WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Navy ships and aircraft combed areas of the Gulf of Aden for two missing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-navy-seals" target="_blank">U.S. Navy SEALs</a>&nbsp;on Monday as details emerged about their mission to board and take over a vessel carrying components for medium-range Iranian ballistic missiles headed for Somalia, a U.S. defense official said Monday.

The official said crew on the dhow, which did not have a country flag, were planning to transfer the missile parts, including warheads and engines, to another boat off the coast of Somalia. The Navy recognized the boat as one with a history of transporting illegal weapons from Iran to Somalia, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not made public.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/navy-seals-missing-somalia-coast-boarding-mission-41a5cf55805f8aa0ff2c4d5626690529" target="_blank">The SEALs</a>&nbsp;were on the USS Lewis B. Puller, a Navy expeditionary sea base vessel, and traveled in small special operations combat craft driven by naval special warfare crew to get to the boat. As they were boarding it in rough seas, around 8 p.m. local time, one SEAL got knocked off by high waves and a teammate went in after him. Both are missing.

The team boarding the small boat was facing about a dozen crew members. The crew members, who were taken into custody, had no paperwork, which allowed a search of the vessel. The weapons were confiscated, and the boat was sunk, a routine procedure that usually involves blowing open holes in the hull.

U.S. officials have said that the waters in the Gulf of Aden are warm, and Navy SEALs are trained for such emergencies. On Monday, Navy ships, helicopters and drones were involved in the ongoing search.

The U.S. Navy has conducted regular&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-middle-east-e4bde7250333a85445fe9a9f0f1c64a8" target="_blank">interdiction missions</a>&nbsp;in the region, also intercepting weapons on ships that were bound for Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Officials have said that the SEAL mission was not related to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/attacks-red-sea-navy-mission-missiles-286d51bfd65e741e839e185f0f4a455b" target="_blank">Operation Prosperity Guardian</a>, the ongoing U.S. and international mission to provide protection to commercial vessels in the Red Sea, or the retaliatory strikes that the United States and the United Kingdom have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11" target="_blank">conducted in Yemen</a>&nbsp;over the past two days.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Navy ships and aircraft combed areas of the Gulf of Aden for two missing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-navy-seals" target="_blank">U.S. Navy SEALs</a>&nbsp;on Monday as details emerged about their mission to board and take over a vessel carrying components for medium-range Iranian ballistic missiles headed for Somalia, a U.S. defense official said Monday.The official said crew on the dhow, which did not have a country flag, were planning to transfer the missile parts, including warheads and engines, to another boat off the coast of Somalia. The Navy recognized the boat as one with a history of transporting illegal weapons from Iran to Somalia, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not made public.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/navy-seals-missing-somalia-coast-boarding-mission-41a5cf55805f8aa0ff2c4d5626690529" target="_blank">The SEALs</a>&nbsp;were on the USS Lewis B. Puller, a Navy expeditionary sea base vessel, and traveled in small special operations combat craft driven by naval special warfare crew to get to the boat. As they were boarding it in rough seas, around 8 p.m. local time, one SEAL got knocked off by high waves and a teammate went in after him. Both are missing.The team boarding the small boat was facing about a dozen crew members. The crew members, who were taken into custody, had no paperwork, which allowed a search of the vessel. The weapons were confiscated, and the boat was sunk, a routine procedure that usually involves blowing open holes in the hull.U.S. officials have said that the waters in the Gulf of Aden are warm, and Navy SEALs are trained for such emergencies. On Monday, Navy ships, helicopters and drones were involved in the ongoing search.The U.S. Navy has conducted regular&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-middle-east-e4bde7250333a85445fe9a9f0f1c64a8" target="_blank">interdiction missions</a>&nbsp;in the region, also intercepting weapons on ships that were bound for Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.Officials have said that the SEAL mission was not related to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/attacks-red-sea-navy-mission-missiles-286d51bfd65e741e839e185f0f4a455b" target="_blank">Operation Prosperity Guardian</a>, the ongoing U.S. and international mission to provide protection to commercial vessels in the Red Sea, or the retaliatory strikes that the United States and the United Kingdom have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11" target="_blank">conducted in Yemen</a>&nbsp;over the past two days.

2 missing Navy SEALs were on mission to confiscate Iranian missile parts

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/lloyd-austin">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin</a>&nbsp;was released from the hospital Monday, after spending two weeks there to treat complications from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prostate-cancer-treatment-surgery-radiation-study-508ac3025e164ff629b180ebb6113df0">surgery for prostate cancer</a>&nbsp;he kept secret from senior Biden administration leaders and staff for weeks.

He is expected to work from home as he recovers.

Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austin-hospital-defense-secretary-biden-fe9060f1e277db706d3cee6cae1d2562">on Dec. 22</a>&nbsp;and underwent surgery to treat the cancer, which was detected earlier in the month during a routine screening. He developed an infection a week later and was hospitalized Jan. 1 and admitted to intensive care.

Doctors said he remained in the hospital due to ongoing leg pain resulting from the infection and so he could get physical therapy.

President Joe Biden and senior administration officials were not told about Austin's hospitalization until Jan. 4, and Austin kept the cancer diagnosis secret until Jan. 9. Biden has said Austin's failure to tell him about the hospitalization was a lapse in judgment, but the Democratic president insists he still has confidence in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-biden-cabinet-lloyd-austin-john-cornyn-army-4d8848273e4e1fe6e4ad2dc8cee7313c">his Pentagon chief</a>.

During Austin's time at Walter Reed, the U.S. launched&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">a series of military strikes</a>&nbsp;late last week on the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, targeting dozens of locations linked to their campaign of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-houthi-yemen-ships-attack-israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip-716770f0a780160e9abed98d3c48fbde">assaults on commercial shipping</a>&nbsp;in the Red Sea. Working from his hospital bed, Austin juggled calls with senior military leaders, including Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, and White House meetings to review, order and ultimately watch the strikes unfold over secure video.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/defense-secretary-lloyd-austin-hospitalized-secrecy-disclosure-6ff0ee7eddfde1231453f96774788642">The lack of transparency</a>&nbsp;about Austin’s hospitalization, however, has triggered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-white-house-pentagon-lloyd-austin-8e888aaed905e2327501a237139c6f0e">administration and Defense Department reviews</a>&nbsp;on the procedures for notifying the White House and others if a Cabinet member must transfer decision-making authorities to a deputy, as Austin did during his initial surgery and a portion of his latest hospital stay. And the White House chief of staff&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24355772-cabinet-heads-memo">ordered Cabinet members</a>&nbsp;to notify his office if they ever can’t perform their duties.

Austin's secrecy also drew criticism from Congress members on both sides of the political aisle, and Rep. Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican who is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he has opened a formal inquiry into the matter. Others openly called for Austin to resign, but the White House has said the Pentagon chief's job is safe.

It is still unclear when Austin will return to his office in the Pentagon or how his cancer treatment will affect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-biden-cabinet-lloyd-austin-john-cornyn-army-4d8848273e4e1fe6e4ad2dc8cee7313c">his job</a>, travel and other public engagements going forward. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks has been taking on some of his day-to-day duties as he recovers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704767147747.png" alt="Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III visits the USS Gerald R. Ford underway in the Eastern Mediterranean, Dec. 20, 2023.&nbsp;Photo By:Chad J. McNeeley, DOD" />
 <figcaption>Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III visits the USS Gerald R. Ford underway in the Eastern Mediterranean, Dec. 20, 2023.&nbsp;Photo By:Chad J. McNeeley, DOD</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/lloyd-austin">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin</a>&nbsp;was released from the hospital Monday, after spending two weeks there to treat complications from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prostate-cancer-treatment-surgery-radiation-study-508ac3025e164ff629b180ebb6113df0">surgery for prostate cancer</a>&nbsp;he kept secret from senior Biden administration leaders and staff for weeks.He is expected to work from home as he recovers.Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austin-hospital-defense-secretary-biden-fe9060f1e277db706d3cee6cae1d2562">on Dec. 22</a>&nbsp;and underwent surgery to treat the cancer, which was detected earlier in the month during a routine screening. He developed an infection a week later and was hospitalized Jan. 1 and admitted to intensive care.Doctors said he remained in the hospital due to ongoing leg pain resulting from the infection and so he could get physical therapy.President Joe Biden and senior administration officials were not told about Austin's hospitalization until Jan. 4, and Austin kept the cancer diagnosis secret until Jan. 9. Biden has said Austin's failure to tell him about the hospitalization was a lapse in judgment, but the Democratic president insists he still has confidence in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-biden-cabinet-lloyd-austin-john-cornyn-army-4d8848273e4e1fe6e4ad2dc8cee7313c">his Pentagon chief</a>.During Austin's time at Walter Reed, the U.S. launched&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">a series of military strikes</a>&nbsp;late last week on the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, targeting dozens of locations linked to their campaign of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-houthi-yemen-ships-attack-israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip-716770f0a780160e9abed98d3c48fbde">assaults on commercial shipping</a>&nbsp;in the Red Sea. Working from his hospital bed, Austin juggled calls with senior military leaders, including Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, and White House meetings to review, order and ultimately watch the strikes unfold over secure video.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/defense-secretary-lloyd-austin-hospitalized-secrecy-disclosure-6ff0ee7eddfde1231453f96774788642">The lack of transparency</a>&nbsp;about Austin’s hospitalization, however, has triggered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-white-house-pentagon-lloyd-austin-8e888aaed905e2327501a237139c6f0e">administration and Defense Department reviews</a>&nbsp;on the procedures for notifying the White House and others if a Cabinet member must transfer decision-making authorities to a deputy, as Austin did during his initial surgery and a portion of his latest hospital stay. And the White House chief of staff&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24355772-cabinet-heads-memo">ordered Cabinet members</a>&nbsp;to notify his office if they ever can’t perform their duties.Austin's secrecy also drew criticism from Congress members on both sides of the political aisle, and Rep. Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican who is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he has opened a formal inquiry into the matter. Others openly called for Austin to resign, but the White House has said the Pentagon chief's job is safe.It is still unclear when Austin will return to his office in the Pentagon or how his cancer treatment will affect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-biden-cabinet-lloyd-austin-john-cornyn-army-4d8848273e4e1fe6e4ad2dc8cee7313c">his job</a>, travel and other public engagements going forward. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks has been taking on some of his day-to-day duties as he recovers.

Defense Secretary working from home after surgery he kept secret

(Lincoln) Nebraska Treasurer and active farmer Tom Briese has submitted a comment letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) opposing a proposed rule change by the NY Stock Exchange (NYSE) to adopt listing standards of so-called Natural Asset Companies (NACs). &nbsp;

Unlike other types of publicly traded companies, the purpose of NACs is to hold the rights to ecological performance of a defined area. According to the NYSE summary, agriculture is contributing to the loss of natural habitat and soil degradation and&nbsp;is one of several “significant threats to life on earth and the economy.”&nbsp;

“As a farmer myself, and a public servant of a state that relies heavily on agriculture, I object to the characterization of production agriculture in this way. The proposed rule would enable, encourage, and facilitate large scale investment in the corporate ownership of the right to manage areas in a manner that may be detrimental to agriculture,” Briese said in his letter.&nbsp;

After an unusually short 21-day public comment period, the SEC announced it was reopening the public comment period until January 18th. &nbsp;

Submissions can be made at:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro/sr-nyse-2023-09" target="_blank">https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro/sr-nyse-2023-09</a>&nbsp;

(Lincoln) Nebraska Treasurer and active farmer Tom Briese has submitted a comment letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) opposing a proposed rule change by the NY Stock Exchange (NYSE) to adopt listing standards of so-called Natural Asset Companies (NACs). &nbsp;Unlike other types of publicly traded companies, the purpose of NACs is to hold the rights to ecological performance of a defined area. According to the NYSE summary, agriculture is contributing to the loss of natural habitat and soil degradation and&nbsp;is one of several “significant threats to life on earth and the economy.”&nbsp;“As a farmer myself, and a public servant of a state that relies heavily on agriculture, I object to the characterization of production agriculture in this way. The proposed rule would enable, encourage, and facilitate large scale investment in the corporate ownership of the right to manage areas in a manner that may be detrimental to agriculture,” Briese said in his letter.&nbsp;After an unusually short 21-day public comment period, the SEC announced it was reopening the public comment period until January 18th. &nbsp;Submissions can be made at:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro/sr-nyse-2023-09" target="_blank">https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro/sr-nyse-2023-09</a>&nbsp;

Treasurer Briese Submits Comments Opposing Natural Asset Companies Listing on NY Stock Exchange 

The Kearney Volunteer Fire Department (KVFD) was dispatched to a report of smoke coming from a residence at 1212 B Avenue at 03:29 this morning. Prior to the arrival of KVFD, a Kearney Police Officer advised that there was heavy smoke coming from the structure and a window had broken. Dispatch also advised that they could not confirm if there were occupants in the home or not. 

Upon arrival, KVFD initiated fire attack and a primary search of the structure. A short time later, firefighters located and removed one occupant from the structure. CHI Good Samaritan EMS received the patient just outside of the structure and began a patient assessment. The occupant, an adult female, was pronounced deceased a short time thereafter. 

KVFD members continued fire attack and a search of the structure. The fire was extinguished, and no additional occupants were located during the search. KVFD was assisted by Gibbon Volunteer Fire Department, Kearney Police Department, Nebraska Public Power District and Northwestern Energy. The Nebraska State Fire Marshal was called to assist KVFD with the origin and cause investigation. 

The fire remains under investigation. However, the initial investigation indicates the fire was accidental and caused by an electrical event inside of the structure. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victim.&nbsp;

Kearney Volunteer Fire DepartmentThe Kearney Volunteer Fire Department (KVFD) was dispatched to a report of smoke coming from a residence at 1212 B Avenue at 03:29 this morning. Prior to the arrival of KVFD, a Kearney Police Officer advised that there was heavy smoke coming from the structure and a window had broken. Dispatch also advised that they could not confirm if there were occupants in the home or not. Upon arrival, KVFD initiated fire attack and a primary search of the structure. A short time later, firefighters located and removed one occupant from the structure. CHI Good Samaritan EMS received the patient just outside of the structure and began a patient assessment. The occupant, an adult female, was pronounced deceased a short time thereafter. KVFD members continued fire attack and a search of the structure. The fire was extinguished, and no additional occupants were located during the search. KVFD was assisted by Gibbon Volunteer Fire Department, Kearney Police Department, Nebraska Public Power District and Northwestern Energy. The Nebraska State Fire Marshal was called to assist KVFD with the origin and cause investigation. The fire remains under investigation. However, the initial investigation indicates the fire was accidental and caused by an electrical event inside of the structure. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victim.&nbsp;

One fatality reported in Sunday morning house fire in Kearney

By Office of U.S Congressman Mike Flood

MADISON, NEBRASKA&nbsp;–&nbsp;Today,&nbsp;U.S. Congressman Mike Flood wrote the U.S. Department of Agriculture after news their inspection team failed to show up at a pork production plant in Madison, Nebraska.

“I am writing in response to troubling reports that United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety&nbsp;and&nbsp;Inspection Service (FSIS) inspectors are not reporting to work at the Tyson Foods Pork Plant in Madison, Nebraska. Let me be clear, this is unacceptable and must be remedied immediately,” wrote Congressman Flood in his letter.

“If our communities can show up to work, the USDA can too. Our pork producers are ready and waiting; our plant wants to operate; the USDA must step up to the plate and fulfill its mission to serve rural America.”

Nebraska’s pork industry finishes over 5.43 million hogs per year, returning over $1.06 billion in cash receipts. As of 2021, Nebraska’s pork industry and related activity supported 17,866 jobs and more than $978 million in personal income.

A copy of his full letter can be found&nbsp;<a href="https://flood.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/flood.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/madisonporkplant.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;

By Office of U.S Congressman Mike FloodMADISON, NEBRASKA&nbsp;–&nbsp;Today,&nbsp;U.S. Congressman Mike Flood wrote the U.S. Department of Agriculture after news their inspection team failed to show up at a pork production plant in Madison, Nebraska.“I am writing in response to troubling reports that United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety&nbsp;and&nbsp;Inspection Service (FSIS) inspectors are not reporting to work at the Tyson Foods Pork Plant in Madison, Nebraska. Let me be clear, this is unacceptable and must be remedied immediately,” wrote Congressman Flood in his letter.“If our communities can show up to work, the USDA can too. Our pork producers are ready and waiting; our plant wants to operate; the USDA must step up to the plate and fulfill its mission to serve rural America.”Nebraska’s pork industry finishes over 5.43 million hogs per year, returning over $1.06 billion in cash receipts. As of 2021, Nebraska’s pork industry and related activity supported 17,866 jobs and more than $978 million in personal income.A copy of his full letter can be found&nbsp;<a href="https://flood.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/flood.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/madisonporkplant.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;

Congressman Flood: USDA Must Keep Pork Production Moving in Madison

Today’s annual&nbsp;University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine&nbsp;Martin Luther King Jr. Day program, sponsored by the Nebraska Medicine Inclusion and Diversity Office and the UNMC Office of Inclusion, will be a virtual event due to the weather.

Med center colleagues, as well as members of the public, can access the event&nbsp;<a href="https://unmc.zoom.us/j/95179778879?pwd=cE5xUk40UnRRbFBYdHpPbUo2RWdxZz09" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;

The program begins at noon. Pre-registration no longer is required.

Leadership will open the program with the welcome and statement of occasion, followed by keynote speaker&nbsp;by Walter Vincent Brooks, African American journalist, social research investigator and community activist.&nbsp;

Brooks is the author of&nbsp;<a href="https://trust-no-shadows-after-dark.com/" target="_blank">“Trust No Shadows After Dark: African American Genocide in the United States of America,”</a>&nbsp;which can be purchased at Aframerican Book Store, 3226 Lake St., for those interested.

The third annual Unsung Hero Award recipients will be announced during the program. The Unsung Hero Award celebrates colleagues at Nebraska Medicine, UNMC and/or Clarkson College who give back and serve others through volunteerism, service, outreach, mentorship or encouragement, either in their workplace or their community.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day program is open to Nebraska Medicine colleagues, UNMC students and employees, as well as community members.

UNMCToday’s annual&nbsp;University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine&nbsp;Martin Luther King Jr. Day program, sponsored by the Nebraska Medicine Inclusion and Diversity Office and the UNMC Office of Inclusion, will be a virtual event due to the weather.Med center colleagues, as well as members of the public, can access the event&nbsp;<a href="https://unmc.zoom.us/j/95179778879?pwd=cE5xUk40UnRRbFBYdHpPbUo2RWdxZz09" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;The program begins at noon. Pre-registration no longer is required.Leadership will open the program with the welcome and statement of occasion, followed by keynote speaker&nbsp;by Walter Vincent Brooks, African American journalist, social research investigator and community activist.&nbsp;Brooks is the author of&nbsp;<a href="https://trust-no-shadows-after-dark.com/" target="_blank">“Trust No Shadows After Dark: African American Genocide in the United States of America,”</a>&nbsp;which can be purchased at Aframerican Book Store, 3226 Lake St., for those interested.The third annual Unsung Hero Award recipients will be announced during the program. The Unsung Hero Award celebrates colleagues at Nebraska Medicine, UNMC and/or Clarkson College who give back and serve others through volunteerism, service, outreach, mentorship or encouragement, either in their workplace or their community.The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day program is open to Nebraska Medicine colleagues, UNMC students and employees, as well as community members.

Today’s UNMC/Nebraska Medicine annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day program now virtual 

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Voting is set to begin Monday night in icy Iowa as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;eyes a victory that would send a resounding message that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-winter-weather-caucus-campaign-events-canceled-a4fd8a5550a05166534f7b330560cbc9">neither life-threatening cold</a>&nbsp;nor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-investigations-election-fraud-documents-1d8d88542e6257ad957cf2fc03e190ae">life-changing legal trouble</a>&nbsp;can slow his march toward the Republican Party's 2024 nomination.

The Iowa caucuses,&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2024/election-2024-our-very-complicated-democracy/iowa-caucus-election-2024-presidential-race-episode-1.html">which are the opening contest</a>&nbsp;in the months-long Republican presidential primary process, begin at 8 p.m. EST. Caucus participants will gather inside more than 1,500 schools, churches and community centers to debate their options, in some cases for hours, before casting secret ballots.

While Trump projects confidence, his onetime chief rival,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis">Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis</a>, is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/desantis-iowa-caucuses-election-2024-b41c967b94fda070dfb70dfb1bdcfa44">fighting for his political survival</a>&nbsp;in a make-or-break race for second place.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley</a>, the only woman in the race, stands in DeSantis' way. The two have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/desantis-haley-trump-iowa-republican-caucuses-2024-67f83ae02b266e3a62c3db1ea0800167">competed aggressively in recent weeks to emerge as the clear alternative</a>&nbsp;to the former president, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-2024-poll-old-corrupt-12b806876e2072790f9a67793761c688">has alienated many Americans</a>&nbsp;and could end up being a convicted felon by year’s end.

"I absolutely love a lot of the things (Trump) did, but his personality is just kind of getting in his way,” said Hans Rudin, a 49-year-old community college adviser from Council Bluffs, Iowa. He said he supported Trump in the past two elections, but will caucus for DeSantis on Monday.

Polls suggest Trump enters the day with a massive lead in Iowa as Haley and DeSantis duel for a distant second. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson are also on the ballot, as is former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who suspended his campaign last week.

With the coldest temperatures in caucus history expected and dangerous travel conditions in virtually every corner of the rural state, the campaigns are bracing for a low-turnout contest that will test the strength of their support and their organizational muscle. The final result will serve as a powerful signal for the rest of the nomination fight to determine who will face Democratic President Joe Biden in the November general election.

After Iowa, the Republican primary shifts to New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina over the coming weeks before moving into the rest of the country this spring. The ultimate nominee won't be confirmed until the party's national convention in July, but with big wins in the opening contests, Trump will be difficult to stop.

Trump's political strength heading into the Iowa caucuses, which come 426 days after he launched his 2024 campaign, tells a remarkable story of a Republican Party unwilling or unable to move on from him. He lost to Biden in 2020 after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-classified-information-8dd6297eaebc358ffc15c153dc1b000e">fueling near-constant chaos</a>&nbsp;while in the White House, culminating&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iowa-caucuses-young-conservatives-campaign-2ca7441852577795123845811b06bc06">with his supporters carrying out a deadly attack</a>&nbsp;on the U.S. Capitol. In total, he faces 91 felony charges across four criminal cases, including two indictments for his efforts to overturn the election and a third indictment for keeping classified documents in his Florida home.

In recent weeks, Trump has increasingly echoed authoritarian leaders and framed his campaign as one of retribution. He has spoken openly about using the power of government to pursue his political enemies. He has repeatedly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-immigration-iowa-dff7f632948fa6511fb7d1955a28610c">harnessed rhetoric</a>&nbsp;once used by Adolf Hitler to argue that immigrants entering the U.S. illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country. And he recently shared a word cloud last week to his social media account highlighting words like “revenge,” “power” and “dictatorship.”

“Trump is a Christian. He’s trustworthy. He believes in America. And he believes in freedom,” said 71-year-old Kathy DeAngelo, a retired hospital administrative employee waiting in subzero weather to see Trump on Sunday. “He's the only one.”

The final Des Moines Register/NBC News poll before the caucuses found Trump maintaining a formidable lead, supported by nearly half of likely caucusgoers, compared with 20% for Haley and 16% for DeSantis. Haley, the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor, and DeSantis, the Florida governor, remain locked in a close battle for second. Trump is also viewed more favorably than the other top contenders by likely caucusgoers, at 69% compared with 58% for DeSantis and just 48% for Haley.

On the eve of the caucuses, Trump predicted he would set a modern-day record for an Iowa Republican caucus with a margin-of-victory exceeding the nearly 13 percentage points that Bob Dole earned in 1988. He also sought to downplay expectations that he would earn as much as 50% of the total vote.

Whether he hits that number or not, his critics note that roughly half of the state’s Republican voters will likely vote for someone not named Trump.

“Somebody won by 12 points and that was like a record. Well, we should do that," Trump said Sunday during an appearance at a Des Moines hotel. "If we don’t do that, let 'em criticize us, right? But let’s see if we can get to 50%.“

“Brave the weather and go out and save America," he later added.

The temperature in parts of Iowa on Monday could dip as low as negative 14 degrees Fahrenheit (negative 26 degrees Celsius) while snow drifts from Friday's blizzard still make travel hazardous across the rural state where unpaved roads are common.

Forecasters warned that “dangerously cold wind chills” as low as 45 degrees below zero Fahrenheit were possible through noon Tuesday. The conditions, according to the National Weather Service, could lead to “frost bite and hypothermia in a matter of minutes if not properly dressed for the conditions.”

Over the weekend, signs positioned on key roadways warned motorists in large flashing orange letters: “TRAVEL NOT ADVISED.”

And the winter weather, intimidating even for Iowa, will make an already unrepresentative process even less representative.

Many elderly Iowans, who are the backbone of the caucus, are wondering how they will make it to their sites. And only a tiny portion of the participants will be voters of color, given Iowa's overwhelmingly white population, a fact that helped convince Democrats to shift their opening primary contest to South Carolina this year.

Iowa's caucuses are also playing out on Martin Luther King Day, which is a federal holiday.

Last month, some presidential campaigns were expecting close to 200,000 Republican voters to participate in the caucus. On the eve of the contest, many now wonder whether the 2024 turnout will exceed the 118,411 Republicans who showed up in 2012.

Still, each of the campaigns is claiming a powerful get-out-the-vote operation that will ensure their supporters show up.

Haley rallied a room packed with Iowans and out-of-state volunteers on Sunday in Ames, drawing frequent cheers from the pink necklace and boa-clad “Women for Nikki.”

The 51-year-old former South Carolina governor repeated her frequent call for GOP voters to elect her as a “new generational leader that leaves the negativity and the baggage behind and focuses on the solutions of the future.”

Nearly 200 miles away in Dubuque, DeSantis dismissed questions about his position in the polls as he courted voters.

“I like being underestimated. I like being the underdog,” the Florida governor said. “I think that that’s better.”

Meanwhile, not all voters were excited about their options.

Jake Hutzell, 28, hasn’t participated in a caucus before, and he isn’t sure that he will Monday, either. He follows politics, but he said he’s part of a generation that’s skeptical any of it makes a difference.

“There’s never been anyone I feel strongly about,” the Dubuque resident said. “If I’m going to throw my name behind who I think should be the president, I would like to very feel very strongly about it.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Voting is set to begin Monday night in icy Iowa as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;eyes a victory that would send a resounding message that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-winter-weather-caucus-campaign-events-canceled-a4fd8a5550a05166534f7b330560cbc9">neither life-threatening cold</a>&nbsp;nor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-investigations-election-fraud-documents-1d8d88542e6257ad957cf2fc03e190ae">life-changing legal trouble</a>&nbsp;can slow his march toward the Republican Party's 2024 nomination.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Donald Trump: &quot;You must go caucus tomorrow...You can&#39;t sit home. If you&#39;re sick as a dog...even if you vote and then pass away, it&#39;s worth it.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/tdjwqau6fW">pic.twitter.com/tdjwqau6fW</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1746704464407343408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Iowa caucuses,&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2024/election-2024-our-very-complicated-democracy/iowa-caucus-election-2024-presidential-race-episode-1.html">which are the opening contest</a>&nbsp;in the months-long Republican presidential primary process, begin at 8 p.m. EST. Caucus participants will gather inside more than 1,500 schools, churches and community centers to debate their options, in some cases for hours, before casting secret ballots.While Trump projects confidence, his onetime chief rival,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis">Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis</a>, is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/desantis-iowa-caucuses-election-2024-b41c967b94fda070dfb70dfb1bdcfa44">fighting for his political survival</a>&nbsp;in a make-or-break race for second place.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley</a>, the only woman in the race, stands in DeSantis' way. The two have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/desantis-haley-trump-iowa-republican-caucuses-2024-67f83ae02b266e3a62c3db1ea0800167">competed aggressively in recent weeks to emerge as the clear alternative</a>&nbsp;to the former president, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-2024-poll-old-corrupt-12b806876e2072790f9a67793761c688">has alienated many Americans</a>&nbsp;and could end up being a convicted felon by year’s end."I absolutely love a lot of the things (Trump) did, but his personality is just kind of getting in his way,” said Hans Rudin, a 49-year-old community college adviser from Council Bluffs, Iowa. He said he supported Trump in the past two elections, but will caucus for DeSantis on Monday.Polls suggest Trump enters the day with a massive lead in Iowa as Haley and DeSantis duel for a distant second. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson are also on the ballot, as is former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who suspended his campaign last week.With the coldest temperatures in caucus history expected and dangerous travel conditions in virtually every corner of the rural state, the campaigns are bracing for a low-turnout contest that will test the strength of their support and their organizational muscle. The final result will serve as a powerful signal for the rest of the nomination fight to determine who will face Democratic President Joe Biden in the November general election.After Iowa, the Republican primary shifts to New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina over the coming weeks before moving into the rest of the country this spring. The ultimate nominee won't be confirmed until the party's national convention in July, but with big wins in the opening contests, Trump will be difficult to stop.Trump's political strength heading into the Iowa caucuses, which come 426 days after he launched his 2024 campaign, tells a remarkable story of a Republican Party unwilling or unable to move on from him. He lost to Biden in 2020 after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-classified-information-8dd6297eaebc358ffc15c153dc1b000e">fueling near-constant chaos</a>&nbsp;while in the White House, culminating&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iowa-caucuses-young-conservatives-campaign-2ca7441852577795123845811b06bc06">with his supporters carrying out a deadly attack</a>&nbsp;on the U.S. Capitol. In total, he faces 91 felony charges across four criminal cases, including two indictments for his efforts to overturn the election and a third indictment for keeping classified documents in his Florida home.In recent weeks, Trump has increasingly echoed authoritarian leaders and framed his campaign as one of retribution. He has spoken openly about using the power of government to pursue his political enemies. He has repeatedly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-immigration-iowa-dff7f632948fa6511fb7d1955a28610c">harnessed rhetoric</a>&nbsp;once used by Adolf Hitler to argue that immigrants entering the U.S. illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country. And he recently shared a word cloud last week to his social media account highlighting words like “revenge,” “power” and “dictatorship.”Republican voters have been undeterred.“Trump is a Christian. He’s trustworthy. He believes in America. And he believes in freedom,” said 71-year-old Kathy DeAngelo, a retired hospital administrative employee waiting in subzero weather to see Trump on Sunday. “He's the only one.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705318898624.png" alt="Nikki Haley during a campaign rally Sunday -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Nikki Haley during a campaign rally Sunday -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>The final Des Moines Register/NBC News poll before the caucuses found Trump maintaining a formidable lead, supported by nearly half of likely caucusgoers, compared with 20% for Haley and 16% for DeSantis. Haley, the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor, and DeSantis, the Florida governor, remain locked in a close battle for second. Trump is also viewed more favorably than the other top contenders by likely caucusgoers, at 69% compared with 58% for DeSantis and just 48% for Haley.On the eve of the caucuses, Trump predicted he would set a modern-day record for an Iowa Republican caucus with a margin-of-victory exceeding the nearly 13 percentage points that Bob Dole earned in 1988. He also sought to downplay expectations that he would earn as much as 50% of the total vote.Whether he hits that number or not, his critics note that roughly half of the state’s Republican voters will likely vote for someone not named Trump.“Somebody won by 12 points and that was like a record. Well, we should do that," Trump said Sunday during an appearance at a Des Moines hotel. "If we don’t do that, let 'em criticize us, right? But let’s see if we can get to 50%.““Brave the weather and go out and save America," he later added.The temperature in parts of Iowa on Monday could dip as low as negative 14 degrees Fahrenheit (negative 26 degrees Celsius) while snow drifts from Friday's blizzard still make travel hazardous across the rural state where unpaved roads are common.Forecasters warned that “dangerously cold wind chills” as low as 45 degrees below zero Fahrenheit were possible through noon Tuesday. The conditions, according to the National Weather Service, could lead to “frost bite and hypothermia in a matter of minutes if not properly dressed for the conditions.”Over the weekend, signs positioned on key roadways warned motorists in large flashing orange letters: “TRAVEL NOT ADVISED.”And the winter weather, intimidating even for Iowa, will make an already unrepresentative process even less representative.Many elderly Iowans, who are the backbone of the caucus, are wondering how they will make it to their sites. And only a tiny portion of the participants will be voters of color, given Iowa's overwhelmingly white population, a fact that helped convince Democrats to shift their opening primary contest to South Carolina this year.Iowa's caucuses are also playing out on Martin Luther King Day, which is a federal holiday.Last month, some presidential campaigns were expecting close to 200,000 Republican voters to participate in the caucus. On the eve of the contest, many now wonder whether the 2024 turnout will exceed the 118,411 Republicans who showed up in 2012.Still, each of the campaigns is claiming a powerful get-out-the-vote operation that will ensure their supporters show up.Haley rallied a room packed with Iowans and out-of-state volunteers on Sunday in Ames, drawing frequent cheers from the pink necklace and boa-clad “Women for Nikki.”The 51-year-old former South Carolina governor repeated her frequent call for GOP voters to elect her as a “new generational leader that leaves the negativity and the baggage behind and focuses on the solutions of the future.”Nearly 200 miles away in Dubuque, DeSantis dismissed questions about his position in the polls as he courted voters.“I like being underestimated. I like being the underdog,” the Florida governor said. “I think that that’s better.”Meanwhile, not all voters were excited about their options.Jake Hutzell, 28, hasn’t participated in a caucus before, and he isn’t sure that he will Monday, either. He follows politics, but he said he’s part of a generation that’s skeptical any of it makes a difference.“There’s never been anyone I feel strongly about,” the Dubuque resident said. “If I’m going to throw my name behind who I think should be the president, I would like to very feel very strongly about it.”___

🎥Trump predicts he will break Bob Dole's record in Iowa caucus victory

JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea but a U.S. fighter jet shot it down in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-yemen-houthis-attack-ships-f67d941c260528ac40315ecab4c34ca3">the latest attack roiling global shipping</a>&nbsp;amid Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, officials said.

The attack on Sunday marks the first U.S.-acknowledged fire by the Houthis since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">America and allied nations began strikes Friday on the rebels</a>&nbsp;following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea.

The Houthis have targeted that crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-14-2024-3af5b75f744b92c5517b287baf20b55b">the Israel-Hamas war</a>, attacks that threaten to widen that conflict into a regional conflagration.

The Houthis,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">a Shiite rebel group allied with Iran</a>&nbsp;that seized Yemen's capital in 2014, did not immediately acknowledge the attack.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the U.S. would retaliate for the latest attack, though President Joe Biden has said he “will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”

The Houthi fire on Sunday went in the direction of the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, the U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement.

The missile came from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis, the U.S. said.

“An anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon,” Central Command said. “There were no injuries or damage reported."

The first day of U.S.-led strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs launched by fighter jets, warships and a submarine. Sites hit included weapon depots, radars and command centers, including in remote mountain areas, the U.S. has said.

The Houthis have yet to acknowledge how severe the damage was from the strikes, which they said killed five of their troops and wounded six others.

U.S. forces followed up with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-us-ship-attacks-bombing-red-sea-iran-cc06d9186a00d1f22bea6b9c14dda12a">a strike Saturday on a Houthi radar site</a>.

Shipping through the Red Sea has slowed over the attacks. The U.S. Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for 72 hours after the initial airstrikes.

For their part, the Houthis alleged without providing evidence that the U.S. struck a site near Hodeida on Sunday around the same time of the cruise missile fire. The Americans and the United Kingdom did not acknowledge conducting any strike — suggesting the blast may have been from a misfiring Houthi missile.

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

Even the leader of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, Hassan Nasrallah, obliquely referenced the widening Houthi attacks on ships in a speech Sunday, saying that “the sea has become battlefield of missiles, drones and warships” and blaming the U.S. strikes for escalating maritime tensions.

“The most dangerous thing is what the Americans did in the Red Sea (it) will harm the security of all maritime navigation,” Nasrallah said.

Though the Biden administration and its allies have tried to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-iran-hezbollah-yemen-0373be2e21b5a832d71f5bf828f67959">calm tensions in the Middle East</a>&nbsp;for weeks and prevent any wider conflict, the strikes in the Red Sea threaten to ignite one.

Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government-in-exile that the Houthis are fighting, sought to distance itself from the attacks on Houthi sites as it tries to maintain a delicate détente with Iran and a cease-fire it has in Yemen. The Saudi-led, U.S.-backed war in Yemen that began in 2015 has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.

Meanwhile, the White House said Sunday that “it’s the right time” for Israel to scale back its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli leaders again vowed to press ahead with their operation against the territory’s ruling Hamas militant group.

The comments exposed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-netanyahu-israel-palestinians-gaza-fe150c19cdcc4737f4a9e22a695490ed">growing differences</a>&nbsp;between the close allies on the 100th day of the war.

Also Sunday, Israeli warplanes struck targets in Lebanon following a Hezbollah missile attack that killed two Israeli civilians — an older woman and her adult son — in northern Israel. The exchange of fire underscored concerns that the Gaza violence could trigger wider fighting across the region.

The war in Gaza, launched by Israel in response to the unprecedented Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, has killed nearly 24,000 Palestinians, devastated vast swaths of Gaza, driven around 85% of the territory’s 2.3 million residents from their homes and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-uninhabitable-un-humanitarian-israel-palestinians-famine-9d92816bdb8d82d023bc4bd18f67d8a3">pushed a quarter of the population into starvation</a>.

Speaking on CBS, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. has been speaking to Israel “about a transition to low-intensity operations” in Gaza.

“We believe it’s the right time for that transition. And we’re talking to them about doing that,” he said on “Face the Nation.”

Israel launched the offensive after the Hamas attack killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 others hostage. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead until Hamas is destroyed and all of the more than 100 hostages still in captivity are freed.

The war has sent tensions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-iran-hezbollah-yemen-0373be2e21b5a832d71f5bf828f67959">soaring across the region</a>, with Israel trading fire almost daily with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group and Iranian-backed militias attacking U.S. targets in Syria and Iraq. In addition, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been targeting international shipping, drawing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-us-ship-attacks-bombing-red-sea-iran-cc06d9186a00d1f22bea6b9c14dda12a">a wave of U.S. airstrikes</a>&nbsp;last week.

Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said his group won’t stop until a cease-fire is in place for Gaza.

“We are continuing, and our front is inflicting losses on the enemy and putting pressure on displaced people,” Nasrallah said in a speech, referring to the tens of thousands of Israelis who have fled northern border areas.

In other developments, tens of thousands of people in Europe and the Middle East&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-protests-hostages-cease-fire-london-karachi-2632ad0e7285e55f2c222dc69100014a">took to the streets</a>&nbsp;Sunday to mark the 100th day of the war. Opposing demonstrations either demanded the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas or called for a cease-fire in Gaza.

In Israel, supporters of the hostages and their families wrapped up a 24-hour protest in Tel Aviv calling on the government to win their immediate release.

The unprecedented level of death and destruction in Gaza has led South Africa to lodge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-court-israel-genocide-gaza-south-africa-774ab3c3d57fd7bcc627602eaf47fd98">allegations of genocide against Israel</a>&nbsp;at the International Court of Justice. Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-court-israel-genocide-gaza-south-africa-65b087102893dd06222370b10f0b4e4d">denies the accusations</a>&nbsp;and has vowed to press ahead with its offensive even if the court in The Hague issues an interim order for it to stop.

Israel has also been under growing international pressure to end the war in Gaza, but it has so far been shielded by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-israel-gaza-arms-hamas-bypass-congress-1dc77f20aac4a797df6a2338b677da4f">U.S. diplomatic and military support.</a>&nbsp;Israel argues that any cease-fire would hand victory to Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and is bent on Israel’s destruction.

“It’s been 100 days, yet we will not stop until we win,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Sunday.

But differences with the Americans have begun to emerge. During a visit to the region last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed his calls on Israel to do more to reduce civilian casualties and increase the supplies of desperately needed humanitarian aid entering Gaza.

In recent weeks, Israel has scaled back operations in northern Gaza, the initial target of the offensive, where weeks of airstrikes and ground operations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-gaza-israel-bombing-destruction-hamas-reconstruction-f299a28410b70ee05dd764df97d8d3a0">left entire neighborhoods in ruins</a>.

Kirby, the White House spokesman, acknowledged that Israel had taken some “precursory steps” toward scaling back the offensive. But he said there was more to do.

“We’re not saying let your foot up off the gas completely and don’t keep going after Hamas,” he said. “It’s just that we believe the time is coming here very, very soon for a transition to this lower intensity phase.”

The deadly Hezbollah missile strike in northern Israel renewed concerns about a second front erupting into full-blown war.

It came shortly after the Israeli army said it killed three Lebanese militants who tried to infiltrate Israel.

Late Sunday, the Israeli military said it had struck Lebanon in response to the missile strike. Israeli officials said a woman in her 70s and her son, in his 40s, were killed in the town of Yuval.

The army’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Israel would not tolerate attacks on civilians.

“The price will be extracted not just tonight, but also in the future,” he said.

Yuval is one of more than 40 towns along Israel’s northern border evacuated by the government in October. Israeli media reported that the family stayed in the area because they work in agriculture.

Tensions have also spread to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Palestinian health officials say nearly 350 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in confrontations throughout the war.

On Sunday, the Israeli army said troops opened fire after a Palestinian car breached a military roadblock in the southern West Bank and an attacker fired at soldiers. Palestinian health officials said two Palestinians were killed.

Late Sunday, Palestinian health officials said two teenage boys were killed by Israeli fire. The army said it shot them after they threw a bomb at an army base.

Israel has launched major operations against the southern city of Khan Younis and built-up refugee camps in central Gaza.

“No one is able to move,” said Rami Abu Matouq, who lives in the Maghazi camp. “Warplanes, snipers and gunfire are everywhere.”

In the central town of Deir al-Balah, health officials said at least 15 people were killed in Israeli strikes late Saturday.

At the entrance of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, men lined up to pray for the dead, their bodies wrapped in white shrouds. The bodies were put on the back of a pickup truck before they were taken to be buried.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian TV station Al-Ghad said a cameraman was killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza. The channel said Yazan al-Zwaidi was apparently in a crowd of people at the time. Details were not immediately available, and the Israeli military had no comment.

The internet advocacy group Netblocks said communications in Gaza were still out after a 48-hour outage. The Palestinian telecommunications operator in Gaza, Jawwal, said two of its employees were killed Saturday when they were hit by a shell while fixing lines in Khan Younis.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Gaza Health Ministry</a>&nbsp;said Sunday that hospitals had received 125 bodies in the last 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll to 23,968. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around two-thirds of the dead are women and minors. It says over 60,000 people have been wounded.

Israel says Hamas is responsible for the high civilian casualties, saying its fighters make use of civilian buildings and launch attacks from densely populated urban areas. The military says 189 soldiers have been killed and 1,099 wounded since the start of the ground offensive.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703990687604.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea but a U.S. fighter jet shot it down in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-yemen-houthis-attack-ships-f67d941c260528ac40315ecab4c34ca3">the latest attack roiling global shipping</a>&nbsp;amid Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, officials said.The attack on Sunday marks the first U.S.-acknowledged fire by the Houthis since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">America and allied nations began strikes Friday on the rebels</a>&nbsp;following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea.The Houthis have targeted that crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-14-2024-3af5b75f744b92c5517b287baf20b55b">the Israel-Hamas war</a>, attacks that threaten to widen that conflict into a regional conflagration.The Houthis,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">a Shiite rebel group allied with Iran</a>&nbsp;that seized Yemen's capital in 2014, did not immediately acknowledge the attack.It wasn't immediately clear whether the U.S. would retaliate for the latest attack, though President Joe Biden has said he “will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”The Houthi fire on Sunday went in the direction of the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, the U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement.The missile came from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis, the U.S. said.“An anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon,” Central Command said. “There were no injuries or damage reported."The first day of U.S.-led strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs launched by fighter jets, warships and a submarine. Sites hit included weapon depots, radars and command centers, including in remote mountain areas, the U.S. has said.The Houthis have yet to acknowledge how severe the damage was from the strikes, which they said killed five of their troops and wounded six others.U.S. forces followed up with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-us-ship-attacks-bombing-red-sea-iran-cc06d9186a00d1f22bea6b9c14dda12a">a strike Saturday on a Houthi radar site</a>.Shipping through the Red Sea has slowed over the attacks. The U.S. Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for 72 hours after the initial airstrikes.For their part, the Houthis alleged without providing evidence that the U.S. struck a site near Hodeida on Sunday around the same time of the cruise missile fire. The Americans and the United Kingdom did not acknowledge conducting any strike — suggesting the blast may have been from a misfiring Houthi missile.Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas</a>. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade.Even the leader of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, Hassan Nasrallah, obliquely referenced the widening Houthi attacks on ships in a speech Sunday, saying that “the sea has become battlefield of missiles, drones and warships” and blaming the U.S. strikes for escalating maritime tensions.“The most dangerous thing is what the Americans did in the Red Sea (it) will harm the security of all maritime navigation,” Nasrallah said.Though the Biden administration and its allies have tried to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-iran-hezbollah-yemen-0373be2e21b5a832d71f5bf828f67959">calm tensions in the Middle East</a>&nbsp;for weeks and prevent any wider conflict, the strikes in the Red Sea threaten to ignite one.Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government-in-exile that the Houthis are fighting, sought to distance itself from the attacks on Houthi sites as it tries to maintain a delicate détente with Iran and a cease-fire it has in Yemen. The Saudi-led, U.S.-backed war in Yemen that began in 2015 has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.Meanwhile, the White House said Sunday that “it’s the right time” for Israel to scale back its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli leaders again vowed to press ahead with their operation against the territory’s ruling Hamas militant group.The comments exposed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-netanyahu-israel-palestinians-gaza-fe150c19cdcc4737f4a9e22a695490ed">growing differences</a>&nbsp;between the close allies on the 100th day of the war.Also Sunday, Israeli warplanes struck targets in Lebanon following a Hezbollah missile attack that killed two Israeli civilians — an older woman and her adult son — in northern Israel. The exchange of fire underscored concerns that the Gaza violence could trigger wider fighting across the region.The war in Gaza, launched by Israel in response to the unprecedented Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, has killed nearly 24,000 Palestinians, devastated vast swaths of Gaza, driven around 85% of the territory’s 2.3 million residents from their homes and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-uninhabitable-un-humanitarian-israel-palestinians-famine-9d92816bdb8d82d023bc4bd18f67d8a3">pushed a quarter of the population into starvation</a>.Speaking on CBS, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. has been speaking to Israel “about a transition to low-intensity operations” in Gaza.“We believe it’s the right time for that transition. And we’re talking to them about doing that,” he said on “Face the Nation.”Israel launched the offensive after the Hamas attack killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 others hostage. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead until Hamas is destroyed and all of the more than 100 hostages still in captivity are freed.The war has sent tensions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-iran-hezbollah-yemen-0373be2e21b5a832d71f5bf828f67959">soaring across the region</a>, with Israel trading fire almost daily with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group and Iranian-backed militias attacking U.S. targets in Syria and Iraq. In addition, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been targeting international shipping, drawing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-us-ship-attacks-bombing-red-sea-iran-cc06d9186a00d1f22bea6b9c14dda12a">a wave of U.S. airstrikes</a>&nbsp;last week.Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said his group won’t stop until a cease-fire is in place for Gaza.“We are continuing, and our front is inflicting losses on the enemy and putting pressure on displaced people,” Nasrallah said in a speech, referring to the tens of thousands of Israelis who have fled northern border areas.In other developments, tens of thousands of people in Europe and the Middle East&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-protests-hostages-cease-fire-london-karachi-2632ad0e7285e55f2c222dc69100014a">took to the streets</a>&nbsp;Sunday to mark the 100th day of the war. Opposing demonstrations either demanded the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas or called for a cease-fire in Gaza.In Israel, supporters of the hostages and their families wrapped up a 24-hour protest in Tel Aviv calling on the government to win their immediate release.INTERNATIONAL PRESSUREThe unprecedented level of death and destruction in Gaza has led South Africa to lodge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-court-israel-genocide-gaza-south-africa-774ab3c3d57fd7bcc627602eaf47fd98">allegations of genocide against Israel</a>&nbsp;at the International Court of Justice. Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-court-israel-genocide-gaza-south-africa-65b087102893dd06222370b10f0b4e4d">denies the accusations</a>&nbsp;and has vowed to press ahead with its offensive even if the court in The Hague issues an interim order for it to stop.Israel has also been under growing international pressure to end the war in Gaza, but it has so far been shielded by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-israel-gaza-arms-hamas-bypass-congress-1dc77f20aac4a797df6a2338b677da4f">U.S. diplomatic and military support.</a>&nbsp;Israel argues that any cease-fire would hand victory to Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and is bent on Israel’s destruction.“It’s been 100 days, yet we will not stop until we win,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Sunday.But differences with the Americans have begun to emerge. During a visit to the region last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed his calls on Israel to do more to reduce civilian casualties and increase the supplies of desperately needed humanitarian aid entering Gaza.In recent weeks, Israel has scaled back operations in northern Gaza, the initial target of the offensive, where weeks of airstrikes and ground operations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-gaza-israel-bombing-destruction-hamas-reconstruction-f299a28410b70ee05dd764df97d8d3a0">left entire neighborhoods in ruins</a>.Kirby, the White House spokesman, acknowledged that Israel had taken some “precursory steps” toward scaling back the offensive. But he said there was more to do.“We’re not saying let your foot up off the gas completely and don’t keep going after Hamas,” he said. “It’s just that we believe the time is coming here very, very soon for a transition to this lower intensity phase.”FEARS OF A SECOND FRONTThe deadly Hezbollah missile strike in northern Israel renewed concerns about a second front erupting into full-blown war.It came shortly after the Israeli army said it killed three Lebanese militants who tried to infiltrate Israel.Late Sunday, the Israeli military said it had struck Lebanon in response to the missile strike. Israeli officials said a woman in her 70s and her son, in his 40s, were killed in the town of Yuval.The army’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Israel would not tolerate attacks on civilians.“The price will be extracted not just tonight, but also in the future,” he said.Yuval is one of more than 40 towns along Israel’s northern border evacuated by the government in October. Israeli media reported that the family stayed in the area because they work in agriculture.Tensions have also spread to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Palestinian health officials say nearly 350 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in confrontations throughout the war.On Sunday, the Israeli army said troops opened fire after a Palestinian car breached a military roadblock in the southern West Bank and an attacker fired at soldiers. Palestinian health officials said two Palestinians were killed.Late Sunday, Palestinian health officials said two teenage boys were killed by Israeli fire. The army said it shot them after they threw a bomb at an army base.ISRAEL STRIKES CENTRAL, SOUTHERN GAZAIsrael has launched major operations against the southern city of Khan Younis and built-up refugee camps in central Gaza.“No one is able to move,” said Rami Abu Matouq, who lives in the Maghazi camp. “Warplanes, snipers and gunfire are everywhere.”In the central town of Deir al-Balah, health officials said at least 15 people were killed in Israeli strikes late Saturday.At the entrance of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, men lined up to pray for the dead, their bodies wrapped in white shrouds. The bodies were put on the back of a pickup truck before they were taken to be buried.Meanwhile, the Egyptian TV station Al-Ghad said a cameraman was killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza. The channel said Yazan al-Zwaidi was apparently in a crowd of people at the time. Details were not immediately available, and the Israeli military had no comment.The internet advocacy group Netblocks said communications in Gaza were still out after a 48-hour outage. The Palestinian telecommunications operator in Gaza, Jawwal, said two of its employees were killed Saturday when they were hit by a shell while fixing lines in Khan Younis.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Gaza Health Ministry</a>&nbsp;said Sunday that hospitals had received 125 bodies in the last 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll to 23,968. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around two-thirds of the dead are women and minors. It says over 60,000 people have been wounded.Israel says Hamas is responsible for the high civilian casualties, saying its fighters make use of civilian buildings and launch attacks from densely populated urban areas. The military says 189 soldiers have been killed and 1,099 wounded since the start of the ground offensive.___

First missile threat on U.S. warship in the Red Sea since America-led attack

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Friday that a jury should decide whether former Republican state legislative candidate Janet Palmtag was defamed by her own political party in a 2020 race that highlighted a growing schism within the state GOP.

The high court's decision reversed a lower court ruling in which a judge sided with the Nebraska Republican Party by tossing out the lawsuit before a jury could hear it.

The lawsuit centers on campaign mailers sent out by the party in October 2020 that falsely claimed Palmtag — a lifelong Nebraska Republican — had been charged with mishandling business trust accounts and had lost her real estate license. The mailers, sent to about 3,200 households of registered voters, included statements that Palmtag “broke the law and lost her real estate license,” and that her license had been “revoked." The mailers also described Palmtag as “too irresponsible to keep her license.”

The mailers grossly mischaracterized a 2018 disciplinary case out of Iowa that found Palmtag's real estate brokerage firm responsible for improperly transferring funds from an Iowa account to a Nebraska one. It was not Palmtag but another real estate agent who worked for the firm that had made the improper transaction. The company paid a $500 fine for the oversight.

Two years later, Palmtag canceled her Iowa real estate license, citing a lack of business for her firm there. The decision was not related to the disciplinary case, she said.

Palmtag demanded corrections to the mailers, but the state party refused. Following her loss in the November 2020 election, she sued the state GOP for defamation.

In 2022, a judge threw out the lawsuit, saying that while the state party's mailers were defamatory, Palmtag would not be able to prove to a jury that the party acted with actual malice.

The state's high court disagreed in its reversal, noting that Palmtag had shown that the GOP failed to investigate whether Palmtag was the subject of the Iowa real estate disciplinary case or whether that had been the catalyst for her inactivating her Iowa real estate license. Palmtag also presented as evidence text messages between then-state GOP Executive Director Ryan Hamilton and a GOP vendor, who responded upon being told of the party's accusations against Palmtag, “OK that's not real.”

“A jury could find the party chose not to investigate further in a purposeful avoidance of the truth,” Justice John Freudenberg wrote for the court.

Palmtag is “eager for a jury to hear the case,” her attorney, David Domina of Omaha said Friday.

The party's mailers and other campaign efforts were intended to help state Sen. Julie Slama of Peru, Palmtag's rival in the officially nonpartisan race.

Slama was appointed in 2019 to the seat by then-Gov. Pete Ricketts to fill a vacancy. When she ran for the seat in 2020, Ricketts backed her, but his predecessor, fellow Republican Dave Heineman, endorsed Palmtag. That exposed a split in the party, with some lined up to support Palmtag and Heineman — the longest-serving governor in Nebraska — while others backed Slama and Ricketts, who now represents Nebraska in the U.S. Senate.

Some Republicans expressed outrage over the mailers, while Ricketts and others supported the campaign attacks. But the party's actions in the legislative race marked a new level in intraparty strife. Within days of sending the mailers, the state GOP and a political consulting firm it had hired were found&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/nebraska-gop-found-liable-for-illegal-auto-dial-calls-955994ef02e697a74e7a6783d3f4d49d">liable</a>&nbsp;for making illegal robocalls to help Slama in the race.

The Nebraska Public Service Commission found that the automated calls were made without proper disclosure and that neither the GOP nor the consulting firm had registered with the commission or filed a script of the call with the commission, as required by law.

Kamron Hasan, an Omaha attorney representing the Nebraska GOP, said the party is disappointed by Friday's ruling.

“We're still looking at next steps at this point,” he said.

By Associated Press<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705292222325.jpeg" alt="Janet Palmtag, candidate for Nebraska's legislative 1st. district, participates in the annual Applejack parade in Nebraska City, Neb., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Friday, Jan. 12, 2024 that a jury should decide whether former Republican state legislative candidate Janet Palmtag was defamed by her own political party in a 2020 in a race that highlighted a growing schism within the state GOP. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)" />
 <figcaption>Janet Palmtag, candidate for Nebraska's legislative 1st. district, participates in the annual Applejack parade in Nebraska City, Neb., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Friday, Jan. 12, 2024 that a jury should decide whether former Republican state legislative candidate Janet Palmtag was defamed by her own political party in a 2020 in a race that highlighted a growing schism within the state GOP. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Friday that a jury should decide whether former Republican state legislative candidate Janet Palmtag was defamed by her own political party in a 2020 race that highlighted a growing schism within the state GOP.The high court's decision reversed a lower court ruling in which a judge sided with the Nebraska Republican Party by tossing out the lawsuit before a jury could hear it.The lawsuit centers on campaign mailers sent out by the party in October 2020 that falsely claimed Palmtag — a lifelong Nebraska Republican — had been charged with mishandling business trust accounts and had lost her real estate license. The mailers, sent to about 3,200 households of registered voters, included statements that Palmtag “broke the law and lost her real estate license,” and that her license had been “revoked." The mailers also described Palmtag as “too irresponsible to keep her license.”The mailers grossly mischaracterized a 2018 disciplinary case out of Iowa that found Palmtag's real estate brokerage firm responsible for improperly transferring funds from an Iowa account to a Nebraska one. It was not Palmtag but another real estate agent who worked for the firm that had made the improper transaction. The company paid a $500 fine for the oversight.Two years later, Palmtag canceled her Iowa real estate license, citing a lack of business for her firm there. The decision was not related to the disciplinary case, she said.Palmtag demanded corrections to the mailers, but the state party refused. Following her loss in the November 2020 election, she sued the state GOP for defamation.In 2022, a judge threw out the lawsuit, saying that while the state party's mailers were defamatory, Palmtag would not be able to prove to a jury that the party acted with actual malice.The state's high court disagreed in its reversal, noting that Palmtag had shown that the GOP failed to investigate whether Palmtag was the subject of the Iowa real estate disciplinary case or whether that had been the catalyst for her inactivating her Iowa real estate license. Palmtag also presented as evidence text messages between then-state GOP Executive Director Ryan Hamilton and a GOP vendor, who responded upon being told of the party's accusations against Palmtag, “OK that's not real.”“A jury could find the party chose not to investigate further in a purposeful avoidance of the truth,” Justice John Freudenberg wrote for the court.Palmtag is “eager for a jury to hear the case,” her attorney, David Domina of Omaha said Friday.The party's mailers and other campaign efforts were intended to help state Sen. Julie Slama of Peru, Palmtag's rival in the officially nonpartisan race.Slama was appointed in 2019 to the seat by then-Gov. Pete Ricketts to fill a vacancy. When she ran for the seat in 2020, Ricketts backed her, but his predecessor, fellow Republican Dave Heineman, endorsed Palmtag. That exposed a split in the party, with some lined up to support Palmtag and Heineman — the longest-serving governor in Nebraska — while others backed Slama and Ricketts, who now represents Nebraska in the U.S. Senate.Some Republicans expressed outrage over the mailers, while Ricketts and others supported the campaign attacks. But the party's actions in the legislative race marked a new level in intraparty strife. Within days of sending the mailers, the state GOP and a political consulting firm it had hired were found&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/nebraska-gop-found-liable-for-illegal-auto-dial-calls-955994ef02e697a74e7a6783d3f4d49d">liable</a>&nbsp;for making illegal robocalls to help Slama in the race.The Nebraska Public Service Commission found that the automated calls were made without proper disclosure and that neither the GOP nor the consulting firm had registered with the commission or filed a script of the call with the commission, as required by law.Kamron Hasan, an Omaha attorney representing the Nebraska GOP, said the party is disappointed by Friday's ruling.“We're still looking at next steps at this point,” he said.

Defamation case against Nebraska Republican Party should be heard by a jury, state's high court says

By Cody Thomas, Nebraska State Patrol

JANUARY 13, 2024 (LINCOLN, NEB.) — Several motorists who were stranded along Highway 92 in Saunders and Butler Counties have been rescued and are safe. The motorists became stranded during whiteout conditions Friday evening and Saturday morning. Drifting snow made it difficult for rescue crews to reach many of them for several hours. 

As of 4:00 p.m. Saturday, all stranded motorists who had been in contact with NSP dispatch have been rescued. Officials with Butler County were able to get through the snow drifts on Highway 92 from the west. Crews were able to reach all stranded motorists and get them to safety. NDOT and NSP teams made their way through the drifts from the east and confirmed that all stranded motorists had been located. NSP dispatchers continue to receive calls on the NSP Highway Helpline from new motorists becoming stranded in eastern Nebraska and troopers continue to respond to those situations. 

As of 5:00 p.m. Saturday, troopers have performed 173 motorist assists and responded to 6 crashes today. Since Monday, troopers have responded to over 1,000 weather-related incidents, including 996 motorist assists. 

NSP and NDOT continue to advise everyone to stay off Nebraska roadways during these dangerous conditions. Snow continues to blow and cause additional drifting situations while temperatures are expected to remain below zero for the next few days, with dangerously cold 

wind chills. These conditions are life-threatening. 

Please avoid travel unless absolutely necessary. Check 511.Nebraska.gov for updates on road 

closures and current road conditions. The majority of roadways east of Highway 81 are either closed of currently impassable. If any motorist becomes stranded, they are urged to stay in their vehicle and call *55 immediately.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705289040955.jpeg" alt="Nebraska State Patrol: Highway 92 " />
 <figcaption>Nebraska State Patrol: Highway 92 </figcaption>
 </figure>By Cody Thomas, Nebraska State PatrolJANUARY 13, 2024 (LINCOLN, NEB.) — Several motorists who were stranded along Highway 92 in Saunders and Butler Counties have been rescued and are safe. The motorists became stranded during whiteout conditions Friday evening and Saturday morning. Drifting snow made it difficult for rescue crews to reach many of them for several hours. As of 4:00 p.m. Saturday, all stranded motorists who had been in contact with NSP dispatch have been rescued. Officials with Butler County were able to get through the snow drifts on Highway 92 from the west. Crews were able to reach all stranded motorists and get them to safety. NDOT and NSP teams made their way through the drifts from the east and confirmed that all stranded motorists had been located. NSP dispatchers continue to receive calls on the NSP Highway Helpline from new motorists becoming stranded in eastern Nebraska and troopers continue to respond to those situations. As of 5:00 p.m. Saturday, troopers have performed 173 motorist assists and responded to 6 crashes today. Since Monday, troopers have responded to over 1,000 weather-related incidents, including 996 motorist assists. NSP and NDOT continue to advise everyone to stay off Nebraska roadways during these dangerous conditions. Snow continues to blow and cause additional drifting situations while temperatures are expected to remain below zero for the next few days, with dangerously cold wind chills. These conditions are life-threatening. Please avoid travel unless absolutely necessary. Check 511.Nebraska.gov for updates on road closures and current road conditions. The majority of roadways east of Highway 81 are either closed of currently impassable. If any motorist becomes stranded, they are urged to stay in their vehicle and call *55 immediately.

 Motorists Stranded on Highway 92 Rescued

Lincoln, NEB- Governor Jim Pillen is sharing his appreciation and state agencies are providing updates, as progress is made in the aftermath of a severe winter storm. An emergency declaration has allowed the state to seek assistance from South Dakota through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). As a result, Nebraska will receive two truck mounted blowers and two loader blowers as well as crew support, which will help supplement crews from the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT), who have been working nonstop to reopen highways and local roads. 

“The partnership with South Dakota through the EMAC will allow us to attack those sections of highway that remain closed at this time,” said Gov. Pillen. “We appreciate the assistance from South Dakota as well as the coordinated efforts of our state and local agencies. They have been working around-the-clock to ensure public safety, while mitigating the impact to our farmers, ranchers and businesses, as much as possible.” So far, NDOT crews have put in 35,000 man-hours over the last seven days, with only a one-day break. Throughout the weather event, shifts have lasted 16 hours or more. “NDOT has been all-hands-on-deck 24/7 for a week now, bringing in equipment and people from other areas of the state,” said DOT Director Vicki Kramer. “I thank each and every one of them for their dedication and selflessness, as well as our partners in Nebraska’s local governments and from South Dakota, for their coordination and support.”

 Soon after the emergency declaration, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC), to bring together state and local stakeholders. Twice-daily updates have been held since, with members joining in person and virtually to assess areas of concern and allocate resources. 

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) has been ever-present at the EOC, prioritizing agricultural transportation needs. The agency has received dozens of calls asking for assistance in clearing snow, primarily to reach livestock. “I want to express our gratitude to NDOT and the county departments for their tireless efforts to open the roads as quickly as possible,” said NDA Director Sherry Vinton. 

“Due to the duration of the storm, the snow amounts, and the extremely low temperatures, we have several critical livestock situations that we are working through, including attempting to get fuel to barns and feed to livestock. These are crucial needs, and we’ll continue to work with the road crews to assist in getting those needs met as quickly as possible.”

NDA is gathering information from producers to help prioritize livestock assistance needs. Producers can reach out to NDA at 800-831-0550 for more information. As far as current travel conditions, the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) says driving is still particularly dangerous in the northeastern section of the state. The agency advises drivers to stay off the roads, unless absolutely necessary – allowing plows and blowers a safe path through. Troopers have been working extended shifts to provide additional coverage in high need areas. 

“If travel is necessary, be prepared for the possibility that you may become stranded,” said NSP Colonel John Bolduc. “As temperatures and wind chills remain critically low, it is imperative that anyone who becomes stranded stays in their vehicle and calls for help immediately. Hit *55 on your mobile phone or 911, and the closest first responder will work to reach you as quickly as possible.”

Since Monday, troopers have responded to more than 1,200 stranded vehicles. They have performed over 400 motorist assists since Saturday. Snow-clearing equipment from South Dakota will likely arrive in Nebraska for use on Monday.

By Nebraska Emergency Management AgencyLincoln, NEB- Governor Jim Pillen is sharing his appreciation and state agencies are providing updates, as progress is made in the aftermath of a severe winter storm. An emergency declaration has allowed the state to seek assistance from South Dakota through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). As a result, Nebraska will receive two truck mounted blowers and two loader blowers as well as crew support, which will help supplement crews from the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT), who have been working nonstop to reopen highways and local roads. “The partnership with South Dakota through the EMAC will allow us to attack those sections of highway that remain closed at this time,” said Gov. Pillen. “We appreciate the assistance from South Dakota as well as the coordinated efforts of our state and local agencies. They have been working around-the-clock to ensure public safety, while mitigating the impact to our farmers, ranchers and businesses, as much as possible.” So far, NDOT crews have put in 35,000 man-hours over the last seven days, with only a one-day break. Throughout the weather event, shifts have lasted 16 hours or more. “NDOT has been all-hands-on-deck 24/7 for a week now, bringing in equipment and people from other areas of the state,” said DOT Director Vicki Kramer. “I thank each and every one of them for their dedication and selflessness, as well as our partners in Nebraska’s local governments and from South Dakota, for their coordination and support.” Soon after the emergency declaration, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC), to bring together state and local stakeholders. Twice-daily updates have been held since, with members joining in person and virtually to assess areas of concern and allocate resources. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) has been ever-present at the EOC, prioritizing agricultural transportation needs. The agency has received dozens of calls asking for assistance in clearing snow, primarily to reach livestock. “I want to express our gratitude to NDOT and the county departments for their tireless efforts to open the roads as quickly as possible,” said NDA Director Sherry Vinton. “Due to the duration of the storm, the snow amounts, and the extremely low temperatures, we have several critical livestock situations that we are working through, including attempting to get fuel to barns and feed to livestock. These are crucial needs, and we’ll continue to work with the road crews to assist in getting those needs met as quickly as possible.”NDA is gathering information from producers to help prioritize livestock assistance needs. Producers can reach out to NDA at 800-831-0550 for more information. As far as current travel conditions, the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) says driving is still particularly dangerous in the northeastern section of the state. The agency advises drivers to stay off the roads, unless absolutely necessary – allowing plows and blowers a safe path through. Troopers have been working extended shifts to provide additional coverage in high need areas. “If travel is necessary, be prepared for the possibility that you may become stranded,” said NSP Colonel John Bolduc. “As temperatures and wind chills remain critically low, it is imperative that anyone who becomes stranded stays in their vehicle and calls for help immediately. Hit *55 on your mobile phone or 911, and the closest first responder will work to reach you as quickly as possible.”Since Monday, troopers have responded to more than 1,200 stranded vehicles. They have performed over 400 motorist assists since Saturday. Snow-clearing equipment from South Dakota will likely arrive in Nebraska for use on Monday.

South Dakota provides equipment to Nebraska, as state agencies continue addressing storm needs

&nbsp;LINCOLN — History Nebraska, formerly the Nebraska State Historical Society, would become an agency under the governor’s control under a proposal from State Sen. Steve Erdman.&nbsp;

The governor would appoint the society’s director and have more oversight over spending and donations under the measure, which has&nbsp;11 cosponsors.

“We need some oversight,” said Erdman.

If&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55062">Legislative Bill 1169</a>&nbsp;is adopted, it would end the agency’s independent status. It has been governed by&nbsp;a board of trustees, who are elected by History Nebraska members, since 1878.

The proposal comes amid some controversy for the state historical society.

In June, its former director,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/10/13/criminal-case-against-former-history-nebraska-director-becomes-a-battle-of-state-statutes/">Trevor Jones, was charged with felony theft</a>&nbsp;by deception for&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/20/history-nebraskas-former-director-charged-with-felony-theft/">diverting $270,000 i</a>n donations into a foundation he controlled, rather than depositing the funds into the state treasury, as required.

History Nebraska is currently reviewing applicants for the director’s post and plans to interview some finalists next month for the position.

Erdman said Friday he’s not convinced that the society can select a good director.

Highstaff &nbsp;turnover has also been an issue at the history organization in recent years, with some employees complaining about heavy-handed management requirements of their work.

&nbsp;LINCOLN — History Nebraska, formerly the Nebraska State Historical Society, would become an agency under the governor’s control under a proposal from State Sen. Steve Erdman.&nbsp;The governor would appoint the society’s director and have more oversight over spending and donations under the measure, which has&nbsp;11 cosponsors.“We need some oversight,” said Erdman.If&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55062">Legislative Bill 1169</a>&nbsp;is adopted, it would end the agency’s independent status. It has been governed by&nbsp;a board of trustees, who are elected by History Nebraska members, since 1878.The proposal comes amid some controversy for the state historical society.In June, its former director,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/10/13/criminal-case-against-former-history-nebraska-director-becomes-a-battle-of-state-statutes/">Trevor Jones, was charged with felony theft</a>&nbsp;by deception for&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/20/history-nebraskas-former-director-charged-with-felony-theft/">diverting $270,000 i</a>n donations into a foundation he controlled, rather than depositing the funds into the state treasury, as required.History Nebraska is currently reviewing applicants for the director’s post and plans to interview some finalists next month for the position.Erdman said Friday he’s not convinced that the society can select a good director.Highstaff &nbsp;turnover has also been an issue at the history organization in recent years, with some employees complaining about heavy-handed management requirements of their work.

History Nebraska would become ‘code agency’ under control of governor under legislative proposal

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa principal who put himself in harm’s way to protect students during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/perry-iowa-school-shooting-things-to-know-07b7d636e9ec1d3f1ca6be628aff6e8d">a school shooting</a>&nbsp;earlier this month died Sunday, a funeral home confirmed.

Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home &amp; Crematory confirmed the death of Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger after the family announced it on a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/dan-marburgers-healing-and-recovery">GoFundMe page.</a>

Marburger&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/perry-high-school-shooting-iowa-5346218f2646bec796ba28928a00c745">was critically injured</a>&nbsp;during the Jan. 4 attack, which began in the school's cafeteria as students were gathering for breakfast before class. An 11-year-old middle school student was killed in the shooting, and six other people were injured. The 17-year-old student who opened fire also died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.

The day after the shooting, the state Department of Public Safety said Marburger “acted selflessly and placed himself in harm’s way in an apparent effort to protect his students.”

News of Marburger's death was first posted on a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/dan-marburgers-healing-and-recovery">GoFundMe page</a> for his family. The post, by Marburger's wife, Elizabeth, said he died at about 8 a.m. Sunday, and said: “Dan lost his battle. He fought hard and gave us 10 days that we will treasure forever.”

The news that Marburger died triggered a flood of support on the Perry Facebook page with nearly 200 people posting condolences within the first hour after it was posted.

In a Facebook post on the night of the shooting, the principal’s daughter, Claire Marburger, called her father a “gentle giant” and said it wasn’t surprising that her father tried to protect his students.

“As I heard of a gunman, I instantly had a feeling my Dad would be a victim as he would put himself in harms way for the benefit of the kids and his staff,” his daughter wrote. “That’s just Dad.”

Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation spokesman Mitch Mortvedt said after the shooting that Marburger did some “pretty significant things” to protect others, but didn’t release details. Perry Superintendent Clark Wicks said Marburger was a “hero” who intervened with the teenage gunman so students could escape.

An 11-year-old sixth grader, Ahmir Jolliff, was killed in the shooting. Authorities said he was shot three times.

The shooting happened just after 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 4, shortly before classes were set to begin on the first day back after winter break. Mortvedt said the shooting started in the cafeteria, where students from several grades were eating breakfast, then spilled outside the cafeteria but was contained to the north end of the school.

Authorities said the suspect, identified as Dylan Butler, had a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun. Mortvedt told The Associated Press that authorities also found a “pretty rudimentary” improvised explosive device in Butler’s belongings, and that experts advised “it was something that they needed to disarm.” It was rendered safe.

PERRY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa principal critically injured in a school shooting put himself in harm's way so students could try to escape from a teenage shooter who opened fire in a cafeteria as students were gathering for breakfast before school, authorities said Friday.

Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger and six others, including two staff members and four teenage students, were injured in the Thursday morning shooting that left one sixth-grader dead. The 17-year-old student who opened fire also died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704505064411.png" alt="Dan Marburger photo courtesy KCCI-TV" />
 <figcaption>Dan Marburger photo courtesy KCCI-TV</figcaption>
 </figure>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa principal who put himself in harm’s way to protect students during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/perry-iowa-school-shooting-things-to-know-07b7d636e9ec1d3f1ca6be628aff6e8d">a school shooting</a>&nbsp;earlier this month died Sunday, a funeral home confirmed.Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home &amp; Crematory confirmed the death of Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger after the family announced it on a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/dan-marburgers-healing-and-recovery">GoFundMe page.</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705261265047.png" alt="Dan Marburger-photo GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>Dan Marburger-photo GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>Marburger&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/perry-high-school-shooting-iowa-5346218f2646bec796ba28928a00c745">was critically injured</a>&nbsp;during the Jan. 4 attack, which began in the school's cafeteria as students were gathering for breakfast before class. An 11-year-old middle school student was killed in the shooting, and six other people were injured. The 17-year-old student who opened fire also died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.The day after the shooting, the state Department of Public Safety said Marburger “acted selflessly and placed himself in harm’s way in an apparent effort to protect his students.”News of Marburger's death was first posted on a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/dan-marburgers-healing-and-recovery">GoFundMe page</a> for his family. The post, by Marburger's wife, Elizabeth, said he died at about 8 a.m. Sunday, and said: “Dan lost his battle. He fought hard and gave us 10 days that we will treasure forever.”The news that Marburger died triggered a flood of support on the Perry Facebook page with nearly 200 people posting condolences within the first hour after it was posted.In a Facebook post on the night of the shooting, the principal’s daughter, Claire Marburger, called her father a “gentle giant” and said it wasn’t surprising that her father tried to protect his students.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fclaire.marburger%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0BgPwav4UoxVYxrbDp1cb3Pot934KkT1cuZBb8UaqoTiCZCotGkatJrJJgFyFCm4dl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="278" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>“As I heard of a gunman, I instantly had a feeling my Dad would be a victim as he would put himself in harms way for the benefit of the kids and his staff,” his daughter wrote. “That’s just Dad.”Marburger had been principal since 1995.Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation spokesman Mitch Mortvedt said after the shooting that Marburger did some “pretty significant things” to protect others, but didn’t release details. Perry Superintendent Clark Wicks said Marburger was a “hero” who intervened with the teenage gunman so students could escape.An 11-year-old sixth grader, Ahmir Jolliff, was killed in the shooting. Authorities said he was shot three times.The shooting happened just after 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 4, shortly before classes were set to begin on the first day back after winter break. Mortvedt said the shooting started in the cafeteria, where students from several grades were eating breakfast, then spilled outside the cafeteria but was contained to the north end of the school.Authorities said the suspect, identified as Dylan Butler, had a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun. Mortvedt told The Associated Press that authorities also found a “pretty rudimentary” improvised explosive device in Butler’s belongings, and that experts advised “it was something that they needed to disarm.” It was rendered safe.--------------PERRY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa principal critically injured in a school shooting put himself in harm's way so students could try to escape from a teenage shooter who opened fire in a cafeteria as students were gathering for breakfast before school, authorities said Friday.Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger and six others, including two staff members and four teenage students, were injured in the Thursday morning shooting that left one sixth-grader dead. The 17-year-old student who opened fire also died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.The state Department of Public Safety said Marburger, who is being treated in a Des Moines hospital, “acted selflessly and placed himself in harm’s way in an apparent effort to protect his students.”A day after the shooting, the small community of Perry was somber. Yellow crime tape still lined the campus that Perry High School shares with the town’s middle school, flowers and stuffed toys had cropped up in mini memorials, and classes across the district were canceled Friday in favor of counseling.Perry Superintendent Clark Wicks said the soonest classes will resume in the town will be next Friday.“This is an extremely painful and difficult time for our entire school community, and in our grief, we will take time to remember,” Wicks said.The shooting happened just after 7:30 a.m. Thursday, shortly before classes were set to begin on the first day back after winter break. Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation spokesman Mitch Mortvedt said the shooting started in the cafeteria, where students from several grades were eating breakfast, then spilled outside the cafeteria but was contained to the north end of the school.The student killed was identified as 11-year-old Ahmir Jollif. An autopsy showed he had been shot three times.The news that seven students and staff suffered “wounds or injuries of varying degree” during the shooting was two more than authorities said Thursday afternoon. Mortvedt said the number of injured increased after investigators later learned about two more wounded faculty members. All seven are believed to have been either wounded or grazed by bullets, and suffered injuries ranging from significant to minor.On Friday, Marburger and two students remained hospitalized.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fclaire.marburger%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0BgPwav4UoxVYxrbDp1cb3Pot934KkT1cuZBb8UaqoTiCZCotGkatJrJJgFyFCm4dl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="278" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>In a Facebook post Thursday night, the principal’s daughter said he was in “surgery all day, and is currently stable.”Claire Marburger called her father a “gentle giant” and it wasn't surprising that her father tried to protect his students.“As I heard of a gunman, I instantly had a feeling my Dad would be a victim as he would put himself in harms way for the benefit of the kids and his staff,” his daughter wrote. “That’s just Dad.”Authorities said the suspect, identified as Dylan Butler, had a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun. Mortvedt told The Associated Press that authorities also found a “pretty rudimentary” improvised explosive device in Butler's belongings, and that experts advised “it was something that they needed to disarm.” It was rendered safe.Mortvedt said Marburger, who has been principal since 1995, did some “pretty significant things” to protect others during the shooting, but didn't release details. Wicks, the superintendent, said Marburger was a “hero” who intervened with Butler so students could escape. Wicks said other staff also acted heroically, including Middle School Assistant Principal Adam Jessen who “carried a wounded student into a safe area.”A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said federal and state investigators were interviewing Butler’s friends and analyzing Butler’s social media profiles, including posts on TikTok and Reddit. However, authorities have provided no information about a possible motive.Shortly before Thursday’s shooting, Butler posted a photo on TikTok inside the bathroom of Perry High School, the official said. The photo was captioned “now we wait” and the song “Stray Bullet” by the German band KMFDM accompanied it. Investigators also have found photos Butler posted posing with firearms, according to the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.Two friends and their mother who spoke with the AP said Butler was a quiet person who had been bullied relentlessly since elementary school. Sisters Yesenia Roeder and Khamya Hall, both 17, said alongside their mother, Alita, that it escalated recently when Butler's younger sister started getting picked on, too.“He was hurting. He got tired. He got tired of the bullying. He got tired of the harassment," Yesenia Roeder Hall said. "Was it a smart idea to shoot up the school? No. God, no.”Police said Thursday they believe that Butler acted alone. But investigators have not said how Butler obtained the firearms.Investigators are still working to get a “good grasp of who Dylan was,” and the parents have been cooperating, Mortvedt said. The investigation will include Butler’s background along with the “environment of the school,” he said.Wicks wouldn’t discuss whether Butler had been bullied but he defended the way his district responds to those situations.“We take every bullying situation seriously and our goal is to always have that safe and inviting atmosphere, but I’m not going to comment on this individual case as well as any other individual case,” Wicks said.Butler’s parents have been fixtures of the Perry community. His father is director of the city’s airport after serving as its public works director for years, where he won praise helping clean up Perry after a devastating wind storm in 2020. His mother has also owned a small business and served on a city development board. The parents have not responded to messages seeking comment.On Thursday night, hundreds gathered for a candlelight prayer vigil at a park where hours earlier, students had been brought to reunite with their families after the shooting. Bundled up against freezing temperatures, they listened to clergy from many faiths and heard a message of hope in both English and Spanish.Perry has about 8,000 residents and is about 40 miles (65 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines, on the edge of the state capital’s metropolitan area. It is home to a large pork-processing plant and low-slung, single-story homes spread among trees now shorn of their leaves by winter.The high school is part of the 1,785-student Perry Community School District. Perry is more diverse than Iowa as a whole. Census figures show 31% of its residents are Hispanic, compared with less than 7% statewide. Those figures also show nearly 19% of the town’s residents were born outside the U.S.Despite the shock of the shooting, Perry Mayor Dirk Cavanaugh expressed confidence the community would get through the painful experience.“We are a small town, but we will pull together in a big way to get through this.”