TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — Donald Wildmon, the founder of the American Family Association, a conservative Christian advocacy group, has died, the organization announced Thursday.

The 85-year-old Mississippi native died on Thursday from complications related to Lewy body dementia, an obituary published by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wtva.com/donald-wildmon-obituary/pdf_2ef075aa-a5bc-11ee-bb6c-b796ddf3dbe1.html">WTVA-TV</a>&nbsp;said. Wildmon died in Tupelo, Mississippi, the city where the American Family Association is based. The obituary referred to Wildmon as “one of the legendary leaders of American conservatism.”

“His impressive legacy of Christian ministry will live on for many years to come,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Wildmon founded the AFA, first known as the National Federation for Decency, in 1977 after working as a pastor for the United Methodist Church.

Since its inception, the conservative advocacy group has launched campaigns and boycotts to pressure corporations to avoid supporting causes the group opposed, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-2bb49cfbc4c14c208269d24267b5b943">LGBT anti-discrimination measures</a>.

In 1991, Wildmon launched American Family Radio, which set up radio stations across the U.S. to spread the AFA's message. Wildmon led the AFA for 33 years, the obituary said. He stepped down in 2010, and his son, Tim Wildmon, now leads the organization.

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — Donald Wildmon, the founder of the American Family Association, a conservative Christian advocacy group, has died, the organization announced Thursday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Brother Don Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association, has been called home. Today, we reflect on a life well-lived, a journey marked by unwavering faith, profound dedication, and an unyielding commitment to the values he held dear. <a href="https://t.co/k9ijMdT2sO">pic.twitter.com/k9ijMdT2sO</a>&mdash; American Family Assc (@AmericanFamAssc) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmericanFamAssc/status/1740467203797893260?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The 85-year-old Mississippi native died on Thursday from complications related to Lewy body dementia, an obituary published by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wtva.com/donald-wildmon-obituary/pdf_2ef075aa-a5bc-11ee-bb6c-b796ddf3dbe1.html">WTVA-TV</a>&nbsp;said. Wildmon died in Tupelo, Mississippi, the city where the American Family Association is based. The obituary referred to Wildmon as “one of the legendary leaders of American conservatism.”“His impressive legacy of Christian ministry will live on for many years to come,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, said on X, formerly known as Twitter.Wildmon founded the AFA, first known as the National Federation for Decency, in 1977 after working as a pastor for the United Methodist Church.Since its inception, the conservative advocacy group has launched campaigns and boycotts to pressure corporations to avoid supporting causes the group opposed, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-2bb49cfbc4c14c208269d24267b5b943">LGBT anti-discrimination measures</a>.In 1991, Wildmon launched American Family Radio, which set up radio stations across the U.S. to spread the AFA's message. Wildmon led the AFA for 33 years, the obituary said. He stepped down in 2010, and his son, Tim Wildmon, now leads the organization.

Founder of the American Family Association has died

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s Democratic secretary of state on Thursday removed former President Donald Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot under the Constitution’s insurrection clause, becoming the first election official to take action unilaterally in a decision that has potential Electoral College consequences.

While Maine has just four electoral votes, it’s one of two states to split them. Trump won one of Maine’s electors in 2020, so having him off the ballot there should he emerge as the Republican general election candidate could have outsized implications in a race that is expected to be narrowly decided.

The decision by Secretary of State Shenna Bellows follows a December ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court that booted Trump from the ballot there under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Colorado is a Democratic-leaning state that is not expected to be competitive for Republicans in November.

Bellows found that Trump could no longer run for his prior job because his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol violated Section 3, which bans from office those who “engaged in insurrection.” Bellows made the ruling after some state residents, including a bipartisan group of former lawmakers, challenged Trump’s position on the ballot.

Her decision came one day after Trump’s lawyers asked her to disqualify herself over tweets that they said showed bias. She called the U.S. Capitol attack an “insurrection” and bemoaned that Trump wasn’t convicted by the U.S. Senate after being impeached by the U.S. House.

Bellows won’t have the final word on Trump’s political career. Her decision can be appealed to Maine’s courts. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to make a final decision on whether Trump can still run for president early next year.

Activists have asked state election officials across the country to remove Trump from their states’ primary ballots under Section 3. Until Bellows’ ruling, all of them rejected the request, often saying they were waiting for courts to give direction on how to interpret the clause, which has been used only a handful of times since the years following the Civil War.

Maine law mandated that Bellows hold a public hearing over the issue, which she did in December. A lawyer and former executive director of the Maine chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Bellows allowed each side to submit additional arguments after the Colorado Supreme Court’s historic Dec. 19 decision that Section 3 barred Trump from the ballot.

Trump’s campaign has said it will appeal that court’s 4-3 ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has never ruled on Section 3. Whatever the high court decides will apply to every state, including Maine.

The Maine decision shows the potential perils to Trump if the issue is decided on a state-by-state basis. He lost Colorado by 13 percentage points in 2020 and does not need it to win the presidency. But Maine divides its electoral votes by congressional districts, and Trump has twice won the state’s second congressional district.

If he’s not on the ballot there, he would start his 2024 campaign down one Electoral College vote.

The secretary of state’s office said it’s not aware of the office previously striking a presidential candidate from the ballot, but other candidates for lower offices have been removed that way.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703030684419.png" alt="Trump’s campaign has said it will appeal that court’s 4-3 ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court-photo courtesy CSPAN&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Trump’s campaign has said it will appeal that court’s 4-3 ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court-photo courtesy CSPAN&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s Democratic secretary of state on Thursday removed former President Donald Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot under the Constitution’s insurrection clause, becoming the first election official to take action unilaterally in a decision that has potential Electoral College consequences.While Maine has just four electoral votes, it’s one of two states to split them. Trump won one of Maine’s electors in 2020, so having him off the ballot there should he emerge as the Republican general election candidate could have outsized implications in a race that is expected to be narrowly decided.The decision by Secretary of State Shenna Bellows follows a December ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court that booted Trump from the ballot there under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Colorado is a Democratic-leaning state that is not expected to be competitive for Republicans in November.Bellows found that Trump could no longer run for his prior job because his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol violated Section 3, which bans from office those who “engaged in insurrection.” Bellows made the ruling after some state residents, including a bipartisan group of former lawmakers, challenged Trump’s position on the ballot.Her decision came one day after Trump’s lawyers asked her to disqualify herself over tweets that they said showed bias. She called the U.S. Capitol attack an “insurrection” and bemoaned that Trump wasn’t convicted by the U.S. Senate after being impeached by the U.S. House.Bellows won’t have the final word on Trump’s political career. Her decision can be appealed to Maine’s courts. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to make a final decision on whether Trump can still run for president early next year.Activists have asked state election officials across the country to remove Trump from their states’ primary ballots under Section 3. Until Bellows’ ruling, all of them rejected the request, often saying they were waiting for courts to give direction on how to interpret the clause, which has been used only a handful of times since the years following the Civil War.Maine law mandated that Bellows hold a public hearing over the issue, which she did in December. A lawyer and former executive director of the Maine chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Bellows allowed each side to submit additional arguments after the Colorado Supreme Court’s historic Dec. 19 decision that Section 3 barred Trump from the ballot.Trump’s campaign has said it will appeal that court’s 4-3 ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has never ruled on Section 3. Whatever the high court decides will apply to every state, including Maine.The Maine decision shows the potential perils to Trump if the issue is decided on a state-by-state basis. He lost Colorado by 13 percentage points in 2020 and does not need it to win the presidency. But Maine divides its electoral votes by congressional districts, and Trump has twice won the state’s second congressional district.If he’s not on the ballot there, he would start his 2024 campaign down one Electoral College vote.The secretary of state’s office said it’s not aware of the office previously striking a presidential candidate from the ballot, but other candidates for lower offices have been removed that way.

Another state bars Trump from presidential primary ballot 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska state prosecutors are vowing to try a man for a fourth time following a third mistrial on charges accusing him of killing two people in an Omaha home in 2019.

Last week, a judge declared a mistrial in the case against 24-year-old Nyir Kuek after jurors reported they were hopelessly deadlocked, 6-6, on whether to convict him.

Kuek stands&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-357c6c4f12da46f3910f02401270e210">charged</a>&nbsp;with two counts of first-degree murder and other felony counts in the June 2019 shooting deaths of 50-year-old Tracy Atkins and 57-year-old Michael Sykora in their home. Investigators have said witnesses reported that Kuek and Sykora argued in the basement of the home before Kuek shot Sykora. Police believe Kuek then shot Atkins in Atkins' bedroom.

Prosecutors have relied on circumstantial evidence, including the eyewitnesses, to try Kuek.

Kuek’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-b6af592fae40be893aab07d09a55b7b9">first trial</a>&nbsp;ended in mistrial in 2020 when someone in the courtroom tested positive for COVID-19. His&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-shootings-omaha-6b0540a0daa96d0edc5f07d1e2c81823">second trial</a>&nbsp;also ended in mistrial when one person on the jury declined to find him guilty.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska state prosecutors are vowing to try a man for a fourth time following a third mistrial on charges accusing him of killing two people in an Omaha home in 2019.Last week, a judge declared a mistrial in the case against 24-year-old Nyir Kuek after jurors reported they were hopelessly deadlocked, 6-6, on whether to convict him.Kuek stands&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-357c6c4f12da46f3910f02401270e210">charged</a>&nbsp;with two counts of first-degree murder and other felony counts in the June 2019 shooting deaths of 50-year-old Tracy Atkins and 57-year-old Michael Sykora in their home. Investigators have said witnesses reported that Kuek and Sykora argued in the basement of the home before Kuek shot Sykora. Police believe Kuek then shot Atkins in Atkins' bedroom.Prosecutors have relied on circumstantial evidence, including the eyewitnesses, to try Kuek.Kuek’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-b6af592fae40be893aab07d09a55b7b9">first trial</a>&nbsp;ended in mistrial in 2020 when someone in the courtroom tested positive for COVID-19. His&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-shootings-omaha-6b0540a0daa96d0edc5f07d1e2c81823">second trial</a>&nbsp;also ended in mistrial when one person on the jury declined to find him guilty.

Third mistrial is declared in Nebraska double murder case, but prosecutors vow to try man again

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/27/federal-judge-says-norfolk-area-nrd-went-too-far-in-sanctioning-board-member/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

Editor’s note: This has been updated to include comment from the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District.

LINCOLN — A Norfolk-area natural resources district board likely went too far in censuring a member of its board for confirming to a newspaper she had filed a complaint against a fellow board member.

U.S. District Judge John Gerrard issued an order Wednesday granting a preliminary injunction sought by Melissa Temple against the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District. Temple represents eastern Norfolk for the 15-county NRD.&nbsp;

Gerrard wrote that the board likely violated Temple’s First Amendment rights by retaliating against her and limiting her access to travel reimbursements and per diem payments while doing board business. Temple was represented by the new First Amendment Clinic at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Nebraska law requires NRDs to reimburse board members “for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in connection with their duties,” Gerrard wrote. He found that the board’s actions had a potential “chilling effect” on Temple’s speech.&nbsp;

“If Temple continues to engage in protected speech, such as informing the press of how the sanctions are affecting her ability to govern, she might be subject to further sanctions,” Gerrard wrote. “Temple’s right to publicly criticize the LENRD’s decision is enshrined by the First Amendment.”

Gerrard wrote that based on history and tradition, a government “cannot suspend the pay of an elected official as a sanction” and that suspending “Temple’s right to receive reimbursements for out-of-district travel materially affects her ability to perform her duties for her constituents.”&nbsp;

The board, he wrote, has the authority to remove Temple from subcommittees but, the judge wrote, the NRD and its voters should question whether it should.

In August, the NRD board prohibited Temple for a year from being reimbursed for any board-related travel expenses outside the district or per-diem payments while working on board business. The board also stripped her position on any NRD subcommittees for the year.

In April, the board had rejected Temple’s complaint alleging fellow board member Scott Clausen had spoken condescendingly to women testifying to the board, dismissed public health threats to women and children and disparaged Temple’s intellect.

Clausen soon filed his own complaint, criticizing Temple for confirming her complaint to the Norfolk Daily News.

Temple on Wednesday said she was pleased with the judge’s order and that her case was “much larger than just me.” She said the order upholds and preserves “our fundamental freedoms.”

“It’s about the freedom to speak up without fear of retribution, the freedom to file complaints and not face unconstitutional forms of retaliation, and the freedom to fully do the job I was elected to do,” she said.

One of her lawyers, Daniel Gutman, said Temple and the clinic want to “vindicate these First Amendment rights.”&nbsp;

NRD attorney Don Blankenau had argued that as a legislative body, the board had wide discretion to discipline its members.&nbsp;

Blankenau and the NRD’s legal team argued Temple had not been limited in any way that infringed her rights or the rights of her voters.&nbsp;

Brian Bruckner, the NRD’s new general manager, said Thursday that the organization and its attorneys were aware of the judge’s order.

“The District has no other comment on the matter at this particular time other than to state that we respect the opinion of the Court and that we will comply with the terms of the order,” he said.&nbsp;

Gerrard had called on both parties earlier this month to find a way forward. Wednesday’s injunction stays in place until a trial is held or the case is otherwise resolved.

“Frankly, this whole ordeal has the potential to erode public confidence in the LENRD’s ability to govern,” the judge wrote. “The LENRD simply does not have the power, under Nebraska law and the United States Constitution, to withhold Temple’s reimbursement and per diem payments.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703783164678.jpeg" alt="Norfolk-area Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District board member Melissa Temple (Courtesy of Lower Elkhorn NRD)" />
 <figcaption>Norfolk-area Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District board member Melissa Temple (Courtesy of Lower Elkhorn NRD)</figcaption>
 </figure>Aaron Sanderford<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/27/federal-judge-says-norfolk-area-nrd-went-too-far-in-sanctioning-board-member/">Nebraska Examiner</a>Editor’s note: This has been updated to include comment from the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District.LINCOLN — A Norfolk-area natural resources district board likely went too far in censuring a member of its board for confirming to a newspaper she had filed a complaint against a fellow board member.U.S. District Judge John Gerrard issued an order Wednesday granting a preliminary injunction sought by Melissa Temple against the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District. Temple represents eastern Norfolk for the 15-county NRD.&nbsp;Gerrard wrote that the board likely violated Temple’s First Amendment rights by retaliating against her and limiting her access to travel reimbursements and per diem payments while doing board business. Temple was represented by the new First Amendment Clinic at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.Nebraska law requires NRDs to reimburse board members “for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in connection with their duties,” Gerrard wrote. He found that the board’s actions had a potential “chilling effect” on Temple’s speech.&nbsp;“If Temple continues to engage in protected speech, such as informing the press of how the sanctions are affecting her ability to govern, she might be subject to further sanctions,” Gerrard wrote. “Temple’s right to publicly criticize the LENRD’s decision is enshrined by the First Amendment.”<h2>‘Cannot suspend’ pay as sanction</h2>Gerrard wrote that based on history and tradition, a government “cannot suspend the pay of an elected official as a sanction” and that suspending “Temple’s right to receive reimbursements for out-of-district travel materially affects her ability to perform her duties for her constituents.”&nbsp;The board, he wrote, has the authority to remove Temple from subcommittees but, the judge wrote, the NRD and its voters should question whether it should.In August, the NRD board prohibited Temple for a year from being reimbursed for any board-related travel expenses outside the district or per-diem payments while working on board business. The board also stripped her position on any NRD subcommittees for the year.In April, the board had rejected Temple’s complaint alleging fellow board member Scott Clausen had spoken condescendingly to women testifying to the board, dismissed public health threats to women and children and disparaged Temple’s intellect.Clausen soon filed his own complaint, criticizing Temple for confirming her complaint to the Norfolk Daily News.<h2>Discretion to discipline</h2>Temple on Wednesday said she was pleased with the judge’s order and that her case was “much larger than just me.” She said the order upholds and preserves “our fundamental freedoms.”“It’s about the freedom to speak up without fear of retribution, the freedom to file complaints and not face unconstitutional forms of retaliation, and the freedom to fully do the job I was elected to do,” she said.One of her lawyers, Daniel Gutman, said Temple and the clinic want to “vindicate these First Amendment rights.”&nbsp;NRD attorney Don Blankenau had argued that as a legislative body, the board had wide discretion to discipline its members.&nbsp;Blankenau and the NRD’s legal team argued Temple had not been limited in any way that infringed her rights or the rights of her voters.&nbsp;Brian Bruckner, the NRD’s new general manager, said Thursday that the organization and its attorneys were aware of the judge’s order.“The District has no other comment on the matter at this particular time other than to state that we respect the opinion of the Court and that we will comply with the terms of the order,” he said.&nbsp;Gerrard had called on both parties earlier this month to find a way forward. Wednesday’s injunction stays in place until a trial is held or the case is otherwise resolved.“Frankly, this whole ordeal has the potential to erode public confidence in the LENRD’s ability to govern,” the judge wrote. “The LENRD simply does not have the power, under Nebraska law and the United States Constitution, to withhold Temple’s reimbursement and per diem payments.”

Federal judge says Norfolk-area NRD went too far in sanctioning board member 

MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — Demolition began Thursday on the house where four University of Idaho students were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/idaho-pennsylvania-indiana-education-homicide-9051569249b988b5afaa2414aa3f9bc8">killed last year</a>, marking an emotional step for the victims' families and a close-knit community that was shocked and devastated by the brutal stabbings.

The sounds of construction equipment pierced the early morning air as an excavator started tearing down the front part of the house. The former walls formed a large pile of crushed and smashed wood on the ground as debris was picked up and loaded into a dump truck.

The owner of the rental home near the university campus in Moscow, Idaho, donated it to the university earlier this year. It has since been boarded up and blocked off by a security fence. Students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were fatally stabbed there in November 2022.

School officials, who in February&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colleges-and-universities-idaho-880b83391a0b356e4c97d9571feba4d9">announced plans to raze the house</a>, view the demolition as a key step toward finding closure, university spokesperson Jodi Walker said.

“That is an area that is dense with students, and many students have to look at it and live with it every day and have expressed to us how much it will help with the healing process to have that house removed,” she said.

Contractors estimated that it would take a few hours for the house to be razed and several more after that to clear the site of debris, Walker said, adding that weather also will be a factor.

The site will be planted with grass at some point after the demolition, Walker said. She said there are no other plans for it as of now but the university may revisit that in the future.

Some of the victims' families have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/university-of-idaho-four-killed-house-demolition-plans-7cc56c336de7df600a6c48f5a5666cf2">opposed the demolition</a>, calling for the house to be preserved until after the man accused of the slayings has been tried.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/university-of-idaho-students-killings-arrest-b3b1ffd8138827f0bdad16d20e17cf83">Bryan Kohberger</a>, a former criminology graduate student at Washington State University in neighboring Pullman, Washington, has been charged with four counts of murder.

A judge entered a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/university-students-moscow-idaho-stabbings-kohberger-trial-1a827523479835293356998b51a1d897">not-guilty plea</a>&nbsp;on Kohberger's behalf earlier this year.

Prosecutors,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/idaho-kohberger-trial-dates-58258a8d58f1d30cd7e1afe31d07db3d">who hope to try Kohberger next summer</a>, told university officials in an email that they don't anticipate needing the house any further, as they were already able to gather measurements necessary for creating illustrative exhibits for a jury. They added that a jury visit to the site wouldn't be authorized given that the current condition of the house “is so substantially different” than at the time of the killings.

The Latah County prosecuting attorney’s office declined to comment, citing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kohberger-gag-order-idaho-killings-first-amendment-13eb9c5a669323bb4a71eb27ee086554">gag order</a>&nbsp;from an Idaho judge that restricts what lawyers in the case can say to the news media.

Kohberger’s defense team was given&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/idaho-students-killed-university-kohberger-home-demolish-2e55293f26f8ca7a6e4119cb61382576">access to the home earlier this month</a>&nbsp;to gather photos, measurements and other documentation. And in October, the FBI gathered at the house to collect data that could be used to create visual aids for jurors at the upcoming trial.

Kernodle, Mogen and Goncalves lived together in the rental home just across the street from campus. Chapin — Kernodle’s boyfriend — was there visiting on the night of the attack. All of them were friends and members of the university's Greek system. The killings left many of their classmates and residents of Moscow reeling with grief and fear.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1672924870681.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — Demolition began Thursday on the house where four University of Idaho students were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/idaho-pennsylvania-indiana-education-homicide-9051569249b988b5afaa2414aa3f9bc8">killed last year</a>, marking an emotional step for the victims' families and a close-knit community that was shocked and devastated by the brutal stabbings.The sounds of construction equipment pierced the early morning air as an excavator started tearing down the front part of the house. The former walls formed a large pile of crushed and smashed wood on the ground as debris was picked up and loaded into a dump truck.The owner of the rental home near the university campus in Moscow, Idaho, donated it to the university earlier this year. It has since been boarded up and blocked off by a security fence. Students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were fatally stabbed there in November 2022.School officials, who in February&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colleges-and-universities-idaho-880b83391a0b356e4c97d9571feba4d9">announced plans to raze the house</a>, view the demolition as a key step toward finding closure, university spokesperson Jodi Walker said.“That is an area that is dense with students, and many students have to look at it and live with it every day and have expressed to us how much it will help with the healing process to have that house removed,” she said.Contractors estimated that it would take a few hours for the house to be razed and several more after that to clear the site of debris, Walker said, adding that weather also will be a factor.The site will be planted with grass at some point after the demolition, Walker said. She said there are no other plans for it as of now but the university may revisit that in the future.Some of the victims' families have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/university-of-idaho-four-killed-house-demolition-plans-7cc56c336de7df600a6c48f5a5666cf2">opposed the demolition</a>, calling for the house to be preserved until after the man accused of the slayings has been tried.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/university-of-idaho-students-killings-arrest-b3b1ffd8138827f0bdad16d20e17cf83">Bryan Kohberger</a>, a former criminology graduate student at Washington State University in neighboring Pullman, Washington, has been charged with four counts of murder.A judge entered a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/university-students-moscow-idaho-stabbings-kohberger-trial-1a827523479835293356998b51a1d897">not-guilty plea</a>&nbsp;on Kohberger's behalf earlier this year.Prosecutors,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/idaho-kohberger-trial-dates-58258a8d58f1d30cd7e1afe31d07db3d">who hope to try Kohberger next summer</a>, told university officials in an email that they don't anticipate needing the house any further, as they were already able to gather measurements necessary for creating illustrative exhibits for a jury. They added that a jury visit to the site wouldn't be authorized given that the current condition of the house “is so substantially different” than at the time of the killings.The Latah County prosecuting attorney’s office declined to comment, citing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kohberger-gag-order-idaho-killings-first-amendment-13eb9c5a669323bb4a71eb27ee086554">gag order</a>&nbsp;from an Idaho judge that restricts what lawyers in the case can say to the news media.Kohberger’s defense team was given&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/idaho-students-killed-university-kohberger-home-demolish-2e55293f26f8ca7a6e4119cb61382576">access to the home earlier this month</a>&nbsp;to gather photos, measurements and other documentation. And in October, the FBI gathered at the house to collect data that could be used to create visual aids for jurors at the upcoming trial.Kernodle, Mogen and Goncalves lived together in the rental home just across the street from campus. Chapin — Kernodle’s boyfriend — was there visiting on the night of the attack. All of them were friends and members of the university's Greek system. The killings left many of their classmates and residents of Moscow reeling with grief and fear.

House where 4 University of Idaho students were killed is being demolished

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden pardoned thousands of people who were convicted of use and simple possession of marijuana on federal lands and in the District of Columbia, the White House said Friday, in his latest round of executive clemencies meant to rectify racial disparities in the justice system.

The categorical pardon builds on a similar round issued&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-marijuana-government-and-politics-2d5e3d9e2cfbbbe3ee114536738894a8">just before the 2022 midterm elections</a>&nbsp;that pardoned thousands convicted of simple possession on federal lands eligible. Friday’s action broadens the criminal offenses covered by the pardon. Biden is also granting clemency to 11 people serving what the White House called “disproportionately long” sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.

Biden, in a statement, said his actions would help make the “promise of equal justice a reality.”

“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

No one was freed from prison under last year's action, but the pardons were meant to help thousands overcome obstacles to renting a home or finding a job. Similarly, no federal prisoners are eligible for release as a result of Friday's pardon.

But the order expands the grounds on which pardons are issued. In the last round, people were pardoned for simple possession under only one criminal statute. Friday's pardons also apply to several other criminal statutes, including attempted simple possession.

Biden's order applies only to marijuana, which has been decriminalized or legalized in many states for some or all uses, but remains a controlled substance under federal law. U.S. regulators are studying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-federal-regulation-reclassifying-health-b0b5fc3d34a83d2c95db1665f8149d42">reclassifying</a>&nbsp;the drug from the category of drugs deemed to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse," known as “Schedule I,” to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III.”

The pardon also does not apply to those in the U.S. unlawfully at the time of their offense.

Biden's proclamation effectively pardons the covered people, but they will need to submit applications to the Justice Department's pardon attorney office to receive certificates of pardon that can be used for housing and employment purposes.

Biden on Friday reiterated his call on governors and local leaders to take similar steps to erase marijuana convictions.

By Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden pardoned thousands of people who were convicted of use and simple possession of marijuana on federal lands and in the District of Columbia, the White House said Friday, in his latest round of executive clemencies meant to rectify racial disparities in the justice system.The categorical pardon builds on a similar round issued&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-marijuana-government-and-politics-2d5e3d9e2cfbbbe3ee114536738894a8">just before the 2022 midterm elections</a>&nbsp;that pardoned thousands convicted of simple possession on federal lands eligible. Friday’s action broadens the criminal offenses covered by the pardon. Biden is also granting clemency to 11 people serving what the White House called “disproportionately long” sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.Biden, in a statement, said his actions would help make the “promise of equal justice a reality.”“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”No one was freed from prison under last year's action, but the pardons were meant to help thousands overcome obstacles to renting a home or finding a job. Similarly, no federal prisoners are eligible for release as a result of Friday's pardon.But the order expands the grounds on which pardons are issued. In the last round, people were pardoned for simple possession under only one criminal statute. Friday's pardons also apply to several other criminal statutes, including attempted simple possession.Biden's order applies only to marijuana, which has been decriminalized or legalized in many states for some or all uses, but remains a controlled substance under federal law. U.S. regulators are studying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-federal-regulation-reclassifying-health-b0b5fc3d34a83d2c95db1665f8149d42">reclassifying</a>&nbsp;the drug from the category of drugs deemed to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse," known as “Schedule I,” to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III.”The pardon also does not apply to those in the U.S. unlawfully at the time of their offense.Biden's proclamation effectively pardons the covered people, but they will need to submit applications to the Justice Department's pardon attorney office to receive certificates of pardon that can be used for housing and employment purposes.Biden on Friday reiterated his call on governors and local leaders to take similar steps to erase marijuana convictions.

Biden pardons thousands convicted of marijuana on federal lands, in Washington

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Republican Party on Wednesday appealed that state's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-insurrection-14th-amendment-2024-colorado-d16dd8f354eeaf450558378c65fd79a2">supreme court decision</a>&nbsp;that found former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is ineligible for the presidency, the potential first step to a showdown at the nation's highest court over the meaning of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-insurrection-14th-amendment-2024-colorado-79373b5043976588b599fc00ede049e8">a 155-year-old constitutional provision</a>&nbsp;that bans from office those who “engaged in insurrection.”

The first impact of the appeal is to extend the stay of the 4-3 ruling from Colorado's highest court, which put its decision on pause until Jan. 4, the day before the state's primary ballots are due at the printer, or until an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is finished. Trump himself has said he still plans to appeal the ruling to the nation's highest court as well.

The U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was added after the Civil War to prevent former Confederates from returning to government. It says that anyone who swore an oath to “support” the constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” against it cannot hold government office.

The Colorado high court ruled that applies to Trump in the wake of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, intended to stop the certification of President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election. It was the first time in history that the provision was used to block a presidential contender's campaign.

“The Colorado Supreme Court has removed the leading Republican candidate from the primary and general ballots, fundamentally changing the course of American democracy,” the party's attorneys wrote. The filing was posted on the website of a group run by Jay Sekulow, a former attorney for Trump representing the Colorado Republican Party who announced he was filing the appeal Wednesday. Colorado Republican Party chairman Dave Williams also said the appeal was filed Wednesday.

The attorneys added: “Unless the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision is overturned, any voter will have the power to sue to disqualify any political candidate, in Colorado or in any other jurisdiction that follows its lead. This will not only distort the 2024 presidential election but will also mire courts henceforth in political controversies over nebulous accusations of insurrection.”

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to take the case, either after the Colorado GOP's appeal or Trump's own appeal. If Trump ends up off the ballot in Colorado, it would have minimal effect on his campaign because he doesn't need the state, which he lost by 13 percentage points in 2020, to win the Electoral College in the presidential election. But it could open the door to courts or election officials striking him from the ballot in other must-win states.

Sean Grimsley, an attorney for the plaintiffs seeking to disqualify Trump in Colorado, said on a legal podcast last week that he hopes the nation's highest court hurries once it accepts the case, as he expects it will. “We obviously are going to ask for an extremely accelerated timeline because of all the reasons I’ve stated, we have a primary coming up on Super Tuesday and we need to know the answer,” Grimsley said.

More than a dozen states, including Colorado, are scheduled to hold primaries March 5 — Super Tuesday.

To date, no other court has sided with those who have filed dozens of lawsuits to disqualify Trump under Section 3, nor has any election official been willing to remove him from the ballot unilaterally without a court order.

The Colorado case was considered the one with the greatest chance of success, however, because it was filed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-14th-amendment-insurrection-2024-election-ballot-9c5f79203109ba221b35a48e708ad725">a Washington D.C.-based liberal group</a>&nbsp;with ample legal resources. All seven of the Colorado high court justices were appointed by Democrats.

However, the unprecedented constitutional questions in the case haven't split on neatly partisan lines. Several prominent conservative legal theorists are among the most vocal advocates of disqualifying Trump under Section 3. They argue the plain meaning of the constitutional language bars him from running again, just as clearly as if he didn't meet the document's minimum age of 35 for the presidency.

The half-dozen plaintiffs in the Colorado case are all Republican or unaffiliated voters.

Trump has been scathing about the cases, calling them “election interference.” He continued that on Wednesday as he cheered a ruling earlier that day by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-insurrection-14th-amendment-ballot-michigan-colorado-b5a5d9ffa75efa63ab4780b04329e2a2">Michigan Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;leaving him on the ballot, at least for the primary, in that state.

“The Colorado people have embarrassed our nation with what they did," Trump said on Sean Hannity's radio show.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703040304815.png" alt="“The Colorado people have embarrassed our nation with what they did," Trump said on Sean Hannity's radio show-File photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>“The Colorado people have embarrassed our nation with what they did," Trump said on Sean Hannity's radio show-File photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Republican Party on Wednesday appealed that state's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-insurrection-14th-amendment-2024-colorado-d16dd8f354eeaf450558378c65fd79a2">supreme court decision</a>&nbsp;that found former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is ineligible for the presidency, the potential first step to a showdown at the nation's highest court over the meaning of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-insurrection-14th-amendment-2024-colorado-79373b5043976588b599fc00ede049e8">a 155-year-old constitutional provision</a>&nbsp;that bans from office those who “engaged in insurrection.”The first impact of the appeal is to extend the stay of the 4-3 ruling from Colorado's highest court, which put its decision on pause until Jan. 4, the day before the state's primary ballots are due at the printer, or until an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is finished. Trump himself has said he still plans to appeal the ruling to the nation's highest court as well.The U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was added after the Civil War to prevent former Confederates from returning to government. It says that anyone who swore an oath to “support” the constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” against it cannot hold government office.The Colorado high court ruled that applies to Trump in the wake of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, intended to stop the certification of President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election. It was the first time in history that the provision was used to block a presidential contender's campaign.“The Colorado Supreme Court has removed the leading Republican candidate from the primary and general ballots, fundamentally changing the course of American democracy,” the party's attorneys wrote. The filing was posted on the website of a group run by Jay Sekulow, a former attorney for Trump representing the Colorado Republican Party who announced he was filing the appeal Wednesday. Colorado Republican Party chairman Dave Williams also said the appeal was filed Wednesday.The attorneys added: “Unless the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision is overturned, any voter will have the power to sue to disqualify any political candidate, in Colorado or in any other jurisdiction that follows its lead. This will not only distort the 2024 presidential election but will also mire courts henceforth in political controversies over nebulous accusations of insurrection.”The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to take the case, either after the Colorado GOP's appeal or Trump's own appeal. If Trump ends up off the ballot in Colorado, it would have minimal effect on his campaign because he doesn't need the state, which he lost by 13 percentage points in 2020, to win the Electoral College in the presidential election. But it could open the door to courts or election officials striking him from the ballot in other must-win states.Sean Grimsley, an attorney for the plaintiffs seeking to disqualify Trump in Colorado, said on a legal podcast last week that he hopes the nation's highest court hurries once it accepts the case, as he expects it will. “We obviously are going to ask for an extremely accelerated timeline because of all the reasons I’ve stated, we have a primary coming up on Super Tuesday and we need to know the answer,” Grimsley said.More than a dozen states, including Colorado, are scheduled to hold primaries March 5 — Super Tuesday.To date, no other court has sided with those who have filed dozens of lawsuits to disqualify Trump under Section 3, nor has any election official been willing to remove him from the ballot unilaterally without a court order.The Colorado case was considered the one with the greatest chance of success, however, because it was filed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-14th-amendment-insurrection-2024-election-ballot-9c5f79203109ba221b35a48e708ad725">a Washington D.C.-based liberal group</a>&nbsp;with ample legal resources. All seven of the Colorado high court justices were appointed by Democrats.However, the unprecedented constitutional questions in the case haven't split on neatly partisan lines. Several prominent conservative legal theorists are among the most vocal advocates of disqualifying Trump under Section 3. They argue the plain meaning of the constitutional language bars him from running again, just as clearly as if he didn't meet the document's minimum age of 35 for the presidency.The half-dozen plaintiffs in the Colorado case are all Republican or unaffiliated voters.Trump has been scathing about the cases, calling them “election interference.” He continued that on Wednesday as he cheered a ruling earlier that day by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-insurrection-14th-amendment-ballot-michigan-colorado-b5a5d9ffa75efa63ab4780b04329e2a2">Michigan Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;leaving him on the ballot, at least for the primary, in that state.“The Colorado people have embarrassed our nation with what they did," Trump said on Sean Hannity's radio show.

US Supreme Court asked to consider Trump's ballot ban in Colorado

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/26/appeals-court-reverses-fortenberrys-federal-conviction-based-on-trial-location/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Former Nebraska U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry is no longer a convicted felon. But he could face a second trial closer to home or nearer the seat of federal governance.&nbsp;

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Fortenberry’s conviction Tuesday for lying to or misleading FBI agents investigating foreign funds being funneled into congressional campaigns, including Fortenberry’s. Federal law prohibits raising or using foreign funds in congressional races to limit outside influence.&nbsp;

The appeals court, based in California, agreed with Fortenberry’s October appeal that federal prosecutors should have tried his case in one of two districts where his alleged offenses occurred instead of in Los Angeles, where the FBI agents were based and where the original fundraiser in question occurred.

In Fortenberry’s case, the court wrote, that should be in Nebraska or Washington, D.C., where FBI agents interviewed him.

The crux of his appeal was that he was not afforded a chance at a trial venue closer to where the alleged crimes occurred.&nbsp;

Federal prosecutors had argued that at least three circuit court decisions had concluded trials can have a proper venue where a crime was committed or where one was “directed.”&nbsp;

<a target="_blank" href="https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2023/12/26/22-50144.pdf">The 9th Circuit judges wrote</a>&nbsp;that because the core of the alleged crime was the moment when Fortenberry allegedly lied or misled federal agents, it mattered little where the fundraising occurred or where the federal agents were based.&nbsp;

“The only connection between Fortenberry and the Central District of California, where he was tried and convicted, was that the agents worked in a Los Angeles office,” the appeals court wrote.

Fortenberry, in a statement, said his family was “gratified by the Ninth Circuit’s decision.”

“Celeste and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship,” he said, mentioning his wife.

California-based FBI agents in 2015 began looking into campaign donations by Lebanese billionaire Gilbert Chagoury. Former U.S. Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood were among the other officials whose campaign finances were probed. Terry has said he gave away a $5,200 donation he received after learning about the FBI investigation.

Court documents, testimony, and recordings indicate that Fortenberry denied knowing about the $30,000 in illegal contributions from Chagoury that his campaign collected during a 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles.&nbsp;

During the trial, prosecutors played a June 2018 recording of Fortenberry speaking with the organizer of the L.A. fundraiser. On it, the organizer, a federal informant, told Fortenberry the $30,000 was likely illegal, that it had been delivered in a paper sack from an associate of Chagoury’s.

Fortenberry denied knowledge of any illegal contributions during an interview with the FBI at his home in March 2019. During a followup interview at his lawyer’s office later in 2019, he also denied any knowledge of the donations being illegal. His attorneys argued that he had misheard, forgot or had a bad connection during the call in which he was told the contributions were illegal.&nbsp;

Fortenberry had been a longtime supporter of the mission of Chagoury’s organization, In Defense of Christians, which works to protect Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East. Chagoury lives in France.&nbsp;

In March, a California jury convicted Fortenberry of three felonies: two counts of lying to or misleading federal investigators and one count of concealing an illegal campaign donation by failing to report the donation.

Prosecutors had sought a six-month prison sentence. The judge sentenced Fortenberry to two years’ probation, a $25,000 fine and 320 hours of community service. The congressman resigned from office in March 2022. After leaving Congress, he went to work in the private sector in Lincoln.

The ruling chided prosecutors for pursuing a trial in California when Fortenberry faced no federal charge alleged to have occurred in that state. It will be up to federal prosecutors whether to retry the case in a different venue.

“This outlandish outcome cannot be squared with the Constitution,” the court wrote. “The Venue and Vicinage Clauses command that a trial be held where the crime was committed.”

In a statement from spokesman Thom Mrozek, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles said, “The ruling does not preclude a retrial on the charges that then-Congressman Fortenberry made multiple false statements to federal agents. We are evaluating potential next steps before deciding how best to move forward.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703773103780.jpeg" alt="U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, flanked by his wife and other family members, speaks to reporters after the guilty verdicts. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, flanked by his wife and other family members, speaks to reporters after the guilty verdicts. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Aaron Sanderford<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/26/appeals-court-reverses-fortenberrys-federal-conviction-based-on-trial-location/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Former Nebraska U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry is no longer a convicted felon. But he could face a second trial closer to home or nearer the seat of federal governance.&nbsp;The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Fortenberry’s conviction Tuesday for lying to or misleading FBI agents investigating foreign funds being funneled into congressional campaigns, including Fortenberry’s. Federal law prohibits raising or using foreign funds in congressional races to limit outside influence.&nbsp;The appeals court, based in California, agreed with Fortenberry’s October appeal that federal prosecutors should have tried his case in one of two districts where his alleged offenses occurred instead of in Los Angeles, where the FBI agents were based and where the original fundraiser in question occurred.In Fortenberry’s case, the court wrote, that should be in Nebraska or Washington, D.C., where FBI agents interviewed him.<h2>Where crime was committed</h2>The crux of his appeal was that he was not afforded a chance at a trial venue closer to where the alleged crimes occurred.&nbsp;Federal prosecutors had argued that at least three circuit court decisions had concluded trials can have a proper venue where a crime was committed or where one was “directed.”&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2023/12/26/22-50144.pdf">The 9th Circuit judges wrote</a>&nbsp;that because the core of the alleged crime was the moment when Fortenberry allegedly lied or misled federal agents, it mattered little where the fundraising occurred or where the federal agents were based.&nbsp;“The only connection between Fortenberry and the Central District of California, where he was tried and convicted, was that the agents worked in a Los Angeles office,” the appeals court wrote.Fortenberry, in a statement, said his family was “gratified by the Ninth Circuit’s decision.”“Celeste and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship,” he said, mentioning his wife.<h2>Foreign campaign funds</h2>California-based FBI agents in 2015 began looking into campaign donations by Lebanese billionaire Gilbert Chagoury. Former U.S. Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood were among the other officials whose campaign finances were probed. Terry has said he gave away a $5,200 donation he received after learning about the FBI investigation.Court documents, testimony, and recordings indicate that Fortenberry denied knowing about the $30,000 in illegal contributions from Chagoury that his campaign collected during a 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles.&nbsp;During the trial, prosecutors played a June 2018 recording of Fortenberry speaking with the organizer of the L.A. fundraiser. On it, the organizer, a federal informant, told Fortenberry the $30,000 was likely illegal, that it had been delivered in a paper sack from an associate of Chagoury’s.Fortenberry denied knowledge of any illegal contributions during an interview with the FBI at his home in March 2019. During a followup interview at his lawyer’s office later in 2019, he also denied any knowledge of the donations being illegal. His attorneys argued that he had misheard, forgot or had a bad connection during the call in which he was told the contributions were illegal.&nbsp;Fortenberry had been a longtime supporter of the mission of Chagoury’s organization, In Defense of Christians, which works to protect Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East. Chagoury lives in France.&nbsp;<h2>Could lead to new trial</h2>In March, a California jury convicted Fortenberry of three felonies: two counts of lying to or misleading federal investigators and one count of concealing an illegal campaign donation by failing to report the donation.Prosecutors had sought a six-month prison sentence. The judge sentenced Fortenberry to two years’ probation, a $25,000 fine and 320 hours of community service. The congressman resigned from office in March 2022. After leaving Congress, he went to work in the private sector in Lincoln.The ruling chided prosecutors for pursuing a trial in California when Fortenberry faced no federal charge alleged to have occurred in that state. It will be up to federal prosecutors whether to retry the case in a different venue.“This outlandish outcome cannot be squared with the Constitution,” the court wrote. “The Venue and Vicinage Clauses command that a trial be held where the crime was committed.”In a statement from spokesman Thom Mrozek, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles said, “The ruling does not preclude a retrial on the charges that then-Congressman Fortenberry made multiple false statements to federal agents. We are evaluating potential next steps before deciding how best to move forward.”

Appeals court reverses Fortenberry’s federal conviction based on trial location

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>&nbsp;was asked Wednesday by a New Hampshire voter about the reason for the Civil War, and she didn’t mention slavery in her response — leading the voter to say he was “astonished” by her omission.

Asked during a town hall in Berlin, New Hampshire, what she believed had caused the war — the first shots of which were fired in her home state of South Carolina — Haley talked about the role of government, replying that it involved “the freedoms of what people could and couldn't do.”

She then turned the question back to the man who had asked it, who replied that he was not the one running for president and wished instead to know her answer.

After Haley went into a lengthier explanation about the role of government, individual freedom and capitalism, the questioner seemed to admonish Haley, saying, “In the year 2023, it’s astonishing to me that you answer that question without mentioning the word slavery.”

“What do you want me to say about slavery?" Haley retorted, before abruptly moving on to the next question.

Haley, who served six years as South Carolina's governor, has been competing for a distant second place to Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. She has frequently said during her campaign that she would compete in the first three states before returning “to the sweet state of South Carolina, and we’ll finish it” in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nikki-haley-donald-trump-south-carolina-56c0ceb5b1b93a46df87e9e88342f7f2">Feb. 24 primary</a>.

Haley's campaign did not immediately return a message seeking comment on her response. The campaign of Florida Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis,</a>&nbsp;another of Haley's GOP foes, recirculated video of the exchange on social media, adding the comment, “Yikes.”

Issues surrounding the origins of the Civil War and its heritage are still much of the fabric of Haley’s home state, and she has been pressed on the war’s origins before. As she ran for governor in 2010, Haley, in an interview with a now-defunct activist group then known as The Palmetto Patriots, described the war as between two disparate sides fighting for “tradition” and “change” and said the Confederate flag was “not something that is racist.”

During that same campaign, she dismissed the need for the flag to come down from the Statehouse grounds, portraying her Democratic rival’s push for its removal as a desperate political stunt.

Five years later, Haley urged lawmakers to remove the flag from its perch near a Confederate soldier monument following a mass shooting in which a white gunman killed eight Black church members who were attending Bible study. At the time, Haley said the flag had been “hijacked” by the shooter from those who saw the flag as symbolizing “sacrifice and heritage.”

South Carolina’s Ordinance of Secession — the 1860 proclamation by the state government outlining its reasons for seceding from the Union — mentions slavery in its opening sentence and points to the “increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the institution of slavery” as a reason for the state removing itself from the Union.

On Wednesday night, Christale Spain — elected this year as the first Black woman to chair South Carolina’s Democratic Party — said Haley’s response was “vile, but unsurprising.”

“The same person who refused to take down the Confederate Flag until the tragedy in Charleston, and tried to justify a Confederate History Month," Spain said in a post on X, of Haley. “She’s just as MAGA as Trump,” Spain added, referring to Trump's ”Make America Great Again" slogan.

Jaime Harrison, current chairman of the Democratic National Committee and South Carolina's party chairman during part of Haley's tenure as governor, said her response was “not stunning if you were a Black resident in SC when she was Governor."

“Same person who said the confederate flag was about tradition &amp; heritage and as a minority woman she was the right person to defend keeping it on state house grounds,” Harrison posted Wednesday night on X. “Some may have forgotten but I haven’t. Time to take off the rose colored Nikki Haley glasses folks.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703768720495.png" alt="Photo Nikki Haley campaign" />
 <figcaption>Photo Nikki Haley campaign</figcaption>
 </figure>COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>&nbsp;was asked Wednesday by a New Hampshire voter about the reason for the Civil War, and she didn’t mention slavery in her response — leading the voter to say he was “astonished” by her omission.Asked during a town hall in Berlin, New Hampshire, what she believed had caused the war — the first shots of which were fired in her home state of South Carolina — Haley talked about the role of government, replying that it involved “the freedoms of what people could and couldn't do.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Asked what caused the Civil War, Nikki Haley refuses to mention slavery: “What do you want me to say about slavery? Next question.” <a href="https://t.co/cEMW3Cn9ku">pic.twitter.com/cEMW3Cn9ku</a>&mdash; Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/BidenHQ/status/1740199494380118313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>She then turned the question back to the man who had asked it, who replied that he was not the one running for president and wished instead to know her answer.After Haley went into a lengthier explanation about the role of government, individual freedom and capitalism, the questioner seemed to admonish Haley, saying, “In the year 2023, it’s astonishing to me that you answer that question without mentioning the word slavery.”“What do you want me to say about slavery?" Haley retorted, before abruptly moving on to the next question.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703774281490.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Haley, who served six years as South Carolina's governor, has been competing for a distant second place to Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. She has frequently said during her campaign that she would compete in the first three states before returning “to the sweet state of South Carolina, and we’ll finish it” in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nikki-haley-donald-trump-south-carolina-56c0ceb5b1b93a46df87e9e88342f7f2">Feb. 24 primary</a>.Haley's campaign did not immediately return a message seeking comment on her response. The campaign of Florida Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis,</a>&nbsp;another of Haley's GOP foes, recirculated video of the exchange on social media, adding the comment, “Yikes.”Issues surrounding the origins of the Civil War and its heritage are still much of the fabric of Haley’s home state, and she has been pressed on the war’s origins before. As she ran for governor in 2010, Haley, in an interview with a now-defunct activist group then known as The Palmetto Patriots, described the war as between two disparate sides fighting for “tradition” and “change” and said the Confederate flag was “not something that is racist.”During that same campaign, she dismissed the need for the flag to come down from the Statehouse grounds, portraying her Democratic rival’s push for its removal as a desperate political stunt.Five years later, Haley urged lawmakers to remove the flag from its perch near a Confederate soldier monument following a mass shooting in which a white gunman killed eight Black church members who were attending Bible study. At the time, Haley said the flag had been “hijacked” by the shooter from those who saw the flag as symbolizing “sacrifice and heritage.”South Carolina’s Ordinance of Secession — the 1860 proclamation by the state government outlining its reasons for seceding from the Union — mentions slavery in its opening sentence and points to the “increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the institution of slavery” as a reason for the state removing itself from the Union.On Wednesday night, Christale Spain — elected this year as the first Black woman to chair South Carolina’s Democratic Party — said Haley’s response was “vile, but unsurprising.”“The same person who refused to take down the Confederate Flag until the tragedy in Charleston, and tried to justify a Confederate History Month," Spain said in a post on X, of Haley. “She’s just as MAGA as Trump,” Spain added, referring to Trump's ”Make America Great Again" slogan.Jaime Harrison, current chairman of the Democratic National Committee and South Carolina's party chairman during part of Haley's tenure as governor, said her response was “not stunning if you were a Black resident in SC when she was Governor."“Same person who said the confederate flag was about tradition &amp; heritage and as a minority woman she was the right person to defend keeping it on state house grounds,” Harrison posted Wednesday night on X. “Some may have forgotten but I haven’t. Time to take off the rose colored Nikki Haley glasses folks.”___

🎥Presidential candidate flubbed simple question about the Civil War

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A judge has ordered a woman who set fire to Wyoming's only full-service abortion clinic to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution, the full amount sought by prosecutors.

Lorna Green is serving five years in prison for burning Wellspring Health Access weeks before the clinic was set to open in Casper in 2022. The fire gutted the building while it was being renovated for the new clinic and delayed its opening by almost a year.

After&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wyoming-abortion-clinic-arson-opens-f149c165fdaa0956fecdbff75488f7cb">opening</a>&nbsp;this past April, Wellspring is now the only abortion clinic in Wyoming. A clinic in Jackson that provided pill abortions closed Dec. 15 due to rising costs.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson ordered Green, 22, to pay about $298,000 in restitution including $240,000 to Nationwide General Insurance Company, the clinic's insurer.

Green must also pay $33,500 to the building's owner, Christine Lichtenfels, and $24,500 to Julie Burkhart, founder and president of Wellspring Health Access. Burkhart expressed satisfaction with the restitution.

“Not only did we have the emotional struggle and that trauma from the arson but also it was quite challenging for us financially. So I’m glad this is the final piece and it has been put to rest,” Burkhart said Wednesday.

The restitution was identical to the amounts sought by prosecutors and unopposed by Green's attorney, Ryan Semerad, who in an emailed statement said Wednesday that Green “looks forward to a productive and peaceful life after her term of incarceration."

Green has expressed remorse for the crime, which she said was driven by anxiety and nightmares about the planned clinic. The Casper College mechanical engineering student had shown no sign of anti-abortion views on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-clinic-wyoming-fire-arrest-6796b5c4ed39f858c1694a01ea06f985">social media</a>&nbsp;but told investigators she opposed abortion.

She admitted driving from Laramie to Casper, breaking into the clinic through a door and lighting gasoline she poured in trays and splashed on the floor. After months of little progress, investigators increased the reward to $15,000 and got tips leading to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wyoming-abortion-clinic-fire-arrest-4524825ae149b37a677fbfe72ce76400">Green's arrest</a>&nbsp;in March.

Green pleaded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wyoming-abortion-clinic-fire-bf23a8e3bd37c429a274b4e16cf2607f">guilty</a>&nbsp;in June to arson and in September&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wyoming-abortion-clinic-fire-woman-sentenced-88a92fca874acca5b781c99ac0ba9b6d">received</a>&nbsp;the minimum prison sentence. She had faced up to 20 years in prison.

The arson and eventual opening of the clinic happened as new laws in Wyoming seek to ban abortion in nearly all cases. The laws, including the nation's first explicit ban on abortion pills, have been put on hold by a judge amid a lawsuit filed by four women and two nonprofits including Wellspring Health Access.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703715096976.png" alt="Green photo following her initial arrest - Natrona County Sheriff's " />
 <figcaption>Green photo following her initial arrest - Natrona County Sheriff's </figcaption>
 </figure>CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A judge has ordered a woman who set fire to Wyoming's only full-service abortion clinic to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution, the full amount sought by prosecutors.Lorna Green is serving five years in prison for burning Wellspring Health Access weeks before the clinic was set to open in Casper in 2022. The fire gutted the building while it was being renovated for the new clinic and delayed its opening by almost a year.After&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wyoming-abortion-clinic-arson-opens-f149c165fdaa0956fecdbff75488f7cb">opening</a>&nbsp;this past April, Wellspring is now the only abortion clinic in Wyoming. A clinic in Jackson that provided pill abortions closed Dec. 15 due to rising costs.On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson ordered Green, 22, to pay about $298,000 in restitution including $240,000 to Nationwide General Insurance Company, the clinic's insurer.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703715255058.png" alt="Green as seen on security camera -image Casper Police" />
 <figcaption>Green as seen on security camera -image Casper Police</figcaption>
 </figure>Green must also pay $33,500 to the building's owner, Christine Lichtenfels, and $24,500 to Julie Burkhart, founder and president of Wellspring Health Access. Burkhart expressed satisfaction with the restitution.“Not only did we have the emotional struggle and that trauma from the arson but also it was quite challenging for us financially. So I’m glad this is the final piece and it has been put to rest,” Burkhart said Wednesday.The restitution was identical to the amounts sought by prosecutors and unopposed by Green's attorney, Ryan Semerad, who in an emailed statement said Wednesday that Green “looks forward to a productive and peaceful life after her term of incarceration."Green has expressed remorse for the crime, which she said was driven by anxiety and nightmares about the planned clinic. The Casper College mechanical engineering student had shown no sign of anti-abortion views on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-clinic-wyoming-fire-arrest-6796b5c4ed39f858c1694a01ea06f985">social media</a>&nbsp;but told investigators she opposed abortion.She admitted driving from Laramie to Casper, breaking into the clinic through a door and lighting gasoline she poured in trays and splashed on the floor. After months of little progress, investigators increased the reward to $15,000 and got tips leading to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wyoming-abortion-clinic-fire-arrest-4524825ae149b37a677fbfe72ce76400">Green's arrest</a>&nbsp;in March.Green pleaded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wyoming-abortion-clinic-fire-bf23a8e3bd37c429a274b4e16cf2607f">guilty</a>&nbsp;in June to arson and in September&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wyoming-abortion-clinic-fire-woman-sentenced-88a92fca874acca5b781c99ac0ba9b6d">received</a>&nbsp;the minimum prison sentence. She had faced up to 20 years in prison.The arson and eventual opening of the clinic happened as new laws in Wyoming seek to ban abortion in nearly all cases. The laws, including the nation's first explicit ban on abortion pills, have been put on hold by a judge amid a lawsuit filed by four women and two nonprofits including Wellspring Health Access.

Woman who burned abortion clinic fined nearly $300K

By&nbsp;Joseph Clark&nbsp;, Department of Defense&nbsp;

The Defense Department on Wednesday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3627179/biden-administration-announces-new-security-assistance-for-ukraine/">announced a security assistance package for Ukraine</a>&nbsp;valued at up to $250 million.&nbsp;

The package includes air defense capabilities, artillery and antitank weapons and other equipment to help Ukraine in its continued fight to counter Russia's unprovoked invasion. &nbsp;

The latest round of assistance marks the 54th drawdown of military equipment for Ukraine from DOD inventories since August 2021.&nbsp;

It comes amid negotiations on Capitol Hill over President Joe Biden's supplemental request to Congress to continue critical funding for military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. &nbsp;

Defense officials have warned that, without action from Congress, further U.S. assistance for Ukraine could be in jeopardy at a critical time as Russia's war approaches the two-year mark.&nbsp;

"We would, again, continue to urge the passage of the supplemental that we've submitted," Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a briefing last week.&nbsp;

"As you look at the situation that Ukraine finds itself in, we will obviously continue to support them," Ryder said. "But it is imperative that we have the funds needed to ensure that they get the most urgent battlefield capabilities that they require."&nbsp;

In a recent letter to lawmakers, DOD comptroller Michael J. McCord said the department would be obligating the remaining $1 billion in funds authorized by Congress to replace U.S. inventories of weapons provided to Ukraine by the end of this month.&nbsp;

The security assistance package announced today is likely the last until Congress authorizes additional funds.&nbsp;

Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Washington to meet with Biden, defense officials and lawmakers. During those talks, Zelenskyy extended his gratitude for the United States' support and underscored his country's urgent need for that support to continue.&nbsp;

After meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House, Biden pledged that the U.S. "will not walk away from Ukraine," as he implored lawmakers to authorize additional funding.&nbsp;

"The brave people in Ukraine have defied [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's will at every turn, backed by the strong and unwavering support of the United States and our allies and partners in more than 50 nations in Europe and the Indo-Pacific," Biden said. "Ukraine will emerge from this war proud, free and firmly rooted in the West unless we walk away."&nbsp;

He said he would continue to provide U.S. military assistance for as long as congressionally approved funds are available. &nbsp;

"Without supplemental funding, we are rapidly coming to an end of our ability to help Ukraine respond to the urgent operational demands that it has," he said.&nbsp;

"Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine," he continued. "We must prove him wrong." &nbsp;&nbsp;

In introductory remarks ahead of Zelenskyy's address at National Defense University in Washington, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III also underscored the United States' "unshakable" commitment to supporting Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression.&nbsp;

"Ukraine matters profoundly to America's security and to the trajectory of global security in the 21st century," Austin said. "That's why the United States has committed more than $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine's brave defenders." He added that the U.S.-led coalition of allies and partners have also contributed more than $37 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. &nbsp;

Austin said those contributions include capabilities that "are making a crucial difference on the battlefield" and have helped Ukraine retake more than half of the territory seized by Russia since February 2022.&nbsp;

He said the U.S. and its allies and partners remain "determined to help Ukraine consolidate and extend its battlefield gains and to build a future force that can ward off Russian aggression in the years ahead."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702427915109.png" alt="President Joe Biden shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they meet in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 13-photo courtesy CSPAN&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>President Joe Biden shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they meet in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 13-photo courtesy CSPAN&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;Joseph Clark&nbsp;, Department of Defense&nbsp;The Defense Department on Wednesday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3627179/biden-administration-announces-new-security-assistance-for-ukraine/">announced a security assistance package for Ukraine</a>&nbsp;valued at up to $250 million.&nbsp;The package includes air defense capabilities, artillery and antitank weapons and other equipment to help Ukraine in its continued fight to counter Russia's unprovoked invasion. &nbsp;The latest round of assistance marks the 54th drawdown of military equipment for Ukraine from DOD inventories since August 2021.&nbsp;It comes amid negotiations on Capitol Hill over President Joe Biden's supplemental request to Congress to continue critical funding for military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. &nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703760951484.png" alt="An airman attached to the 436th Aerial Port Squadron loads cargo during a Ukraine security assistance mission at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Jan. 13, 2023.Air Force Staff Sgt. Marco A. Gomez" />
 <figcaption>An airman attached to the 436th Aerial Port Squadron loads cargo during a Ukraine security assistance mission at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Jan. 13, 2023.Air Force Staff Sgt. Marco A. Gomez</figcaption>
 </figure>Defense officials have warned that, without action from Congress, further U.S. assistance for Ukraine could be in jeopardy at a critical time as Russia's war approaches the two-year mark.&nbsp;"We would, again, continue to urge the passage of the supplemental that we've submitted," Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a briefing last week.&nbsp;"As you look at the situation that Ukraine finds itself in, we will obviously continue to support them," Ryder said. "But it is imperative that we have the funds needed to ensure that they get the most urgent battlefield capabilities that they require."&nbsp;In a recent letter to lawmakers, DOD comptroller Michael J. McCord said the department would be obligating the remaining $1 billion in funds authorized by Congress to replace U.S. inventories of weapons provided to Ukraine by the end of this month.&nbsp;The security assistance package announced today is likely the last until Congress authorizes additional funds.&nbsp;Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Washington to meet with Biden, defense officials and lawmakers. During those talks, Zelenskyy extended his gratitude for the United States' support and underscored his country's urgent need for that support to continue.&nbsp;After meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House, Biden pledged that the U.S. "will not walk away from Ukraine," as he implored lawmakers to authorize additional funding.&nbsp;"The brave people in Ukraine have defied [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's will at every turn, backed by the strong and unwavering support of the United States and our allies and partners in more than 50 nations in Europe and the Indo-Pacific," Biden said. "Ukraine will emerge from this war proud, free and firmly rooted in the West unless we walk away."&nbsp;He said he would continue to provide U.S. military assistance for as long as congressionally approved funds are available. &nbsp;"Without supplemental funding, we are rapidly coming to an end of our ability to help Ukraine respond to the urgent operational demands that it has," he said.&nbsp;"Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine," he continued. "We must prove him wrong." &nbsp;&nbsp;In introductory remarks ahead of Zelenskyy's address at National Defense University in Washington, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III also underscored the United States' "unshakable" commitment to supporting Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression.&nbsp;"Ukraine matters profoundly to America's security and to the trajectory of global security in the 21st century," Austin said. "That's why the United States has committed more than $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine's brave defenders." He added that the U.S.-led coalition of allies and partners have also contributed more than $37 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. &nbsp;Austin said those contributions include capabilities that "are making a crucial difference on the battlefield" and have helped Ukraine retake more than half of the territory seized by Russia since February 2022.&nbsp;He said the U.S. and its allies and partners remain "determined to help Ukraine consolidate and extend its battlefield gains and to build a future force that can ward off Russian aggression in the years ahead."

Late Christmas gift: Biden OKs $250M more assistance for Ukraine

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/27/gov-pillens-plan-prevents-150000-children-from-receiving-supplemental-nutrition-funds/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

Adequate nutrition is crucial to a child’s physical and mental health, cognitive and social development, and academic performance. Unfortunately, food insecurity is a common problem in Nebraska, and many children have inadequate daily food intake.

As defined by the Nebraska Legislative Research Office (Food Insecurity, September 2020), food insecurity is the “lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life for household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods.” Food insecurity exists in both rural and urban Nebraska communities and is more common in rural areas.

In 2018, this same legislative study found that 18% of Nebraska’s children were members of food insecure families, ranging by county from a low of 12.5% to a high of 26.7% of children. They noted that food-insecure children “experience 2-4 times as many health problems as food-secure children,” “are at increased risk of falling behind both academically and socially,” and have “lower reading and math test scores.” In 2016, “almost $258 million in additional health-care costs were associated with food insecurity” for Nebraska families (Legislative Research Office 2020 report.)

So, how do we reduce food insecurity for Nebraska’s children? By improving a child’s access to adequate food and nutrition. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) supports low-income households with funds to purchase food, and school lunch and breakfast programs provide free or reduced-price meals to low-income children, and weekend school backpack programs provide additional food to supplement a child’s nutrition on weekends. But when school is out each summer, these programs stop.

Nebraska does participate in the USDA Summer Food Service Program to provide some children with a daily meal during the summer. Such meals are provided at participating sites, and children must be able to get there to receive the meal. Not every Nebraska community participates in this program, so access is limited by both location and by the need for travel.

In my review of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Summer Meals Site Finder for Nebraska, Lincoln and Omaha have the most participating sites. In rural Nebraska, there are 10 sites in towns south of Interstate 80, 16 sites in communities along I-80 and 26 sites in towns north of I-80. Thus, lunch sites in rural Nebraska are few and sometimes far between.

As noted in the Nebraska Examiner, Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/10/30/nebraska-mulls-participation-in-new-child-nutrition-program-that-could-bring-18m-in-benefits/">authorized a new program</a>&nbsp;to reduce food insecurity for children beginning next summer. Children who receive free or reduced-price school meals are eligible in the summer to receive $40 each summer month ($120 total) as an electronic benefit to be used by their families only for grocery food purchases. This program would bring $18 million to the state annually to feed more than 150,000 Nebraska children and reduce their food insecurity. Yes, it will cost Nebraska $300,000 annually to administer the program with a 60-fold benefit to improve the health of children.

But Gov. Jim Pillen has turned down the federal money because of the additional cost. His spokesperson says that summer meals are already available from the USDA Food and Nutrition Services Summer Meals program. As I noted, with only 52 rural meal sites, Nebraska may not be meeting the nutritional needs of rural children. Even in urban programs, children must be able to travel to a site each day to receive a meal. The new program that supplements family grocery purchases would let the families of 150,000 children simply go to their community grocery store and bring food into the home for their children.

Turning down these additional funds does not make sense in a state where as many as 18% of our children may be going to bed hungry every day. I hope Nebraskans contact Gov. Pillen and ask him to sign Nebraska up for the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 child nutrition program by Dec. 31, 2023.

Rowan Zetterman<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/27/gov-pillens-plan-prevents-150000-children-from-receiving-supplemental-nutrition-funds/">Nebraska Examiner</a>Adequate nutrition is crucial to a child’s physical and mental health, cognitive and social development, and academic performance. Unfortunately, food insecurity is a common problem in Nebraska, and many children have inadequate daily food intake.As defined by the Nebraska Legislative Research Office (Food Insecurity, September 2020), food insecurity is the “lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life for household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods.” Food insecurity exists in both rural and urban Nebraska communities and is more common in rural areas.In 2018, this same legislative study found that 18% of Nebraska’s children were members of food insecure families, ranging by county from a low of 12.5% to a high of 26.7% of children. They noted that food-insecure children “experience 2-4 times as many health problems as food-secure children,” “are at increased risk of falling behind both academically and socially,” and have “lower reading and math test scores.” In 2016, “almost $258 million in additional health-care costs were associated with food insecurity” for Nebraska families (Legislative Research Office 2020 report.)So, how do we reduce food insecurity for Nebraska’s children? By improving a child’s access to adequate food and nutrition. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) supports low-income households with funds to purchase food, and school lunch and breakfast programs provide free or reduced-price meals to low-income children, and weekend school backpack programs provide additional food to supplement a child’s nutrition on weekends. But when school is out each summer, these programs stop.Nebraska does participate in the USDA Summer Food Service Program to provide some children with a daily meal during the summer. Such meals are provided at participating sites, and children must be able to get there to receive the meal. Not every Nebraska community participates in this program, so access is limited by both location and by the need for travel.In my review of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Summer Meals Site Finder for Nebraska, Lincoln and Omaha have the most participating sites. In rural Nebraska, there are 10 sites in towns south of Interstate 80, 16 sites in communities along I-80 and 26 sites in towns north of I-80. Thus, lunch sites in rural Nebraska are few and sometimes far between.As noted in the Nebraska Examiner, Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/10/30/nebraska-mulls-participation-in-new-child-nutrition-program-that-could-bring-18m-in-benefits/">authorized a new program</a>&nbsp;to reduce food insecurity for children beginning next summer. Children who receive free or reduced-price school meals are eligible in the summer to receive $40 each summer month ($120 total) as an electronic benefit to be used by their families only for grocery food purchases. This program would bring $18 million to the state annually to feed more than 150,000 Nebraska children and reduce their food insecurity. Yes, it will cost Nebraska $300,000 annually to administer the program with a 60-fold benefit to improve the health of children.But Gov. Jim Pillen has turned down the federal money because of the additional cost. His spokesperson says that summer meals are already available from the USDA Food and Nutrition Services Summer Meals program. As I noted, with only 52 rural meal sites, Nebraska may not be meeting the nutritional needs of rural children. Even in urban programs, children must be able to travel to a site each day to receive a meal. The new program that supplements family grocery purchases would let the families of 150,000 children simply go to their community grocery store and bring food into the home for their children.Turning down these additional funds does not make sense in a state where as many as 18% of our children may be going to bed hungry every day. I hope Nebraskans contact Gov. Pillen and ask him to sign Nebraska up for the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 child nutrition program by Dec. 31, 2023.

Gov. Pillen’s plan prevents 150,000 children from receiving supplemental nutrition funds

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/minimum-wage-rising-to-12-an-hour-in-nebraska-after-voters-approved-gradual-increases-a-year-ago/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — The minimum wage in Nebraska will rise to $12 an hour Jan. 1 — an increase of $1.50 — after voters approved a ballot measure last year to make gradual increases in the minimum pay.

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/24/measures-seek-to-change-nebraskas-new-voter-approved-minimum-wage-provisions/">State voters in 2022</a>, by a nearly 6-to-4 margin, approved a ballot initiative to increase the state’s minimum wage by $1.50 a year, until it reaches $15 an hour by Jan. 1, 2026.

An initiative petition drive, launched by the group Raise the Wage Nebraska, qualified the issue for the 2022 ballot by submitting signatures of 160,000 voters, well over the amount required.

The 2022 vote triggered the latest increase, to $12 an hour, effective &nbsp;Jan. 1, 2024.

Nebraska is among 20 states that are increasing their minimum wage in 2024, according to the website&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/articles/minimum-wage-by-state/">paycor.com.</a>

The state with the highest minimum wage in the country, according to the website, will be Washington State, at $16.28 an hour as of Jan. 1. New York and California are right behind at $16 an hour.

Twenty states have no state minimum wage and instead follow the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 an hour.

In Nebraska, the minimum hourly wage for tipped employees will remain at $2.13 per hour, though employers are supposed to ensure that wages and tips for such workers, combined, equal at least the minimum wage.

The Nebraska Department of Labor said that the following minimum wage amounts are scheduled in the state:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703710739755.jpeg" alt=" Kate Wolfe, campaign coordinator for Raise the Wage Nebraska, speaks after the 2022 initiative to increase the state’s minimum wage submitted 160,000 signature to put the issue before voters. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska)" />
 <figcaption> Kate Wolfe, campaign coordinator for Raise the Wage Nebraska, speaks after the 2022 initiative to increase the state’s minimum wage submitted 160,000 signature to put the issue before voters. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska)</figcaption>
 </figure>Paul Hammel<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/minimum-wage-rising-to-12-an-hour-in-nebraska-after-voters-approved-gradual-increases-a-year-ago/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — The minimum wage in Nebraska will rise to $12 an hour Jan. 1 — an increase of $1.50 — after voters approved a ballot measure last year to make gradual increases in the minimum pay.<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/24/measures-seek-to-change-nebraskas-new-voter-approved-minimum-wage-provisions/">State voters in 2022</a>, by a nearly 6-to-4 margin, approved a ballot initiative to increase the state’s minimum wage by $1.50 a year, until it reaches $15 an hour by Jan. 1, 2026.An initiative petition drive, launched by the group Raise the Wage Nebraska, qualified the issue for the 2022 ballot by submitting signatures of 160,000 voters, well over the amount required.The 2022 vote triggered the latest increase, to $12 an hour, effective &nbsp;Jan. 1, 2024.Nebraska is among 20 states that are increasing their minimum wage in 2024, according to the website&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/articles/minimum-wage-by-state/">paycor.com.</a>The state with the highest minimum wage in the country, according to the website, will be Washington State, at $16.28 an hour as of Jan. 1. New York and California are right behind at $16 an hour.Twenty states have no state minimum wage and instead follow the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 an hour.In Nebraska, the minimum hourly wage for tipped employees will remain at $2.13 per hour, though employers are supposed to ensure that wages and tips for such workers, combined, equal at least the minimum wage.The Nebraska Department of Labor said that the following minimum wage amounts are scheduled in the state:<ul>
 <li>Jan. 1, 2024: $12 per hour</li><li>Jan. 1, 2025: $13.50 per hour</li><li>Jan. 1, 2026: $15 per hour</li><li>Jan. 1, 2027: The minimum wage will increase based on the cost-of-living increase as measured by the Consumer Price Index.</li>
 </ul>

Minimum wage rising to $12 an hour in Nebraska after voters approved gradual increases a year ago

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Times is striking back against the threat that artificial intelligence poses to the news industry, filing a federal lawsuit Wednesday against OpenAI and Microsoft seeking to end the practice of using its stories to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence">train chatbots</a>.

The Times says that the companies are threatening its livelihood by effectively stealing billions of dollars worth of work by its journalists, in some cases spitting out Times' material verbatim to people who seek answers from generative artificial intelligence like OpenAI's ChatGPT. The newspaper's lawsuit was filed in federal court in Manhattan.

OpenAI and Microsoft did not respond to requests for comment.

The media is one of many industries that could be upended by the rapid development of AI. Media organizations have already been pummeled by a migration of readers to online platforms and while many publications — most notably the Times — have successfully carved out a digital space, AI could become a significant threat.

“These bots compete with the content they are trained on,” said Ian B. Crosby, partner and lead counsel at Susman Godfrey, which is representing The Times.

Artificial intelligence companies scrape information available online, including articles published by news organizations, to train generative AI chatbots. The large language models are also trained on a huge trove of other human-written materials, such as instructional manuals and digital books. That helps them to build a strong command of language and grammar and to answer questions correctly.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689956124232.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Times is striking back against the threat that artificial intelligence poses to the news industry, filing a federal lawsuit Wednesday against OpenAI and Microsoft seeking to end the practice of using its stories to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence">train chatbots</a>.The Times says that the companies are threatening its livelihood by effectively stealing billions of dollars worth of work by its journalists, in some cases spitting out Times' material verbatim to people who seek answers from generative artificial intelligence like OpenAI's ChatGPT. The newspaper's lawsuit was filed in federal court in Manhattan.OpenAI and Microsoft did not respond to requests for comment.The media is one of many industries that could be upended by the rapid development of AI. Media organizations have already been pummeled by a migration of readers to online platforms and while many publications — most notably the Times — have successfully carved out a digital space, AI could become a significant threat.“These bots compete with the content they are trained on,” said Ian B. Crosby, partner and lead counsel at Susman Godfrey, which is representing The Times.Artificial intelligence companies scrape information available online, including articles published by news organizations, to train generative AI chatbots. The large language models are also trained on a huge trove of other human-written materials, such as instructional manuals and digital books. That helps them to build a strong command of language and grammar and to answer questions correctly.But the technology is still under development and gets many things wrong. In its lawsuit, for example, the Times said OpenAI’s GPT-4 falsely attributed product recommendations to Wirecutter, the paper’s product reviews site, endangering its reputation.OpenAI and other AI companies, including rival Anthropic, have attracted billions in investments very rapidly since public and business interest in the technology exploded, particularly this year.Microsoft has a partnership with OpenAI that allows it to capitalize on the company’s AI technology. The Redmond, Washington, tech giant is also OpenAI’s biggest backer and has invested at least $13 billion into the company since the two began their partnership in 2019, according to the lawsuit. As part of the agreement, Microsoft’s supercomputers help power OpenAI’s AI research and the tech giant integrates the startup’s technology into its products.The paper's complaint comes as the number of lawsuits filed against OpenAI for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sarah-silverman-suing-chatgpt-openai-ai-8927025139a8151e26053249d1aeec20">copyright infringement is growing</a>. The company has been sued by several writers — including comedian Sarah Silverman — who say their books were ingested to train OpenAI's AI models without their permission. In June, more than 4,000 writers signed a letter to the CEOs of OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta and other AI developers accusing them of exploitative practices in building chatbots that “mimic and regurgitate” their language, style and ideas.As AI technology develops, growing fears over its use have also fueled labor strikes and lawsuits in other industries,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-hollywood-strikes-explained-writers-actors-e872bd63ab52c3ea9f7d6e825240a202">including Hollywood</a>. Different stakeholders are realizing the technology could disrupt their entire business model, but the question will be how to respond to it, said Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute.Kreps said she agrees The New York Times is facing a threat from these chatbots, but she also argued solving the issue completely is going to be an uphill battle.“There’s so many other language models out there that are doing the same thing,” she said.The lawsuit filed Wednesday claims that generative AI tools developed by OpenAI and Microsoft are closely summarizing content from the Times, mimicking its style and even reciting it verbatim. The complaint cited examples of OpenAI’s GPT-4 spitting out large portions of news articles from the Times, including a Pulitzer-Prize winning investigation into New York City’s taxi industry that was published in 2019 and took 18 months to complete. It also cited outputs from Bing Chat — now called Copilot — that it said included verbatim excerpts from Times articles.The Times did not list specific damages that it is seeking, but said the legal action “seeks to hold them responsible for the billions of dollars in statutory and actual damages that they owe for the unlawful copying and use of The Times’s uniquely valuable works.” It is also asking the court to order the tech companies to destroy AI models or data sets that use its work.Web traffic is an important component of the paper's advertising revenue and helps drive subscriptions to its online site. The outputs from AI chatbots divert that traffic away from the paper and other copyright holders, the Times says, making it less likely that users will visit the original source for the information.Less traffic to the Times' Wirecutter articles, for example, means less people clicking on affiliate links, which in turn means less revenue for the paper's product review site.The New York Times said it’s never given permission to anyone to use its content for generative AI purposes. The lawsuit also follows what appears to be breakdowns in talks between the newspaper and the two companies that began in April, and could be a way to kickstart talks on ending a business dispute.The News/Media Alliance, a trade group representing more than 2,200 news organizations, applauded Wednesday's action by the Times.“Quality journalism and GenAI can complement each other if approached collaboratively,” said Danielle Coffey, alliance president and CEO. “But using journalism without permission or payment is unlawful, and certainly not fair use.”In July, OpenAI and The Associated Press&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/openai-chatgpt-associated-press-ap-f86f84c5bcc2f3b98074b38521f5f75a">announced a deal</a>&nbsp;for the artificial intelligence company to license AP’s archive of news stories. This month, OpenAI also signed a similar partnership with Axel Springer, a media company in Berlin that owns Politico and Business Insider. Under the deal, users of OpenAI’s ChatGPT will receive summaries of “selected global news content” from Axel Springer’s media brands. The companies said the answers to queries will include attribution and links to the original articles.The Times has compared its action to a copyright lawsuit more than two decades ago against Napster, when record companies sued the file-sharing service for unlawful use of their material. The record companies won and Napster was soon gone, but it has had a major impact on the industry. Industry-endorsed streaming now dominates the music business.