, who sought to spotlight how Republicans tanked a bipartisan border security deal on Trump's orders, went to the Rio Grande Valley city of Brownsville. For nine years, this was the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, but they have dropped sharply in recent months.

The president walked a quiet stretch of the border along the Rio Grande, and received a lengthy operations briefing from Homeland Security agents who talked to him bluntly about what more they needed.

“I want the American people to know what we're trying to get done," he said to officials there. "We can't afford not to do this."

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?533927-1/donald-trump-visits-us-southern-border">Click here to watch </a>Trump's comments from the border

Trump, meanwhile, continued his dialed-up attacks on migrants arriving to the border, deriding them as “terrorists” and criminals after harnessing rhetoric once used by Adolf Hitler to argue migrants are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hitler-poison-blood-history-f8c3ff512edd120252596a4743324352">poisoning the blood of America</a>.

“This is a Joe Biden invasion," Trump said.

Trump was in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-border-brownsville-eagle-pass-texas-32920274b7dcf5464b0fea30e004bade">Eagle Pass, roughly 325 miles</a>&nbsp;northwest of Brownsville, in the corridor that's currently seeing the largest number of crossings. He went to a local park that has become a Republican symbol of defiance against the federal immigration enforcement practices it mocks.

Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas National Guard soldiers gave him a tour, showing off razor wire they put up on Abbott's orders and in defiance of a U.S. Supreme Court order.

The number of people who are illegally crossing the U.S. border has been rising for years for complicated reasons that include climate change, war and unrest in other nations, the economy, and cartels that see migration as a cash cow.

The administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-congress-government-and-politics-a6b7a3f19297e9d6675fd625634dd41f">approach has been to pair crackdowns at the border</a>&nbsp;with increasing legal pathways for migrants designed to steer people into arriving by plane with sponsors, not illegally on foot to the border.

Arrests for illegal crossings fell by half in January, but there were record highs in December. The numbers of migrants flowing across the U.S-Mexico border have far outpaced the capacity of an immigration system that has not been substantially updated in decades. Trump and Republicans claim Biden is refusing to act, but absent law change from Congress, any major policies are likely to be challenged or held up in court.

Among those voters, worries about the nation’s broken immigration system are rising on both sides of the political divide, which could be especially problematic for Biden.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2024-top-issues-poll-foreign-policy-israel-d89db59deb07f53382cc9292b49f4d1c">According to an AP-NORC poll in January</a>, the share of voters concerned about immigration rose to 35% from 27% last year. Fifty-five percent of Republicans say the government needs to focus on immigration in 2024, while 22% of Democrats listed immigration as a priority. That’s up from 45% and 14%, respectively, from December 2022.

Trump landed to cheers from a crowd gathered at the small airport who held signs that read: “Trump 2024.” Some yelled, “Way to go, Trump.” He chatted with supporters for a few minutes before getting into his waiting SUV.

From Air Force One, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas dismissed claims the president's visit was political, and noted how badly his department that manages the U.S.-Mexico border needed extra funding that would have been contained in the collapsed bill.

“This visit is focused on the work that we do, not the rhetoric of others,” he said. “This is focused on operational needs, operational challenges and the significant impact that legislation would have in enhancing our border security.”

In a symbol of the political divide, the Republican-controlled House voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-republicans-impeach-homeland-security-secretary-mayorkas-8209736501ed4fe12e4b164443d6a8a9">impeach Mayorkas</a>&nbsp;over the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. Democrats say the charges amount to a policy dispute, not the “high crimes and misdemeanors” laid out as a bar for impeachment in the Constitution.

Since the president was last at the border&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-mexico-el-paso-2e30ea26bbc55c7af509a6e60ad3d33c">a year ago</a>, the debate over immigration in Washington&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-immigration-asylum-border-congress-7507034034ba49a8f170777600cad46e">has shifted</a>&nbsp;further to the right. Democrats have become increasingly eager to embrace border restrictions now that migrants are sleeping in police stations and airplane hangars in major cities.

During bipartisan talks on an immigration deal that would have toughened access for migrants, Biden himself said he'd be willing to “shut down the border” right now, should the deal pass.

The talks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-humanitarian-parole-biden-mexico-border-republicans-e6bdd78abac8892cefd117556d6aa5f5https://apnews.com/article/immigration-humanitarian-parole-biden-mexico-border-republicans-e6bdd78abac8892cefd117556d6aa5f5">looked promising for a while.</a>&nbsp;But Trump, who didn't want to give Biden a political win on one of his signature campaign issues, persuaded Republicans to kill the deal. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declared it dead on arrival.

Biden vowed to make sure everyone knew why.

“Every day, between now and November, the American people are gonna know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends,” Biden said this month, referring to the former president's Make America Great Again slogan.

Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-biden-razor-wire-park-50e0964fab96708954bd773b791f02da">was also to be interviewed by Fox News' Sean Hannity from Shelby Park</a>, an expanse along the Rio Grande owned by the city of Eagle Pass.

Trump has laid out updated immigration proposals that would mark a dramatic escalation of the approach he used in office and that drew alarms from civil rights activists and numerous court challenges.

Some of those include reviving and expanding his controversial travel ban, imposing "ideological screening” for migrants, terminating all work permits and cutting off funding for shelter and transportation for people who are in the country illegally. Trump also is likely to bring up&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-riley-immigrants-crime-63181cbc7a89fe9fe28b1d0cf84c8b9a">the killing of a 22-year-old nursing</a>&nbsp;student in Georgia. The suspect is a Venezuelan migrant.

“Biden is preposterously trying to blame me and Congressional Republicans for the national security and public safety disaster he has created,” Trump wrote in an op-ed in the British newspaper The Daily Mail. “He created this catastrophe. "

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709241939951.png" alt="Photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Three hundred miles apart, President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and likely Republican challenger&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;walked the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas Thursday, dueling trips underscoring how important immigration has become for the 2024 election and how much each man wants to use it to his advantage.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden to Donald Trump: &quot;Join me or I&#39;ll join you in telling the Congress to pass this bipartisan border security bill. We can do it together....So, instead of playing politics, why don&#39;t we just get together and get it done.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/gYLRxoXoOJ">pic.twitter.com/gYLRxoXoOJ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1763340505700503929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Each chose an optimal location to make his points, their schedules remarkably similar. They each got a briefing on operations and issues, walked along the border and gave remarks that overlapped. But that's where the comparisons ended.Biden, who sought to spotlight how Republicans tanked a bipartisan border security deal on Trump's orders, went to the Rio Grande Valley city of Brownsville. For nine years, this was the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, but they have dropped sharply in recent months.The president walked a quiet stretch of the border along the Rio Grande, and received a lengthy operations briefing from Homeland Security agents who talked to him bluntly about what more they needed.“I want the American people to know what we're trying to get done," he said to officials there. "We can't afford not to do this."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709251999416.png" alt="Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Trump-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Trump-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?533927-1/donald-trump-visits-us-southern-border">Click here to watch </a>Trump's comments from the borderTrump, meanwhile, continued his dialed-up attacks on migrants arriving to the border, deriding them as “terrorists” and criminals after harnessing rhetoric once used by Adolf Hitler to argue migrants are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hitler-poison-blood-history-f8c3ff512edd120252596a4743324352">poisoning the blood of America</a>.“This is a Joe Biden invasion," Trump said.Trump was in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-border-brownsville-eagle-pass-texas-32920274b7dcf5464b0fea30e004bade">Eagle Pass, roughly 325 miles</a>&nbsp;northwest of Brownsville, in the corridor that's currently seeing the largest number of crossings. He went to a local park that has become a Republican symbol of defiance against the federal immigration enforcement practices it mocks.Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas National Guard soldiers gave him a tour, showing off razor wire they put up on Abbott's orders and in defiance of a U.S. Supreme Court order.“This is like a war,” Trump said.The number of people who are illegally crossing the U.S. border has been rising for years for complicated reasons that include climate change, war and unrest in other nations, the economy, and cartels that see migration as a cash cow.The administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-congress-government-and-politics-a6b7a3f19297e9d6675fd625634dd41f">approach has been to pair crackdowns at the border</a>&nbsp;with increasing legal pathways for migrants designed to steer people into arriving by plane with sponsors, not illegally on foot to the border.Arrests for illegal crossings fell by half in January, but there were record highs in December. The numbers of migrants flowing across the U.S-Mexico border have far outpaced the capacity of an immigration system that has not been substantially updated in decades. Trump and Republicans claim Biden is refusing to act, but absent law change from Congress, any major policies are likely to be challenged or held up in court.Among those voters, worries about the nation’s broken immigration system are rising on both sides of the political divide, which could be especially problematic for Biden.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2024-top-issues-poll-foreign-policy-israel-d89db59deb07f53382cc9292b49f4d1c">According to an AP-NORC poll in January</a>, the share of voters concerned about immigration rose to 35% from 27% last year. Fifty-five percent of Republicans say the government needs to focus on immigration in 2024, while 22% of Democrats listed immigration as a priority. That’s up from 45% and 14%, respectively, from December 2022.Trump landed to cheers from a crowd gathered at the small airport who held signs that read: “Trump 2024.” Some yelled, “Way to go, Trump.” He chatted with supporters for a few minutes before getting into his waiting SUV.From Air Force One, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas dismissed claims the president's visit was political, and noted how badly his department that manages the U.S.-Mexico border needed extra funding that would have been contained in the collapsed bill.“This visit is focused on the work that we do, not the rhetoric of others,” he said. “This is focused on operational needs, operational challenges and the significant impact that legislation would have in enhancing our border security.”In a symbol of the political divide, the Republican-controlled House voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-republicans-impeach-homeland-security-secretary-mayorkas-8209736501ed4fe12e4b164443d6a8a9">impeach Mayorkas</a>&nbsp;over the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. Democrats say the charges amount to a policy dispute, not the “high crimes and misdemeanors” laid out as a bar for impeachment in the Constitution.Since the president was last at the border&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-mexico-el-paso-2e30ea26bbc55c7af509a6e60ad3d33c">a year ago</a>, the debate over immigration in Washington&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-immigration-asylum-border-congress-7507034034ba49a8f170777600cad46e">has shifted</a>&nbsp;further to the right. Democrats have become increasingly eager to embrace border restrictions now that migrants are sleeping in police stations and airplane hangars in major cities.During bipartisan talks on an immigration deal that would have toughened access for migrants, Biden himself said he'd be willing to “shut down the border” right now, should the deal pass.The talks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-humanitarian-parole-biden-mexico-border-republicans-e6bdd78abac8892cefd117556d6aa5f5https://apnews.com/article/immigration-humanitarian-parole-biden-mexico-border-republicans-e6bdd78abac8892cefd117556d6aa5f5">looked promising for a while.</a>&nbsp;But Trump, who didn't want to give Biden a political win on one of his signature campaign issues, persuaded Republicans to kill the deal. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declared it dead on arrival.Biden vowed to make sure everyone knew why.“Every day, between now and November, the American people are gonna know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends,” Biden said this month, referring to the former president's Make America Great Again slogan.Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-biden-razor-wire-park-50e0964fab96708954bd773b791f02da">was also to be interviewed by Fox News' Sean Hannity from Shelby Park</a>, an expanse along the Rio Grande owned by the city of Eagle Pass.Trump has laid out updated immigration proposals that would mark a dramatic escalation of the approach he used in office and that drew alarms from civil rights activists and numerous court challenges.Some of those include reviving and expanding his controversial travel ban, imposing "ideological screening” for migrants, terminating all work permits and cutting off funding for shelter and transportation for people who are in the country illegally. Trump also is likely to bring up&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-riley-immigrants-crime-63181cbc7a89fe9fe28b1d0cf84c8b9a">the killing of a 22-year-old nursing</a>&nbsp;student in Georgia. The suspect is a Venezuelan migrant.“Biden is preposterously trying to blame me and Congressional Republicans for the national security and public safety disaster he has created,” Trump wrote in an op-ed in the British newspaper The Daily Mail. “He created this catastrophe. "

🎥Biden invites Trump to work together during dueling border visits

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress passed another short-term spending measure Thursday that would keep one set of federal agencies operating through March 8 and another set through March 22, avoiding a shutdown for parts of the federal government that would otherwise kick in Saturday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

The short-term&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-government-shutdown-biden-ukraine-05afe588d798717a74b93af0e2a82e6c">extension</a>&nbsp;is the fourth in recent months, and many lawmakers expect it to be the last for the current fiscal year. House Speaker Mike Johnson said negotiators had completed six of the annual spending bills that fund federal agencies and had “almost final agreement on the others.”

“We'll get the job done,” Johnson said as he exited a closed-door meeting with Republican colleagues.

The House acted first Thursday. The vote to approve the extension was 320-99. It easily cleared the two-thirds majority needed for passage. Democrats overwhelmingly voted to avert a partial shutdown. But the vote was much more divided with Republicans, 113 in support and 97 against.

The Senate then took up the bill and approved it during an evening vote of 77-13. Nebraska Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Rickets voted with the majority.

Kansas Senator Roger Marshall joined Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Senators Marsha Blackburn,&nbsp;Mike Braun,&nbsp;Ted Budd, Mike Crapo,&nbsp;Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson,&nbsp;Mike Lee,&nbsp; Rick Scott,&nbsp; Tommy Turberville and J.D. Vance to vote against the measure.&nbsp;

“When we pass this bill, we will have, thank God, avoided a shutdown with all its harmful effects on the American people,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said moments before the vote.

Biden called Thursday night's vote “good news for the American people” but added, “I want to be clear: this is a short-term fix — not a long-term solution.”

Next week, the House and Senate are expected to take up a package of six spending bills and get them to the president before March 8. Then, lawmakers would work to fund the rest of the government by the new March 22 deadline.

At the end of the process, Congress is expected to have approved more than $1.6 trillion in spending for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. That amount is roughly in line with the previous fiscal year and is what former Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated with the White House last year before eight disgruntled Republican lawmakers joined with Democrats a few months later and voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-3542dd134dccf35bc67db3463baec53b">oust him</a>&nbsp;from the position.

Some of the House's most conservative members wanted deeper cuts for non-defense programs than that agreement allowed through its spending caps. They also sought an array of policy changes that Democrats opposed. They were hoping the prospect of a shutdown could leverage more concessions.

“Last I checked, the Republicans actually have a majority in the House of Representatives, but you wouldn’t know it if you looked at our checkbook because we are all too willing to continue the policy choices of Joe Biden and the spending levels of Nancy Pelosi,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.

But Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., countered before the vote that shutdowns are damaging and encouraged lawmakers to vote for the short-term extension.

“I want the American people to know, Mr. Speaker, that this negotiation has been difficult, but to close the government down at a time like this would hurt people who should not be hurt,” Fleischmann said.

The split within the GOP conference on spending and their tiny House majority bogged down the efforts to get the bills passed on a timely basis. With the Senate also struggling to complete work on all 12 appropriations bills, lawmakers have resorted to a series of short-term measures to keep the government funded.

Republican leadership said that the broader funding legislation being teed up for votes in March would lead to spending cuts for many nondefense agencies. By dividing the spending bill up into chunks, they are hoping to avoid an omnibus bill — a massive, all-encompassing bill that lawmakers generally had little time to digest or understand before voting on it. Republicans vowed there would be no omnibus this time.

“When you take away Defense and Veterans Affairs, the rest of the agencies are going to be seeing spending cuts in many cases," said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. “There are also some policy changes that we pushed through the House that will be in the final product. Of course, some of those are still being negotiated.”

The temporary extension funds the departments of Agriculture, Transportation, Interior and others through March 8. It funds the Pentagon, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and the State Department through March 22.

While congressional leaders have said they've reached final agreement on what will be in the first package of spending bills voted on next week, there's still room for an impasse on the second package to be voted on later in the month.

“We are working in a divided government. That means to get anything done, we have to work together, in good faith to reach reasonable outcomes," said Sen. Patty Murray, the Democratic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The renewed focus on this year's spending bills doesn't include the separate, $95.3 billion aid package that the Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-congress-senate-5fdcf8cb1964681dcce0f4fe7b9a0f86">approved</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan earlier this month, with much of that money being spent in the U.S. to replenish America's military arsenal. The bill also contained about $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, Ukraine and other war zones.

In his statement Thursday, Biden said, “It is time for House Republicans to put our national security first and move with urgency to get this bipartisan bill to my desk.”

Biden had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-johnson-israel-ukraine-shutdown-government-dc6d39b2a652130c6e3021394c1a3ee3">summoned</a>&nbsp;congressional leaders to the White House on Tuesday, during which he and others urged Johnson to also move forward with the aid package. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the U.S. can't afford to wait months to provide more military assistance to Ukraine, which is running short of the arms and ammunition necessary to repel Russia's military invasion.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress passed another short-term spending measure Thursday that would keep one set of federal agencies operating through March 8 and another set through March 22, avoiding a shutdown for parts of the federal government that would otherwise kick in Saturday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.The short-term&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-government-shutdown-biden-ukraine-05afe588d798717a74b93af0e2a82e6c">extension</a>&nbsp;is the fourth in recent months, and many lawmakers expect it to be the last for the current fiscal year. House Speaker Mike Johnson said negotiators had completed six of the annual spending bills that fund federal agencies and had “almost final agreement on the others.”“We'll get the job done,” Johnson said as he exited a closed-door meeting with Republican colleagues.The House acted first Thursday. The vote to approve the extension was 320-99. It easily cleared the two-thirds majority needed for passage. Democrats overwhelmingly voted to avert a partial shutdown. But the vote was much more divided with Republicans, 113 in support and 97 against.The Senate then took up the bill and approved it during an evening vote of 77-13. Nebraska Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Rickets voted with the majority.Kansas Senator Roger Marshall joined Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Senators Marsha Blackburn,&nbsp;Mike Braun,&nbsp;Ted Budd, Mike Crapo,&nbsp;Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson,&nbsp;Mike Lee,&nbsp; Rick Scott,&nbsp; Tommy Turberville and J.D. Vance to vote against the measure.&nbsp;“When we pass this bill, we will have, thank God, avoided a shutdown with all its harmful effects on the American people,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said moments before the vote.Biden called Thursday night's vote “good news for the American people” but added, “I want to be clear: this is a short-term fix — not a long-term solution.”Next week, the House and Senate are expected to take up a package of six spending bills and get them to the president before March 8. Then, lawmakers would work to fund the rest of the government by the new March 22 deadline.At the end of the process, Congress is expected to have approved more than $1.6 trillion in spending for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. That amount is roughly in line with the previous fiscal year and is what former Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated with the White House last year before eight disgruntled Republican lawmakers joined with Democrats a few months later and voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-3542dd134dccf35bc67db3463baec53b">oust him</a>&nbsp;from the position.Some of the House's most conservative members wanted deeper cuts for non-defense programs than that agreement allowed through its spending caps. They also sought an array of policy changes that Democrats opposed. They were hoping the prospect of a shutdown could leverage more concessions.“Last I checked, the Republicans actually have a majority in the House of Representatives, but you wouldn’t know it if you looked at our checkbook because we are all too willing to continue the policy choices of Joe Biden and the spending levels of Nancy Pelosi,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.But Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., countered before the vote that shutdowns are damaging and encouraged lawmakers to vote for the short-term extension.“I want the American people to know, Mr. Speaker, that this negotiation has been difficult, but to close the government down at a time like this would hurt people who should not be hurt,” Fleischmann said.The split within the GOP conference on spending and their tiny House majority bogged down the efforts to get the bills passed on a timely basis. With the Senate also struggling to complete work on all 12 appropriations bills, lawmakers have resorted to a series of short-term measures to keep the government funded.Republican leadership said that the broader funding legislation being teed up for votes in March would lead to spending cuts for many nondefense agencies. By dividing the spending bill up into chunks, they are hoping to avoid an omnibus bill — a massive, all-encompassing bill that lawmakers generally had little time to digest or understand before voting on it. Republicans vowed there would be no omnibus this time.“When you take away Defense and Veterans Affairs, the rest of the agencies are going to be seeing spending cuts in many cases," said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. “There are also some policy changes that we pushed through the House that will be in the final product. Of course, some of those are still being negotiated.”The temporary extension funds the departments of Agriculture, Transportation, Interior and others through March 8. It funds the Pentagon, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and the State Department through March 22.While congressional leaders have said they've reached final agreement on what will be in the first package of spending bills voted on next week, there's still room for an impasse on the second package to be voted on later in the month.“We are working in a divided government. That means to get anything done, we have to work together, in good faith to reach reasonable outcomes," said Sen. Patty Murray, the Democratic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.The renewed focus on this year's spending bills doesn't include the separate, $95.3 billion aid package that the Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-congress-senate-5fdcf8cb1964681dcce0f4fe7b9a0f86">approved</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan earlier this month, with much of that money being spent in the U.S. to replenish America's military arsenal. The bill also contained about $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, Ukraine and other war zones.In his statement Thursday, Biden said, “It is time for House Republicans to put our national security first and move with urgency to get this bipartisan bill to my desk.”Biden had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-johnson-israel-ukraine-shutdown-government-dc6d39b2a652130c6e3021394c1a3ee3">summoned</a>&nbsp;congressional leaders to the White House on Tuesday, during which he and others urged Johnson to also move forward with the aid package. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the U.S. can't afford to wait months to provide more military assistance to Ukraine, which is running short of the arms and ammunition necessary to repel Russia's military invasion.“We’ve got a lot of priorities before us, but we have to get the government funded and secure our border and then we’ll address everything else," Johnson told reporters upon exiting his meeting with GOP colleagues.Democrats urged quicker action on Ukraine as the temporary spending bill was debated.“Without swift action, the legacy of this Congress will be the destruction of Ukraine, the appeasement of a dictator, and the abandonment of starving children and ailing families,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.