WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will rush about $300 million in weapons to Ukraine after finding some cost savings in its contracts, even though the military remains deeply overdrawn and needs at least $10 billion to replenish all the weapons it has pulled from its stocks to help Kyiv in its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-avdiivka-2e827b4cae4698b3f6b80a421447fab8">desperate fight</a>&nbsp;against Russia, the White House announced Tuesday. The U.S. will also provide a $2 billion loan to Poland.

It's the Pentagon's first announced security package for Ukraine since December, when it acknowledged it was out of replenishment funds. It wasn't until recent days that officials publicly acknowledged they weren't just out of money to buy replacement weapons, they are $10 billion overdrawn.

The announcement comes as Ukraine is running dangerously low on munitions and efforts to get fresh funds for weapons have stalled in the House because of Republican opposition. U.S. officials have insisted for months that the United States wouldn’t be able to resume weapons deliveries until Congress provided the additional replenishment funds, which are part of the stalled supplemental spending bill.

The replenishment funds have allowed the Pentagon to pull existing munitions, air defense systems and other weapons from its reserve inventories under presidential drawdown authority, or PDA, to send to Ukraine and then sign contracts to order replacements, which are needed to maintain U.S. military readiness.

“When Russian troops advance and its guns fire, Ukraine does not have enough ammunition to fire back,” said national security adviser Jake Sullivan in announcing the $300 million in additional aid.

The Pentagon also has had a separate Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, or USAI, which has allowed it to fund longer-term contracts with industry to produce new weapons for Ukraine.

Senior defense officials who briefed reporters said the Pentagon was able to get cost savings in some of those longer-term contracts of roughly $300 million and, given the battlefield situation, decided to use those savings to send more weapons. The officials said the cost savings basically offset the new package and keep the replenishment spending underwater at $10 billion.

One of the officials said the package represented a “one time shot” — unless Congress passes the supplemental spending bill, which includes roughly $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine, or more cost savings are found. It is expected to include anti-aircraft missiles, artillery rounds and armor systems, the official said.

“This is not a sustainable way to support Ukraine,” said Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, calling it a “one time good deal" that officials can't plan on occurring again.

The aid announcement came as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/poland-us-ukraine-biden-white-house-66b04d8c3917be6fe5b9ea5e016f7f5b">Polish leaders were in Washington</a>&nbsp;to press the U.S. to break its impasse over funds for Ukraine at a critical moment in the war. Polish President Andrzej Duda met Tuesday with President Joe Biden after meeting with Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate earlier in the day.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to bring the $95 billion package, which includes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, to the floor. Seeking to put pressure on the Republican speaker, House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ukraine-aid-israel-taiwan-5cc94d69691ed8f26d6e4ff614cf12fc">Democrats have launched a long-shot effort</a>&nbsp;to force a vote through a discharge petition. The seldom-successful procedure would require support from a majority of lawmakers, or 218 members, to move the aid package to a vote.

Ukraine's situation has become more dire, with units on the front line&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ukraine-resupply-aid-republicans-53db93c5db8ab249503e93b558da5bd8">rationing munitions</a>&nbsp;as they face a vastly better supplied Russian force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly implored Congress for help, but House Republican leadership has not been willing to bring the Ukraine aid to the floor for a vote, saying any aid must first address border security needs.

Pentagon officials said Monday during budget briefings that they were counting on the supplemental to cover the $10 billion replenishment hole.

“If we don’t get the $10 billion we would have to find other means,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said. “Right now we’re very much focused on the need for that supplemental.”

This is the second time in less than nine months that the Pentagon has “found” money to use for additional weapons shipments to Ukraine. Last June, defense officials said they had overestimated the value of the weapons the U.S. had sent to Ukraine by $6.2 billion over the past two years.

At the time, Pentagon officials said a review found that the military services used replacement costs rather than the book value of equipment that was pulled from Pentagon stocks and sent to Ukraine. The discovery resulted in a surplus that the department used for presidential drawdown packages until the end of December.

The United States has committed more than $44.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration, including more than $44.2 billion since the beginning of Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

The Pentagon is $10 billion overdrawn in the replenishment account in part due to inflationary pressures, and in part because the new systems the Pentagon is seeking to replace the old systems with cost more, such as the upcoming Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM, which the Army is buying to replace the long-range Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS.

The vast majority of those munitions have come from Army stockpiles due to the nature of the conventional land war in Ukraine.

The months without further shipments of U.S. support have hurt operations, and Ukrainian troops withdrew from the eastern city of Avdiivka last month, where outnumbered defenders had withheld a Russian assault for four months.

CIA Director William Burns told Congress that entire Ukrainian units have told him in recent days of being down to their last few dozen artillery shells and other ammunition. Burns called the retreat from Avdiivka a failure of ammunition resupply, not a failure of Ukrainian will.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710267271851.png" alt="Soldiers in an M1A2 SEPV3 Abrams tank assigned to the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division fires conduct a Combined Arms Live-Fire exercise at Trzebien, Poland, Feb. 12, 2024. The 3rd Infantry Division’s mission in Europe is to engage in multinational training and exercises across the continent, working alongside NATO Allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces to V Corps, America’s forward deployed corps in Europe.&nbsp;&nbsp;Photo By:Army Spc. Bernabe Lopez III" />
 <figcaption>Soldiers in an M1A2 SEPV3 Abrams tank assigned to the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division fires conduct a Combined Arms Live-Fire exercise at Trzebien, Poland, Feb. 12, 2024. The 3rd Infantry Division’s mission in Europe is to engage in multinational training and exercises across the continent, working alongside NATO Allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces to V Corps, America’s forward deployed corps in Europe.&nbsp;&nbsp;Photo By:Army Spc. Bernabe Lopez III</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will rush about $300 million in weapons to Ukraine after finding some cost savings in its contracts, even though the military remains deeply overdrawn and needs at least $10 billion to replenish all the weapons it has pulled from its stocks to help Kyiv in its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-avdiivka-2e827b4cae4698b3f6b80a421447fab8">desperate fight</a>&nbsp;against Russia, the White House announced Tuesday. The U.S. will also provide a $2 billion loan to Poland.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">National Security Adviser <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSullivan46?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JakeSullivan46</a> announces $2 billion loan to Poland and $300 million in weapons and equipment to Ukraine amid Russia&#39;s war. He says the new aid to Ukraine is not meant to replace the supplemental bill. <a href="https://t.co/J2tMq5S7AI">pic.twitter.com/J2tMq5S7AI</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1767619413652488492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>It's the Pentagon's first announced security package for Ukraine since December, when it acknowledged it was out of replenishment funds. It wasn't until recent days that officials publicly acknowledged they weren't just out of money to buy replacement weapons, they are $10 billion overdrawn.The announcement comes as Ukraine is running dangerously low on munitions and efforts to get fresh funds for weapons have stalled in the House because of Republican opposition. U.S. officials have insisted for months that the United States wouldn’t be able to resume weapons deliveries until Congress provided the additional replenishment funds, which are part of the stalled supplemental spending bill.The replenishment funds have allowed the Pentagon to pull existing munitions, air defense systems and other weapons from its reserve inventories under presidential drawdown authority, or PDA, to send to Ukraine and then sign contracts to order replacements, which are needed to maintain U.S. military readiness.“When Russian troops advance and its guns fire, Ukraine does not have enough ammunition to fire back,” said national security adviser Jake Sullivan in announcing the $300 million in additional aid.The Pentagon also has had a separate Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, or USAI, which has allowed it to fund longer-term contracts with industry to produce new weapons for Ukraine.Senior defense officials who briefed reporters said the Pentagon was able to get cost savings in some of those longer-term contracts of roughly $300 million and, given the battlefield situation, decided to use those savings to send more weapons. The officials said the cost savings basically offset the new package and keep the replenishment spending underwater at $10 billion.One of the officials said the package represented a “one time shot” — unless Congress passes the supplemental spending bill, which includes roughly $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine, or more cost savings are found. It is expected to include anti-aircraft missiles, artillery rounds and armor systems, the official said.“This is not a sustainable way to support Ukraine,” said Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, calling it a “one time good deal" that officials can't plan on occurring again.The aid announcement came as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/poland-us-ukraine-biden-white-house-66b04d8c3917be6fe5b9ea5e016f7f5b">Polish leaders were in Washington</a>&nbsp;to press the U.S. to break its impasse over funds for Ukraine at a critical moment in the war. Polish President Andrzej Duda met Tuesday with President Joe Biden after meeting with Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate earlier in the day.House Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to bring the $95 billion package, which includes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, to the floor. Seeking to put pressure on the Republican speaker, House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ukraine-aid-israel-taiwan-5cc94d69691ed8f26d6e4ff614cf12fc">Democrats have launched a long-shot effort</a>&nbsp;to force a vote through a discharge petition. The seldom-successful procedure would require support from a majority of lawmakers, or 218 members, to move the aid package to a vote.Ukraine's situation has become more dire, with units on the front line&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ukraine-resupply-aid-republicans-53db93c5db8ab249503e93b558da5bd8">rationing munitions</a>&nbsp;as they face a vastly better supplied Russian force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly implored Congress for help, but House Republican leadership has not been willing to bring the Ukraine aid to the floor for a vote, saying any aid must first address border security needs.Pentagon officials said Monday during budget briefings that they were counting on the supplemental to cover the $10 billion replenishment hole.“If we don’t get the $10 billion we would have to find other means,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said. “Right now we’re very much focused on the need for that supplemental.”This is the second time in less than nine months that the Pentagon has “found” money to use for additional weapons shipments to Ukraine. Last June, defense officials said they had overestimated the value of the weapons the U.S. had sent to Ukraine by $6.2 billion over the past two years.At the time, Pentagon officials said a review found that the military services used replacement costs rather than the book value of equipment that was pulled from Pentagon stocks and sent to Ukraine. The discovery resulted in a surplus that the department used for presidential drawdown packages until the end of December.The United States has committed more than $44.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration, including more than $44.2 billion since the beginning of Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.The Pentagon is $10 billion overdrawn in the replenishment account in part due to inflationary pressures, and in part because the new systems the Pentagon is seeking to replace the old systems with cost more, such as the upcoming Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM, which the Army is buying to replace the long-range Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS.The vast majority of those munitions have come from Army stockpiles due to the nature of the conventional land war in Ukraine.The months without further shipments of U.S. support have hurt operations, and Ukrainian troops withdrew from the eastern city of Avdiivka last month, where outnumbered defenders had withheld a Russian assault for four months.CIA Director William Burns told Congress that entire Ukrainian units have told him in recent days of being down to their last few dozen artillery shells and other ammunition. Burns called the retreat from Avdiivka a failure of ammunition resupply, not a failure of Ukrainian will.___

🎥U.S. will rush $300 million in weapons to Ukraine; $2 billion loan to Poland  

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers turned a Tuesday hearing on President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents into a proxy battle between the Democratic president and Republican front-runner Donald Trump, as&nbsp;a newly released transcript of Biden’s testimony&nbsp;last fall showed that he repeatedly insisted he never meant to retain classified information after he left the vice presidency.

<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24476201/biden1-copy.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;day 1 interview with President Biden.

<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24476203/biden-2-copy.pdf">Click here to read </a>day 2 interview with President Biden

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/storage/report-from-special-counsel-robert-k-hur-february-2024.pdf">Click here to read </a>the 345 page report following the interview

Special counsel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-hur-biden-special-counsel-classified-documents-0f8e4a9d99f8b7d035f75f78e9b8d3d3">Robert Hur</a>, testifying for more than four hours before the House Judiciary Committee, stood steadfastly by the assessments in his 345-page report that questioned Biden’s age and mental competence but recommended no criminal charges for the 81-year-old president, finding insufficient evidence to make a case stand up in court.

“What I wrote is what I believe the evidence shows, and what I expect jurors would perceive and believe," Hur said. "I did not sanitize my explanation. Nor did I disparage the president unfairly.”

The transcript of hours of interviews between Biden and the special counsel released Tuesday provide a more textured picture of the roughly year-long investigation, filling in some of the gaps left by Hur’s and Biden's accounting of the exchanges. But there was no guarantee the hearing or transcript would alter preconceived notions about the president, the special counsel who investigated him, or Trump, particularly in a hard-fought election year.

While Biden was adamant that he treated classified information seriously, the transcript shows that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-memory-age-special-counsel-report-doj-f4232bc8316e556ed467185b67c3e0a8">he was at times fuzzy about dates and details</a>&nbsp;and he said he was unfamiliar with the paper trail for some of the sensitive documents he handled.

The hearing played out as both Biden and Trump were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-primary-georgia-washington-mississippi-hawaii-15bb0084ad656903ffef14cfae822abd">on the cusp of claiming their parties' nominations</a>, and the party lines calcified almost immediately over which leader meant to hang on to classified documents, or rather, who “willfully” retained them — and who didn't. And Hur was the rare witness vilified all around, by Republicans angry over his decision not to charge the president, and by Democrats for his unflattering commentary about Biden.

Republicans argued Biden was being given a pass by his own Justice Department and that Trump had been unfairly victimized by prosecutors. Democrats, for their part, stressed Biden’s cooperation in the investigation and strongly contrasted that with the separate criminal case against Trump, who refused to return classified documents requested by the National Archives that he had at his Florida estate.

Democrats started off their questioning by hitting hard at the contrast between Biden and Trump, focusing more on the latter's criminal case. Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, the ranking Democrat, asked whether Biden's willingness to comply with investigators and turn over documents contributed to the decision not to charge him.

“That was a factor in our analysis," Hur said.

But the Democrats quickly bored into Hur, who was handpicked by Biden’s own attorney general, suggesting he was a political partisan doing Republican bidding via his written slights about Biden’s age and memory. Hur took issue with the characterization.

“Politics played no part whatsoever in my investigative steps, my decisions and the words that I put in my report,” Hur responded.

Republicans, meanwhile, insisted Trump was being unfairly singled out and vilified, questioning how the two cases were really all that different.

Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., called it a “glaring double standard.”

“Donald Trump’s being prosecuted for exactly the same act that you documented Joe Biden committed,” he told Hur.

But there were major differences between the two probes. Biden’s team returned the documents after they were discovered, and the president cooperated with the investigation by voluntarily sitting for an interview and consenting to searches of his homes. Trump, by contrast, is accused of enlisting the help of aides and lawyers to conceal the documents from the government and seeking to have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-justice-department-special-counsel-2025feb3f0f4e3820d14387c67ce4316">potentially incriminating evidence</a>&nbsp;destroyed.

Hur’s report cited evidence that Biden willfully held on to highly classified information and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ghostwriter-mark-zwonitzer-classified-documents-case-8ad6e560c2eb54e25db149a2d01ad545">shared it with a ghostwriter,</a>&nbsp;based on audio of the conversations between the two men in which Biden said he had just come across some classified documents at his home.

According to the transcript, Biden told Hur he did not recall the exchange, or that he had actually discovered any documents. He said if he had discussed anything questionable with the ghostwriter, it was in referring to a 20-page sensitive memo he had written to then-President Barack Obama in 2009 arguing against surging troops in Afghanistan that he wanted to ensure didn't make it into publication.

Hur said he was aware of the need to explain in great detail why he’d decided not to charge the president and why the case didn't meet the standard for criminal charges. Such explanations are common but usually kept confidential.

But there's a tradition at the Justice Department to release such documents publicly and so as Hur was working on his report, he almost certainly would have understood that the document was going to see the light of the day.

“The need to show my work was especially strong here,” Hur said. “The attorney general had appointed me to investigate the actions of the attorney general’s boss, the sitting president of the United States. I knew that for my decision to be credible, I could not simply announce that I recommended no criminal charges and leave it at that. I needed to explain why.”

He added that “the evidence and the president himself put his memory squarely at issue.”

In his interviews, Biden repeatedly told prosecutors that he did not know how classified documents ended up at his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-812ef44a5333f6d93423a67a683fa024">home and former Penn Biden Center office in Washington</a>.

He also insisted that had he known they were there, he would have returned them to the government.

The president did acknowledge that he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hur-biden-trump-presidential-records-diaries-ada4f47bc6c69321f6ed9b3d4f9466c1">intentionally held on to his personal diaries</a>&nbsp;— which officials said contained classified information. Biden insisted were his own property, a claim also asserted by previous presidents and vice presidents, and that he had a right to keep them.

He also acknowledged that he was “never that organized,” as prosecutors pressed him on why some of the documents were located in different places.

Hur, in his report, detailed how his findings about Biden were far different from those of special counsel Jack Smith about Trump, who has been charged with willfully retaining classified documents.

Trump hyped Tuesday as a “Big day in Congress for the Biden Documents Hoax,” while casting himself as being unfairly targeted. “The DOJ gave Biden, and virtually every other person and President, a free pass," he said. "Me, I’m still fighting!!!"

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-government-and-politics-9e8d683afe87389407950af7ccfdbdd6">FBI agents searched Trump’s Florida estate in 2022</a>&nbsp;and removed boxes of documents marked as classified after he refused multiple requests from the National Archives to return them.

Biden, by his own admission in the interviews, has retained such a sprawling assortment of photos, documents and artifacts from his more than 50 years in public life that he can’t keep track of everything.

When asked if first lady Jill Biden kept her things with his, he said, "She wants nothing to do with my filing system.” He added, to laughs from the lawyers, “not even kidding.”

The transcript also offered a rare window into the mind of a sitting president, revealing his his humor and his obsessions — including his beloved Corvette and his keen interest in construction work at his home in Wilmington — as well as the rigors of the presidency and international crises.

Biden first sat down with Hur during a time of crisis, one day after the devastating Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

He entered the first day of the interview having just gotten off the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, part of a series of calls meant to prevent the attack from spiraling into a wider regional confrontation. At multiple points, when Hur suggested a pause, Biden encouraged prosecutors to keep going, saying, “I'll go all night if we get this done.”

Biden said that he left it to his staff to safeguard classified information that was presented to him, often leaving papers on his desk in heaps for aides to sort through and secure.

“I never asked anybody,” Biden said. He noted that much of his staff had worked with him for years, to the point where they didn't need direction from him. "It just - it just got done. I don’t know. I can’t remember who.”

Confusion over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-beau-special-counsel-80eaaee6de62c0c7b455c03d39502ecb">the timing of the death of Biden's adult son Beau</a>&nbsp;— who died May 30, 2015 — was highlighted by Hur in his report as an example of the president's memory lapses. But the transcript shows that Hur never asked Biden about his son specifically, as a visibly angry Biden had suggested in comments to reporters the day the report was released.

“How in the hell dare he raise that,” Biden said of Hur. "Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself it wasn’t any of their damn business.”

But the transcript suggests that the exchange was less revealing about Biden's memory than Hur let on, and that Biden's recollection of it during his emotional White House remarks was incorrect.

Hur asked Biden about where he kept the things that he was "actively working on" while he was living in a rental home in Virginia immediately after leaving the vice presidency in January 2017. And in that context, it was Biden himself who brought up Beau's illness and death as he talked about a book he'd published later in 2017 about that painful time.

“What month did Beau die?” Biden mused, adding, “Oh God, May 30th.”

A White House lawyer then chimed in with the year, 2015.

“Was it 2015 he died?” Biden asked again.

Biden went on to recount in detail the story contained in his book, “Promise Me, Dad,” of how his late son had encouraged him to remain engaged in public life after the Obama administration ended.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673546739694.png" alt="Biden backing his Corvette into the garage next to stacks of boxes where classified documents were found-image from a 2020 Biden for President campaign ad" />
 <figcaption>Biden backing his Corvette into the garage next to stacks of boxes where classified documents were found-image from a 2020 Biden for President campaign ad</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers turned a Tuesday hearing on President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents into a proxy battle between the Democratic president and Republican front-runner Donald Trump, as&nbsp;a newly released transcript of Biden’s testimony&nbsp;last fall showed that he repeatedly insisted he never meant to retain classified information after he left the vice presidency.<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24476201/biden1-copy.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;day 1 interview with President Biden.<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24476203/biden-2-copy.pdf">Click here to read </a>day 2 interview with President Biden<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former Special Counsel Hur: &quot;My assessment in the report about the relevance of the president&#39;s memory was necessary and accurate and fair...I did not sanitize my explanation nor did I disparage the president unfairly.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/vEfUTuTU3z">pic.twitter.com/vEfUTuTU3z</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1767564395436011628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><a href="https://www.justice.gov/storage/report-from-special-counsel-robert-k-hur-february-2024.pdf">Click here to read </a>the 345 page report following the interview<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707478982378.png" alt="Page from the special counsel's report that highlight's Biden's memory challenges.- U.S. Department of Justice" />
 <figcaption>Page from the special counsel's report that highlight's Biden's memory challenges.- U.S. Department of Justice</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710256853789.png" alt="Special Counsel Robert Hur during his opening statement Tuesday image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Special Counsel Robert Hur during his opening statement Tuesday image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Special counsel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-hur-biden-special-counsel-classified-documents-0f8e4a9d99f8b7d035f75f78e9b8d3d3">Robert Hur</a>, testifying for more than four hours before the House Judiciary Committee, stood steadfastly by the assessments in his 345-page report that questioned Biden’s age and mental competence but recommended no criminal charges for the 81-year-old president, finding insufficient evidence to make a case stand up in court.“What I wrote is what I believe the evidence shows, and what I expect jurors would perceive and believe," Hur said. "I did not sanitize my explanation. Nor did I disparage the president unfairly.”The transcript of hours of interviews between Biden and the special counsel released Tuesday provide a more textured picture of the roughly year-long investigation, filling in some of the gaps left by Hur’s and Biden's accounting of the exchanges. But there was no guarantee the hearing or transcript would alter preconceived notions about the president, the special counsel who investigated him, or Trump, particularly in a hard-fought election year.While Biden was adamant that he treated classified information seriously, the transcript shows that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-memory-age-special-counsel-report-doj-f4232bc8316e556ed467185b67c3e0a8">he was at times fuzzy about dates and details</a>&nbsp;and he said he was unfamiliar with the paper trail for some of the sensitive documents he handled.The hearing played out as both Biden and Trump were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-primary-georgia-washington-mississippi-hawaii-15bb0084ad656903ffef14cfae822abd">on the cusp of claiming their parties' nominations</a>, and the party lines calcified almost immediately over which leader meant to hang on to classified documents, or rather, who “willfully” retained them — and who didn't. And Hur was the rare witness vilified all around, by Republicans angry over his decision not to charge the president, and by Democrats for his unflattering commentary about Biden.Republicans argued Biden was being given a pass by his own Justice Department and that Trump had been unfairly victimized by prosecutors. Democrats, for their part, stressed Biden’s cooperation in the investigation and strongly contrasted that with the separate criminal case against Trump, who refused to return classified documents requested by the National Archives that he had at his Florida estate.Democrats started off their questioning by hitting hard at the contrast between Biden and Trump, focusing more on the latter's criminal case. Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, the ranking Democrat, asked whether Biden's willingness to comply with investigators and turn over documents contributed to the decision not to charge him.“That was a factor in our analysis," Hur said.But the Democrats quickly bored into Hur, who was handpicked by Biden’s own attorney general, suggesting he was a political partisan doing Republican bidding via his written slights about Biden’s age and memory. Hur took issue with the characterization.“Politics played no part whatsoever in my investigative steps, my decisions and the words that I put in my report,” Hur responded.Republicans, meanwhile, insisted Trump was being unfairly singled out and vilified, questioning how the two cases were really all that different.Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., called it a “glaring double standard.”“Donald Trump’s being prosecuted for exactly the same act that you documented Joe Biden committed,” he told Hur.But there were major differences between the two probes. Biden’s team returned the documents after they were discovered, and the president cooperated with the investigation by voluntarily sitting for an interview and consenting to searches of his homes. Trump, by contrast, is accused of enlisting the help of aides and lawyers to conceal the documents from the government and seeking to have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-justice-department-special-counsel-2025feb3f0f4e3820d14387c67ce4316">potentially incriminating evidence</a>&nbsp;destroyed.Hur’s report cited evidence that Biden willfully held on to highly classified information and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ghostwriter-mark-zwonitzer-classified-documents-case-8ad6e560c2eb54e25db149a2d01ad545">shared it with a ghostwriter,</a>&nbsp;based on audio of the conversations between the two men in which Biden said he had just come across some classified documents at his home.According to the transcript, Biden told Hur he did not recall the exchange, or that he had actually discovered any documents. He said if he had discussed anything questionable with the ghostwriter, it was in referring to a 20-page sensitive memo he had written to then-President Barack Obama in 2009 arguing against surging troops in Afghanistan that he wanted to ensure didn't make it into publication.Hur said he was aware of the need to explain in great detail why he’d decided not to charge the president and why the case didn't meet the standard for criminal charges. Such explanations are common but usually kept confidential.But there's a tradition at the Justice Department to release such documents publicly and so as Hur was working on his report, he almost certainly would have understood that the document was going to see the light of the day.“The need to show my work was especially strong here,” Hur said. “The attorney general had appointed me to investigate the actions of the attorney general’s boss, the sitting president of the United States. I knew that for my decision to be credible, I could not simply announce that I recommended no criminal charges and leave it at that. I needed to explain why.”He added that “the evidence and the president himself put his memory squarely at issue.”In his interviews, Biden repeatedly told prosecutors that he did not know how classified documents ended up at his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-812ef44a5333f6d93423a67a683fa024">home and former Penn Biden Center office in Washington</a>.“I have no idea,” he said.He also insisted that had he known they were there, he would have returned them to the government.The president did acknowledge that he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hur-biden-trump-presidential-records-diaries-ada4f47bc6c69321f6ed9b3d4f9466c1">intentionally held on to his personal diaries</a>&nbsp;— which officials said contained classified information. Biden insisted were his own property, a claim also asserted by previous presidents and vice presidents, and that he had a right to keep them.He also acknowledged that he was “never that organized,” as prosecutors pressed him on why some of the documents were located in different places.Hur, in his report, detailed how his findings about Biden were far different from those of special counsel Jack Smith about Trump, who has been charged with willfully retaining classified documents.Trump hyped Tuesday as a “Big day in Congress for the Biden Documents Hoax,” while casting himself as being unfairly targeted. “The DOJ gave Biden, and virtually every other person and President, a free pass," he said. "Me, I’m still fighting!!!"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-government-and-politics-9e8d683afe87389407950af7ccfdbdd6">FBI agents searched Trump’s Florida estate in 2022</a>&nbsp;and removed boxes of documents marked as classified after he refused multiple requests from the National Archives to return them.Biden, by his own admission in the interviews, has retained such a sprawling assortment of photos, documents and artifacts from his more than 50 years in public life that he can’t keep track of everything.When asked if first lady Jill Biden kept her things with his, he said, "She wants nothing to do with my filing system.” He added, to laughs from the lawyers, “not even kidding.”The transcript also offered a rare window into the mind of a sitting president, revealing his his humor and his obsessions — including his beloved Corvette and his keen interest in construction work at his home in Wilmington — as well as the rigors of the presidency and international crises.Biden first sat down with Hur during a time of crisis, one day after the devastating Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.He entered the first day of the interview having just gotten off the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, part of a series of calls meant to prevent the attack from spiraling into a wider regional confrontation. At multiple points, when Hur suggested a pause, Biden encouraged prosecutors to keep going, saying, “I'll go all night if we get this done.”Biden said that he left it to his staff to safeguard classified information that was presented to him, often leaving papers on his desk in heaps for aides to sort through and secure.“I never asked anybody,” Biden said. He noted that much of his staff had worked with him for years, to the point where they didn't need direction from him. "It just - it just got done. I don’t know. I can’t remember who.”Confusion over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-beau-special-counsel-80eaaee6de62c0c7b455c03d39502ecb">the timing of the death of Biden's adult son Beau</a>&nbsp;— who died May 30, 2015 — was highlighted by Hur in his report as an example of the president's memory lapses. But the transcript shows that Hur never asked Biden about his son specifically, as a visibly angry Biden had suggested in comments to reporters the day the report was released.“How in the hell dare he raise that,” Biden said of Hur. "Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself it wasn’t any of their damn business.”But the transcript suggests that the exchange was less revealing about Biden's memory than Hur let on, and that Biden's recollection of it during his emotional White House remarks was incorrect.Hur asked Biden about where he kept the things that he was "actively working on" while he was living in a rental home in Virginia immediately after leaving the vice presidency in January 2017. And in that context, it was Biden himself who brought up Beau's illness and death as he talked about a book he'd published later in 2017 about that painful time.“What month did Beau die?” Biden mused, adding, “Oh God, May 30th.”A White House lawyer then chimed in with the year, 2015.“Was it 2015 he died?” Biden asked again.Biden went on to recount in detail the story contained in his book, “Promise Me, Dad,” of how his late son had encouraged him to remain engaged in public life after the Obama administration ended.

Read transcript: Biden classified docs interview with Special Prosecutor 

Lincoln, March 12, 2024- The Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) has issued an Order(<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/telecom/2024-03-12%20C-5484%20Order%20Denying%20Motion%20for%20Partial%20Reconsideration.pdf" target="_blank">C-5484</a>) denying a motion by AMG Nebraska, ISP, LLC, (AMG) for reconsideration of aNebraska Broadband Bridge Program (NBBP) grant awarded to another carrier during the 2023grant cycle.

AMG filed its motion seeking reconsideration of the Commission’s award of an NBBP grant toanother carrier in Gage County. AMG indicated that the award granted by the PSC to PinpointCommunications, Inc., would overlap 23 of the 950 locations for which Gage County hadpreviously awarded AMG funding, resulting in duplication of funding resources for broadbandinfrastructure. AMG also indicated that it did not initially challenge the overlapping award,based on an understanding that the Commission was made aware of the overlap by countyleadership.

“We are currently in the fourth grant cycle for the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program,” saidCommission Chair Dan Watermeier.&nbsp; “The process for challenges during a grant cycle is not onlyset forth in statute but is also well defined by the Commission. In this instance that process wasnot followed.”

In its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/telecom/2024-03-12%20C-5484%20Order%20Denying%20Motion%20for%20Partial%20Reconsideration.pdf" target="_blank">Order</a>&nbsp;denying the motion for reconsideration, the Commission found that AMG did notfile a challenge by the deadlines set forth for the 2023 NBBP grant process<a>.&nbsp; As such, theCommission is unable to consider a challenge that was not filed since it was never provided withthe specific detailed information needed to determine AMG’s ability to complete the broadbandinfrastructure and serve the locations in question at the required speeds within the 18-monthdeployment timeframe as required by the grant program.</a>

Commissioner Watermeier said, “We cannot decide on a purported challenge lacking theessential information required by statue.”

During the 2023 grant cycle the Commission received 51 applications for funding through theNBBP. Sixteen of the applications received were challenged. Upon review of the applicationsand the challenges received through the grant process, the Commission determined 22 projectswould be funded. The grants awarded were submitted by 10 providers for a total of$19,713,379.26. Projects funded through the 2023 grant cycle must be completed by July 9,

A detailed list of projects approved through the 2023 grant cycle and funding amounts of thoseprojects can be found on the&nbsp;<a href="https://psc.nebraska.gov/telecommunications/nebraska-broadband-bridge-program-nbbpcapital-projects-fund-cpf" target="_blank">Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program page</a>&nbsp;of the PSC website.

Deb CollinsLincoln, March 12, 2024- The Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) has issued an Order(<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/telecom/2024-03-12%20C-5484%20Order%20Denying%20Motion%20for%20Partial%20Reconsideration.pdf" target="_blank">C-5484</a>) denying a motion by AMG Nebraska, ISP, LLC, (AMG) for reconsideration of aNebraska Broadband Bridge Program (NBBP) grant awarded to another carrier during the 2023grant cycle.AMG filed its motion seeking reconsideration of the Commission’s award of an NBBP grant toanother carrier in Gage County. AMG indicated that the award granted by the PSC to PinpointCommunications, Inc., would overlap 23 of the 950 locations for which Gage County hadpreviously awarded AMG funding, resulting in duplication of funding resources for broadbandinfrastructure. AMG also indicated that it did not initially challenge the overlapping award,based on an understanding that the Commission was made aware of the overlap by countyleadership.“We are currently in the fourth grant cycle for the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program,” saidCommission Chair Dan Watermeier.&nbsp; “The process for challenges during a grant cycle is not onlyset forth in statute but is also well defined by the Commission. In this instance that process wasnot followed.”In its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/telecom/2024-03-12%20C-5484%20Order%20Denying%20Motion%20for%20Partial%20Reconsideration.pdf" target="_blank">Order</a>&nbsp;denying the motion for reconsideration, the Commission found that AMG did notfile a challenge by the deadlines set forth for the 2023 NBBP grant process<a>.&nbsp; As such, theCommission is unable to consider a challenge that was not filed since it was never provided withthe specific detailed information needed to determine AMG’s ability to complete the broadbandinfrastructure and serve the locations in question at the required speeds within the 18-monthdeployment timeframe as required by the grant program.</a>Commissioner Watermeier said, “We cannot decide on a purported challenge lacking theessential information required by statue.”During the 2023 grant cycle the Commission received 51 applications for funding through theNBBP. Sixteen of the applications received were challenged. Upon review of the applicationsand the challenges received through the grant process, the Commission determined 22 projectswould be funded. The grants awarded were submitted by 10 providers for a total of$19,713,379.26. Projects funded through the 2023 grant cycle must be completed by July 9,2025.A detailed list of projects approved through the 2023 grant cycle and funding amounts of thoseprojects can be found on the&nbsp;<a href="https://psc.nebraska.gov/telecommunications/nebraska-broadband-bridge-program-nbbpcapital-projects-fund-cpf" target="_blank">Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program page</a>&nbsp;of the PSC website.

 PSC Issues Order Denying Motion For Reconsideration

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says it has determined that an American-Israeli soldier who was believed taken into Gaza as a hostage was actually killed during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7.

It was not clear how the military determined Itay Chen, 19, had been killed. Chen on active duty on the day of the attack.

Chen’s family has been prominent in the struggle by relatives of hostages to have their loved ones released. Chen’s father, Ruby, is American and had made repeated appearances in the media and met top U.S. officials.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday he was “devastated” to learn of Chen’s death, after meeting Chen’s father and brother at the White House in December.

“No one should have to endure even one day of what they have gone through,” said Biden, adding that the U.S. would keep working to secure the remaining hostages' release.

In a statement, Chen’s parents thanked the Biden administration and the American people for their support. They said they expect Israel and America’s leadership to do everything to bring back all the hostages still in Gaza, including their son’s remains.

Chen is the latest hostage to be declared dead by Israeli authorities. Israel says 34 of the hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip are dead, either killed during Hamas’ attack or while in captivity.

Hamas-led militants took roughly 250 people captive into Gaza, among them men, women, children and older adults. Dozens were released during a temporary cease-fire in late November and about 100 people remain in captivity who are believed to be alive.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710266231699.png" alt="In November, Itay's father Ruby Chen testified before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/organization/?161/Middle-East">Middle East</a>, North Africa, and Central Asia. Witnesses emotionally detailed their last conversations with loved ones and urged Congress to help bring hostages home.-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>In November, Itay's father Ruby Chen testified before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/organization/?161/Middle-East">Middle East</a>, North Africa, and Central Asia. Witnesses emotionally detailed their last conversations with loved ones and urged Congress to help bring hostages home.-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says it has determined that an American-Israeli soldier who was believed taken into Gaza as a hostage was actually killed during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7.It was not clear how the military determined Itay Chen, 19, had been killed. Chen on active duty on the day of the attack.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Jill and I are devastated to learn that Itay Chen was killed by Hamas during its brutal terrorist assault on October 7. In December, Itay’s father and brother joined me at the White House to share the agony and uncertainty they’ve faced as they prayed for the safe return of…&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1767578013615448110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Chen’s family has been prominent in the struggle by relatives of hostages to have their loved ones released. Chen’s father, Ruby, is American and had made repeated appearances in the media and met top U.S. officials.U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday he was “devastated” to learn of Chen’s death, after meeting Chen’s father and brother at the White House in December.“No one should have to endure even one day of what they have gone through,” said Biden, adding that the U.S. would keep working to secure the remaining hostages' release.In a statement, Chen’s parents thanked the Biden administration and the American people for their support. They said they expect Israel and America’s leadership to do everything to bring back all the hostages still in Gaza, including their son’s remains.Chen is the latest hostage to be declared dead by Israeli authorities. Israel says 34 of the hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip are dead, either killed during Hamas’ attack or while in captivity.Hamas-led militants took roughly 250 people captive into Gaza, among them men, women, children and older adults. Dozens were released during a temporary cease-fire in late November and about 100 people remain in captivity who are believed to be alive.

White House: American-Israeli soldier, believed a hostage, is dead

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska woman allegedly found a lucrative quirk at a gas station pump — double-swipe the rewards card and get free gas!

Unfortunately for her, you can't do that, prosecutors said. The 45-year-old woman was arrested March 6 and faces felony theft charges accusing her of a crime that cost the gas station nearly $28,000.

Prosecutors say the woman exploited the system over a period of several months. Police learned of the problem in October when the loss-prevention manager at Bosselman Enterprises reported that the company's Pump &amp; Pantry in Lincoln had been scammed.

Fuel pumps at the station received a software update in November 2022 that managed, among other things, rewards cards. But the company was unaware of a glitch that allowed anyone swiping a rewards card twice to put a gas pump into demonstration mode. In demo mode, the user could pump gas at no cost.

A probable cause statement from prosecutors said the loss-prevention manager determined that one particular card had been used repeatedly to obtain free gas. Police were able to trace the card to the suspect, and video surveillance showed the woman pumping gas on multiple occasions from November 2022 until June 1, when the glitch was fixed, the statement said.

Authorities believe the woman not only used the scam to get free gas, but that she allowed another woman to use her card — for a fee.

The probable cause statement said the other woman told police that that she paid to use the card for “discounted fuel." Authorities believe the woman paid Thompson $500 for gas purchases that should have cost about $700.

All told, the card was used 510 times, and more than 7,400 gallons of gas were pumped for free, the probable cause statement said.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska woman allegedly found a lucrative quirk at a gas station pump — double-swipe the rewards card and get free gas!Unfortunately for her, you can't do that, prosecutors said. The 45-year-old woman was arrested March 6 and faces felony theft charges accusing her of a crime that cost the gas station nearly $28,000.Prosecutors say the woman exploited the system over a period of several months. Police learned of the problem in October when the loss-prevention manager at Bosselman Enterprises reported that the company's Pump &amp; Pantry in Lincoln had been scammed.Fuel pumps at the station received a software update in November 2022 that managed, among other things, rewards cards. But the company was unaware of a glitch that allowed anyone swiping a rewards card twice to put a gas pump into demonstration mode. In demo mode, the user could pump gas at no cost.A probable cause statement from prosecutors said the loss-prevention manager determined that one particular card had been used repeatedly to obtain free gas. Police were able to trace the card to the suspect, and video surveillance showed the woman pumping gas on multiple occasions from November 2022 until June 1, when the glitch was fixed, the statement said.Authorities believe the woman not only used the scam to get free gas, but that she allowed another woman to use her card — for a fee.The probable cause statement said the other woman told police that that she paid to use the card for “discounted fuel." Authorities believe the woman paid Thompson $500 for gas purchases that should have cost about $700.All told, the card was used 510 times, and more than 7,400 gallons of gas were pumped for free, the probable cause statement said.

Nebraska woman faces felony theft charges after getting free gas 

NEW YORK (AP) — House Republicans are moving ahead with a bill that would require Chinese company ByteDance&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-bytedance-bill-divest-5b5a685e8f1e19d22182d62526bf19b8">to sell TikTok or face a ban in the United States</a>&nbsp;even as former President Donald Trump is voicing opposition to the effort.

House leadership has scheduled a vote on the measure for Wednesday. A Republican congressional aide not authorized to speak publicly said that’s still the plan and there has not been significant pushback to the bill from lawmakers.

A vote for the bill would represent an unusual break with the former president by House Republicans, but Speaker Mike Johnson and others have already forcefully come out in favor of the bill, and dropping it now would represent a significant reversal. “It’s an important bipartisan measure to take on China, our largest geopolitical foe, which is actively undermining our economy and security,” Johnson declared last week.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump</a>&nbsp;said Monday that he still believes TikTok poses a national security risk but is opposed to banning the hugely popular app because doing so would help its rival, Facebook, which he continues to lambast over his 2020 election loss.

“Frankly, there are a lot of people on TikTok that love it. There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it,” Trump said in a call-in interview with CNBC's “Squawk Box.” “There’s a lot of good and there’s a lot of bad with TikTok. But the thing I don’t like is that without TikTok you’re going to make Facebook bigger, and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people, along with a lot of the media.”

“When I look at it, I’m not looking to make Facebook double the size," he added. ”I think Facebook has been very bad for our country, especially when it comes to elections.”

Trump has repeatedly complained about Facebook's role during the 2020 election, which he still refuses to concede he lost to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>. That includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-mark-zuckerberg-election-donations-188810437774">at least $400 million</a>&nbsp;that its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, and his wife&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-mark-zuckerberg-election-donations-188810437774">donated</a>&nbsp;to two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-elections-denver-mark-zuckerberg-election-2020-92257bbc1fefd9ed0e18861e5b5913f6">nonprofit organizations</a>&nbsp;that distributed grants to state and local governments to help them conduct the 2020 election at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The donations — which were fully permitted under campaign finance law — went to pay for things like equipment to process mail ballots and drive-thru voting locations.

TikTok, a video-sharing app, has emerged as a major issue in the 2024 presidential campaign. The platform has about 170 million users in the U.S., most of whom skew younger — a demographic that both parties are desperately trying to court ahead of November's general election. Younger voters have become especially hard for campaigns to reach as they gravitate away from traditional platforms like cable television.

Biden's 2024 campaign officially&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-tiktok-campaign-taylor-swift-c686631206fdadbc1038c2521a669375">joined TikTok last month</a>, even though he has expressed his own national security concerns over the platform, banned it on federal devices and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-tiktok-ban-house-china-aaa884d8c974f0a35856af5ee6aa4e99">on Friday endorsed the legislation</a>&nbsp;that could lead to its ban.

The bill being considered by the House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-bytedance-bill-divest-5b5a685e8f1e19d22182d62526bf19b8">would require</a>&nbsp;the Chinese firm ByteDance to divest TikTok and other applications it owns within six months of the bill’s enactment in order to avoid a nationwide ban. The legislation also creates a process that lets the executive branch prohibit access to other apps that pose a threat to national security.

“This legislation will trample the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans and deprive 5 million small businesses of a platform they rely on to grow and create jobs," TikTok said last week as a House committee took up the bill, passing it on a 50-0 vote.

Some advocacy groups and members that often align with Trump said Monday they disagreed with him on the TikTok bill.

“He’s wrong,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, on Trump. “And by the way, he had his own executive orders and actions he was doing. Now he’s suddenly flipped around on that.”

Heritage Action, a conservative advocacy group, said it would include the vote in its scorecard grading members.

“The legislation establishes an important national security standard for social media companies: Don't be controlled by a foreign adversary,” the group said.

And, showing the issue sparks strong opinions across party lines, Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida said he opposed this “masked effort that will most likely result in TikTok being banned.”

“I think it's going to have drastic impacts for businesses, content creators and a lot of folks in our country,” Frost said.

Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said he's still confident about the bill's prospects in the House.

“It's going to sail, and then it will be up to the Senate,” McCaul said. “And the White House has already acknowledged that they're going to sign it into law. So I think this is a real positive step.”

The bill will likely need support from at least 60 senators to make it across the finish line and be signed into law. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he would encourage colleagues to vote for it. Also, Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Missouri Republican who is often aligned with Trump, said of TikTok that “the amount of data and information they have on Americans is very concerning” and could get in the wrong hands.

As president, Trump attempted to ban TikTok&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/global-trade-ap-top-news-politics-asia-business-719d8c83f689929c9c9d8c9aa5593fc8">through an executive order</a>&nbsp;that called “the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People’s Republic of China (China)” a threat to “the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States.” The courts, however,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-courts-a526c144fad9f0ebc37bf2d49a97740a">blocked the action</a>&nbsp;after TikTok sued, arguing such actions would violate free speech and due process rights.

Biden in 2022 banned the use of TikTok by the federal government’s nearly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.performance.gov/pma/workforce/">4 million employees</a>&nbsp;on devices owned by its agencies, with limited exceptions for law enforcement, national security and security research purposes.

Both the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-bytedance-china-biden-administration-14ef5f93dc2114e4ade110b2e85433fd">FBI and the Federal Communications Commission</a>&nbsp;have warned that TikTok owner ByteDance could share user data — such as browsing history, location and biometric identifiers — with China’s authoritarian government. TikTok said it has never done that and wouldn’t do so if asked. The U.S. government also hasn’t provided evidence of that happening.

House lawmakers are expected to receive a briefing Tuesday on TikTok from the FBI, Justice Department and intelligence officials, according to a congressional aide, who was granted anonymity to disclose details of the briefing that has not yet been made public.

Trump, in the interview, said he had not discussed the company with Jeff Yass, a TikTok investor and a major GOP donor. Trump said the two had recently met “very briefly" but that Yass “never mentioned TikTok."

NEW YORK (AP) — House Republicans are moving ahead with a bill that would require Chinese company ByteDance&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-bytedance-bill-divest-5b5a685e8f1e19d22182d62526bf19b8">to sell TikTok or face a ban in the United States</a>&nbsp;even as former President Donald Trump is voicing opposition to the effort.House leadership has scheduled a vote on the measure for Wednesday. A Republican congressional aide not authorized to speak publicly said that’s still the plan and there has not been significant pushback to the bill from lawmakers.A vote for the bill would represent an unusual break with the former president by House Republicans, but Speaker Mike Johnson and others have already forcefully come out in favor of the bill, and dropping it now would represent a significant reversal. “It’s an important bipartisan measure to take on China, our largest geopolitical foe, which is actively undermining our economy and security,” Johnson declared last week.<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump</a>&nbsp;said Monday that he still believes TikTok poses a national security risk but is opposed to banning the hugely popular app because doing so would help its rival, Facebook, which he continues to lambast over his 2020 election loss.“Frankly, there are a lot of people on TikTok that love it. There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it,” Trump said in a call-in interview with CNBC's “Squawk Box.” “There’s a lot of good and there’s a lot of bad with TikTok. But the thing I don’t like is that without TikTok you’re going to make Facebook bigger, and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people, along with a lot of the media.”“When I look at it, I’m not looking to make Facebook double the size," he added. ”I think Facebook has been very bad for our country, especially when it comes to elections.”Trump has repeatedly complained about Facebook's role during the 2020 election, which he still refuses to concede he lost to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>. That includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-mark-zuckerberg-election-donations-188810437774">at least $400 million</a>&nbsp;that its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, and his wife&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-mark-zuckerberg-election-donations-188810437774">donated</a>&nbsp;to two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-elections-denver-mark-zuckerberg-election-2020-92257bbc1fefd9ed0e18861e5b5913f6">nonprofit organizations</a>&nbsp;that distributed grants to state and local governments to help them conduct the 2020 election at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.The donations — which were fully permitted under campaign finance law — went to pay for things like equipment to process mail ballots and drive-thru voting locations.TikTok, a video-sharing app, has emerged as a major issue in the 2024 presidential campaign. The platform has about 170 million users in the U.S., most of whom skew younger — a demographic that both parties are desperately trying to court ahead of November's general election. Younger voters have become especially hard for campaigns to reach as they gravitate away from traditional platforms like cable television.Biden's 2024 campaign officially&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-tiktok-campaign-taylor-swift-c686631206fdadbc1038c2521a669375">joined TikTok last month</a>, even though he has expressed his own national security concerns over the platform, banned it on federal devices and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-tiktok-ban-house-china-aaa884d8c974f0a35856af5ee6aa4e99">on Friday endorsed the legislation</a>&nbsp;that could lead to its ban.The bill being considered by the House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-bytedance-bill-divest-5b5a685e8f1e19d22182d62526bf19b8">would require</a>&nbsp;the Chinese firm ByteDance to divest TikTok and other applications it owns within six months of the bill’s enactment in order to avoid a nationwide ban. The legislation also creates a process that lets the executive branch prohibit access to other apps that pose a threat to national security.“This legislation will trample the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans and deprive 5 million small businesses of a platform they rely on to grow and create jobs," TikTok said last week as a House committee took up the bill, passing it on a 50-0 vote.Some advocacy groups and members that often align with Trump said Monday they disagreed with him on the TikTok bill.“He’s wrong,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, on Trump. “And by the way, he had his own executive orders and actions he was doing. Now he’s suddenly flipped around on that.”Heritage Action, a conservative advocacy group, said it would include the vote in its scorecard grading members.“The legislation establishes an important national security standard for social media companies: Don't be controlled by a foreign adversary,” the group said.And, showing the issue sparks strong opinions across party lines, Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida said he opposed this “masked effort that will most likely result in TikTok being banned.”“I think it's going to have drastic impacts for businesses, content creators and a lot of folks in our country,” Frost said.Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said he's still confident about the bill's prospects in the House.“It's going to sail, and then it will be up to the Senate,” McCaul said. “And the White House has already acknowledged that they're going to sign it into law. So I think this is a real positive step.”The bill will likely need support from at least 60 senators to make it across the finish line and be signed into law. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he would encourage colleagues to vote for it. Also, Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Missouri Republican who is often aligned with Trump, said of TikTok that “the amount of data and information they have on Americans is very concerning” and could get in the wrong hands.As president, Trump attempted to ban TikTok&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/global-trade-ap-top-news-politics-asia-business-719d8c83f689929c9c9d8c9aa5593fc8">through an executive order</a>&nbsp;that called “the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People’s Republic of China (China)” a threat to “the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States.” The courts, however,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-courts-a526c144fad9f0ebc37bf2d49a97740a">blocked the action</a>&nbsp;after TikTok sued, arguing such actions would violate free speech and due process rights.Biden in 2022 banned the use of TikTok by the federal government’s nearly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.performance.gov/pma/workforce/">4 million employees</a>&nbsp;on devices owned by its agencies, with limited exceptions for law enforcement, national security and security research purposes.Both the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-bytedance-china-biden-administration-14ef5f93dc2114e4ade110b2e85433fd">FBI and the Federal Communications Commission</a>&nbsp;have warned that TikTok owner ByteDance could share user data — such as browsing history, location and biometric identifiers — with China’s authoritarian government. TikTok said it has never done that and wouldn’t do so if asked. The U.S. government also hasn’t provided evidence of that happening.House lawmakers are expected to receive a briefing Tuesday on TikTok from the FBI, Justice Department and intelligence officials, according to a congressional aide, who was granted anonymity to disclose details of the briefing that has not yet been made public.Trump, in the interview, said he had not discussed the company with Jeff Yass, a TikTok investor and a major GOP donor. Trump said the two had recently met “very briefly" but that Yass “never mentioned TikTok."

A bill that could lead to a nation-wide TikTok ban is gaining momentum

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/03/12/special-education-reading-computer-science-and-other-bills-advance-from-nebraska-committee/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — A Nebraska lawmaker is hailing the advancement of an Education Committee legislative package that she says is solution-oriented and provides support from all sides.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/walz-package-inclusions_courtesy-ed-committee-clerk.pdf" target="_blank">assortment of nine bills</a>, with the possibility for a tenth, is tied with a bow under Legislative Bill 1284, introduced by State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont. The bills relate to training teachers in reading instruction and computer science and technology; dyslexia research; special education; and more.

“We, as the Education Committee, just put together a package of bills that will really provide good solutions for kiddos, for families, for people who may be going into the teaching profession,” Walz told the Nebraska Examiner.

The State Board of Education is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://meeting.sparqdata.com/Public/Agenda/152?meeting=618962">in favor</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://meeting.sparqdata.com/Public/Agenda/152?meeting=622598">nearly every bill</a>&nbsp;in the package and neutral on one (<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=54880">LB 985</a>). Board President Elizabeth Tegtmeier said Friday she appreciates that lawmakers recognize the need to support and fund education.

“It’s great to partner with our lawmakers to improve education,” Tegtmeier said.

Walz’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55278">LB 1284</a>&nbsp;would put $1.5 million into a Computer Science and Technology Education Fund for training and support. Public and private entities may also donate to the fund.

The Legislature could annually add $500,000 to the fund upon receipt of matching donations.

This year’s proposal builds off a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/12/nebraska-legislative-bill-to-require-computer-technology-classwork-for-graduation/">2022 law</a>&nbsp;by State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha that requires students to graduate with education in computer science and technology. Walz said her bill would address the needs of schools that lack teachers or need staff training.&nbsp;

“This is a step in the right direction,” Walz said.

<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55168">LB 1254</a>, introduced by State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, would set aside $10 million annually to create reading improvement mentorship programs&nbsp;and employ regional coaches. These would help provide sustained training to teachers in kindergarten through third grade to teach reading.

“If you can’t read, you’re not going to survive in today’s world,” Linehan said.&nbsp;

She described a cycle in which young students who haven’t been taught reading get in trouble because they don’t want to be embarrassed, and&nbsp;some may avoid school. Linehan said the Nebraska Department of Education brought the bill to her.

A second bill on reading improvement is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55506">LB 1253</a>, which would establish the Dyslexia Research Grant Program.&nbsp;

It is a one-time $1 million investment that would support Nebraska companies researching artificial-intelligence-based writing assistance for individuals with dyslexia. Linehan prepared the legislation with a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/02/12/nebraska-lawmaker-proposes-grant-for-artificial-intelligence-tools-to-combat-dyslexia/">group of University of Nebraska-Lincoln students</a>.

Two bills aim to bring more special education teachers to Nebraska after lawmakers sparred last fall with&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/09/08/our-kids-are-in-their-hands-legislature-dissects-omaha-schools-special-education-staff-vacancies/">officials from Omaha Public Schools</a>&nbsp;over such shortages.

<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55053">LB 1238</a>, the Special Educators of Tomorrow Act, from Walz, would provide scholarships and loans to individuals who work with disabilities as direct support professionals to become special education teachers.

Individuals would need at least two years of experience as a direct support professional.&nbsp;

Scholarship recipients would also need to enroll or plan to enroll at an eligible institution to pursue a teaching career in special education. Loan recipients would agree to complete a special education program and a related major and commit to teach in Nebraska.

A recipient could receive an annual scholarship of up to $2,500 for up to two years and an annual loan up to $4,000 for up to three consecutive years.

Each year of full-time teaching after two years would shave $4,000 off such loans.

The bill includes an initial $1.5 million investment for a Special Educators of Tomorrow Fund and a $250,000 appropriation for each fiscal year after that, ending after the 2029-30 school year.

<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55030">LB 964</a>, from State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln, would allow the Nebraska Department of Education to award up to 25 forgivable loans per eligible institution per academic year. This means the Nebraska State College System and the University of Nebraska system.

Each year, 20% of loans would be forgiven as the graduate, with a special education endorsement, teaches in Nebraska.&nbsp;

The graduate must begin teaching at a Nebraska K-12 school within one year of graduation.

“It just seemed like something we could do to get more people into the field,” Dungan said.

The Dungan and Walz proposals require loan recipients to repay loans if they do not satisfy their related bill requirements.

Dungan’s bill would also extend eligibility for Nebraska Career Scholarships to include teaching in special education.

<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55186">LB 986</a>, from Linehan, would rework the Teach in Nebraska Today Act as a grant program, doubling its impact from $5 million to $10 million. Teachers would qualify if they are within their first five years of teaching and have an annual income of less than $55,000.

Also included in the package is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55123">LB 1014</a>, from Walz, which would enable school districts to employ school psychologists who work for a service agency.

Two other bills are considered “cleanup” for recent legislation:

A tenth bill,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=54746">LB 1050</a>&nbsp;from State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, would require schools to provide access to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-students-take-fight-against-period-poverty-to-legislature/">menstrual products</a>, including pads and tampons, in school bathrooms. The committee voted 4-1, one vote short of advancing the bill in the package. State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha has not taken a position on LB 1050 and could still add his vote.

The committee did successfully adopt an amendment to Conrad’s bill, narrowing its impact last week to a one-year pilot program capped at $250,000. As amended, school districts classified as “needs improvement” or those in which 40% of students are poverty stricken would have funding priority.

Local school boards could adopt policies related to the bill.

“I think it’s really thrilling that we have a good opportunity to move the bill forward in some fashion this year,” Conrad said last week. “I think that speaks volumes to the power of student organizing and young voices being involved in the process.”

The State Board of Education is in support of Conrad’s bill, as is Linehan, who said a woman she knows has shoplifted just once — for tampons, because&nbsp;“she couldn’t get them any other way.”

“Sometimes people just need a little push to do the right thing,” Linehan said of school districts.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710254230521.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, center, leads a news conference in the Nebraska State Capitol Rotunda. March 16, 2022. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska News Service)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, center, leads a news conference in the Nebraska State Capitol Rotunda. March 16, 2022. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska News Service)</figcaption>
 </figure>Paul Hammel<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/03/12/special-education-reading-computer-science-and-other-bills-advance-from-nebraska-committee/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — A Nebraska lawmaker is hailing the advancement of an Education Committee legislative package that she says is solution-oriented and provides support from all sides.The&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/walz-package-inclusions_courtesy-ed-committee-clerk.pdf" target="_blank">assortment of nine bills</a>, with the possibility for a tenth, is tied with a bow under Legislative Bill 1284, introduced by State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont. The bills relate to training teachers in reading instruction and computer science and technology; dyslexia research; special education; and more.“We, as the Education Committee, just put together a package of bills that will really provide good solutions for kiddos, for families, for people who may be going into the teaching profession,” Walz told the Nebraska Examiner.The State Board of Education is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://meeting.sparqdata.com/Public/Agenda/152?meeting=618962">in favor</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://meeting.sparqdata.com/Public/Agenda/152?meeting=622598">nearly every bill</a>&nbsp;in the package and neutral on one (<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=54880">LB 985</a>). Board President Elizabeth Tegtmeier said Friday she appreciates that lawmakers recognize the need to support and fund education.“It’s great to partner with our lawmakers to improve education,” Tegtmeier said.Here is a breakdown of the Walz package:<h2>Computer science and technology</h2>Walz’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55278">LB 1284</a>&nbsp;would put $1.5 million into a Computer Science and Technology Education Fund for training and support. Public and private entities may also donate to the fund.The Legislature could annually add $500,000 to the fund upon receipt of matching donations.This year’s proposal builds off a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/12/nebraska-legislative-bill-to-require-computer-technology-classwork-for-graduation/">2022 law</a>&nbsp;by State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha that requires students to graduate with education in computer science and technology. Walz said her bill would address the needs of schools that lack teachers or need staff training.&nbsp;“This is a step in the right direction,” Walz said.<h2>Reading instruction and dyslexia</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55168">LB 1254</a>, introduced by State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, would set aside $10 million annually to create reading improvement mentorship programs&nbsp;and employ regional coaches. These would help provide sustained training to teachers in kindergarten through third grade to teach reading.“If you can’t read, you’re not going to survive in today’s world,” Linehan said.&nbsp;She described a cycle in which young students who haven’t been taught reading get in trouble because they don’t want to be embarrassed, and&nbsp;some may avoid school. Linehan said the Nebraska Department of Education brought the bill to her.A second bill on reading improvement is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55506">LB 1253</a>, which would establish the Dyslexia Research Grant Program.&nbsp;It is a one-time $1 million investment that would support Nebraska companies researching artificial-intelligence-based writing assistance for individuals with dyslexia. Linehan prepared the legislation with a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/02/12/nebraska-lawmaker-proposes-grant-for-artificial-intelligence-tools-to-combat-dyslexia/">group of University of Nebraska-Lincoln students</a>.<h2>‘Special Educators of Tomorrow’</h2>Two bills aim to bring more special education teachers to Nebraska after lawmakers sparred last fall with&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/09/08/our-kids-are-in-their-hands-legislature-dissects-omaha-schools-special-education-staff-vacancies/">officials from Omaha Public Schools</a>&nbsp;over such shortages.<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55053">LB 1238</a>, the Special Educators of Tomorrow Act, from Walz, would provide scholarships and loans to individuals who work with disabilities as direct support professionals to become special education teachers.Individuals would need at least two years of experience as a direct support professional.&nbsp;Scholarship recipients would also need to enroll or plan to enroll at an eligible institution to pursue a teaching career in special education. Loan recipients would agree to complete a special education program and a related major and commit to teach in Nebraska.A recipient could receive an annual scholarship of up to $2,500 for up to two years and an annual loan up to $4,000 for up to three consecutive years.Each year of full-time teaching after two years would shave $4,000 off such loans.The bill includes an initial $1.5 million investment for a Special Educators of Tomorrow Fund and a $250,000 appropriation for each fiscal year after that, ending after the 2029-30 school year.<h2>Special education forgivable loans</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55030">LB 964</a>, from State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln, would allow the Nebraska Department of Education to award up to 25 forgivable loans per eligible institution per academic year. This means the Nebraska State College System and the University of Nebraska system.Each year, 20% of loans would be forgiven as the graduate, with a special education endorsement, teaches in Nebraska.&nbsp;The graduate must begin teaching at a Nebraska K-12 school within one year of graduation.“It just seemed like something we could do to get more people into the field,” Dungan said.The Dungan and Walz proposals require loan recipients to repay loans if they do not satisfy their related bill requirements.Dungan’s bill would also extend eligibility for Nebraska Career Scholarships to include teaching in special education.<h2>Mental health and recruitment grants</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55186">LB 986</a>, from Linehan, would rework the Teach in Nebraska Today Act as a grant program, doubling its impact from $5 million to $10 million. Teachers would qualify if they are within their first five years of teaching and have an annual income of less than $55,000.Also included in the package is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55123">LB 1014</a>, from Walz, which would enable school districts to employ school psychologists who work for a service agency.Two other bills are considered “cleanup” for recent legislation:<ul>
 <li><a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=54825">LB 1005</a>&nbsp;(Walz) would establish a funding mechanism to provide grants and loans for student teachers during their student teaching semesters.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=54880">LB 985</a>&nbsp;(Linehan) would require that teachers endorsed to become certified in special education, mathematics, science, technology or dual credit also agree to complete a school year of full-time employment in their endorsement area.</li>
 </ul><h2>Period poverty proposal a ‘maybe’</h2>A tenth bill,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=54746">LB 1050</a>&nbsp;from State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, would require schools to provide access to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-students-take-fight-against-period-poverty-to-legislature/">menstrual products</a>, including pads and tampons, in school bathrooms. The committee voted 4-1, one vote short of advancing the bill in the package. State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha has not taken a position on LB 1050 and could still add his vote.The committee did successfully adopt an amendment to Conrad’s bill, narrowing its impact last week to a one-year pilot program capped at $250,000. As amended, school districts classified as “needs improvement” or those in which 40% of students are poverty stricken would have funding priority.Local school boards could adopt policies related to the bill.“I think it’s really thrilling that we have a good opportunity to move the bill forward in some fashion this year,” Conrad said last week. “I think that speaks volumes to the power of student organizing and young voices being involved in the process.”The State Board of Education is in support of Conrad’s bill, as is Linehan, who said a woman she knows has shoplifted just once — for tampons, because&nbsp;“she couldn’t get them any other way.”“Sometimes people just need a little push to do the right thing,” Linehan said of school districts.

Special education, reading, computer science and other bills advance from Nebraska committee

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">Yemen’s Houthi rebels</a>&nbsp;have targeted a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Red Sea with missiles, producing an explosion near the vessel but causing no damage, authorities said.

The master of the vessel reported the explosion Monday and said no one was hurt, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The UKMTO later identified the vessel as the Pinocchio, managed by a Singaporean firm.

The Houthis used two anti-ship ballistic missiles in the attack, the U.S. military's Central Command said.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attack early Tuesday in a prerecorded statement, claiming the Pinocchio was an American ship without offering evidence to support the assertion.

He said the Houthis would continue their attacks, aimed at pressuring an end to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. However, the Houthi attacks targeting vessel since November have increasingly had little or no connection to Israel, the United States or other nations involved in the war.

Monday's attack comes after a Houthi missile&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-attacks-us-israel-palestinians-gaza-89c5440d9943216a787b39912bd969e0">struck a commercial ship</a>&nbsp;in the Gulf of Aden last week, killing three of its crew members and forcing survivors to abandon the vessel.

It was the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the Iranian-backed group over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel’s war on Hamas</a>&nbsp;in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis say the attacks are intended to pressure Israel into stopping the war, but their targets increasingly have little or nothing to do with the conflict.

Other recent Houthi actions include an attack last month on a cargo ship carrying fertilizer, the Rubymar,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-rubymar-sinks-red-sea-fb64a490ce935756337ee3606e15d093">which later sank</a>&nbsp;after drifting for several days, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-red-sea-israel-hamas-6ac2a1bf5032ed0531258816907cfe2c">downing of an American drone</a>&nbsp;worth tens of millions of dollars.

The U.S. has lead a series of airstrikes targeting the Houthis since January, but they have yet to stop the rebels' attacks on shipping, which have disrupted trade through the Red Sea, a crucial waterway for energy and cargo shipments between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

On Monday, U.S. forces carried out six strikes destroying an underwater Houthi drone and 18 anti-ship missiles, Central Command said. The Houthi's Al-Masirah satellite news channel reported U.S. strikes in Yemen's Houthi-held Hodeidah and Saada provinces.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708804229711.png" alt="File photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>File photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">Yemen’s Houthi rebels</a>&nbsp;have targeted a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Red Sea with missiles, producing an explosion near the vessel but causing no damage, authorities said.The master of the vessel reported the explosion Monday and said no one was hurt, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The UKMTO later identified the vessel as the Pinocchio, managed by a Singaporean firm.The Houthis used two anti-ship ballistic missiles in the attack, the U.S. military's Central Command said.Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attack early Tuesday in a prerecorded statement, claiming the Pinocchio was an American ship without offering evidence to support the assertion.He said the Houthis would continue their attacks, aimed at pressuring an end to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. However, the Houthi attacks targeting vessel since November have increasingly had little or no connection to Israel, the United States or other nations involved in the war.Monday's attack comes after a Houthi missile&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-attacks-us-israel-palestinians-gaza-89c5440d9943216a787b39912bd969e0">struck a commercial ship</a>&nbsp;in the Gulf of Aden last week, killing three of its crew members and forcing survivors to abandon the vessel.It was the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the Iranian-backed group over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel’s war on Hamas</a>&nbsp;in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis say the attacks are intended to pressure Israel into stopping the war, but their targets increasingly have little or nothing to do with the conflict.Other recent Houthi actions include an attack last month on a cargo ship carrying fertilizer, the Rubymar,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-rubymar-sinks-red-sea-fb64a490ce935756337ee3606e15d093">which later sank</a>&nbsp;after drifting for several days, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-red-sea-israel-hamas-6ac2a1bf5032ed0531258816907cfe2c">downing of an American drone</a>&nbsp;worth tens of millions of dollars.The U.S. has lead a series of airstrikes targeting the Houthis since January, but they have yet to stop the rebels' attacks on shipping, which have disrupted trade through the Red Sea, a crucial waterway for energy and cargo shipments between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.On Monday, U.S. forces carried out six strikes destroying an underwater Houthi drone and 18 anti-ship missiles, Central Command said. The Houthi's Al-Masirah satellite news channel reported U.S. strikes in Yemen's Houthi-held Hodeidah and Saada provinces.

U.S. warships strike underwater drone, 18 more anti-ship missiles

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday announced an additional $100 million to finance the deployment of a multinational force mission to Haiti following a meeting with Caribbean leaders in Jamaica to halt&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-us-embassy-security-gang-violence-1b720280fa85c87ccf0768d3156dbd23">the country’s violent crisis</a>.

Blinken also announced another $33 million in humanitarian aid and the creation of a joint proposal agreed on by Caribbean leaders and Haitian stakeholders that would expedite the creation of a “presidential college.”

He said the college would take “concrete steps” he did not identify to meet the needs of Haitian people and enable the pending deployment of the multinational force to be led by Kenya.

The joint proposal has the backing of members of Caricom, a regional trade bloc that held Monday’s urgent meeting.

“I think we can all agree: Haiti is on the brink of disaster,” said Guyanese President Irfaan Ali. “We must take quick and decisive action.”

He said that he is “very confident that we have found commonality” to support what he described as a Haitian-led and -owned solution.

Meanwhile, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the meeting was a work in progress.

“It is clear that Haiti is now at a tipping point,” he said. “We are deeply distressed that it is already too late for too many who have lost far too much at the hands of criminal gangs.”

Embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who faces calls to resign or agree to a transitional council, did not attend the meeting. He has been locked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-prime-minister-gangs-resign-e583a191a2f800bc63752220a47dec0d">out of his own country</a>&nbsp;while traveling abroad, due to surging unrest and violence by criminal gangs who have overrun much of Haiti's capital and closed down its main international airports.

Henry remained in Puerto Rico and was taking steps to return to Haiti once feasible, according to a brief statement from the U.S. territory's Department of State.

While leaders met behind closed doors,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-puerto-rico-haiti-port-au-prince-gangs-24b02571972a676c3bcc3d9a24dfc77d">Jimmy Chérizier</a>, considered Haiti’s most powerful gang leader, told reporters that if the international community continues down the current road, “it will plunge Haiti into further chaos.”

“We Haitians have to decide who is going to be the head of the country and what model of government we want,” said Chérizier, a former elite police officer known as Barbecue who leads a gang federation known as G9 Family and Allies. “We are also going to figure out how to get Haiti out of the misery it's in now.”

The meeting in Jamaica was organized by members of a regional trade bloc known as Caricom, which for months has pressed for a transitional government in Haiti while protests in the country have demanded Henry’s resignation.

“The international community must work together with Haitians towards a peaceful political transition,” U.S. Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Nichols will attend the meeting.

Concerns remain that a long-sought solution will remain elusive. Caricom said in a statement on Friday announcing the urgent meeting in Jamaica that while “we are making considerable progress, the stakeholders are not yet where they need to be.”

Mia Mottley, Barbados’ prime minister, said that up to 90% of proposals that Haitian stakeholders have “put on the table” are similar. These include an “urgent need” to create a presidential council to help identify a new prime minister to establish a government.

Her comments were briefly streamed by Caricom, in what appeared to have been a mistake, and then were abruptly cut off.

The meeting was held as powerful gangs continued to attack key government targets&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-gangs-violence-barbecue-police-prime-minister-c275da3b420f018a95099c9e6539e61f">across Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince</a>. Since Feb. 29, gunmen have burned police stations, closed the main international airports and raided the country’s two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates.

Scores of people have been killed, and more than 15,000 are homeless after fleeing neighborhoods raided by gangs.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-violence-gangs-food-economy-092a20f037b48a8e1837a4e6424cf571">Food and water are dwindling</a>&nbsp;as stands and stores selling to impoverished Haitians run out of goods. The main port in Port-au-Prince remains closed, stranding dozens of containers with critical supplies.

Henry&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-violence-prison-break-curfew-0116d2ebac1b14a587baa176818055cb">landed in Puerto Rico</a>&nbsp;last week after being denied entry into the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

When the attacks began, Henry was in Kenya&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kenya-haiti-un-police-force-gang-violence-30930ccf3cbc31c6969cabd6c9dacb2c">pushing for the U.N.-backed deployment of a police force</a>&nbsp;from the East African country that has been delayed by a court ruling.

A growing number of people are demanding Henry's resignation. He has not made any public comment since the attacks began.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710205558004.jpeg" alt="Monday in Jamaica, Prime Minister Holmes and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed crucial international support for the people of Haiti, including the Multinational Security Support mission. Grateful for Jamaica's continued leadership and partnership in strengthening security in the Caribbean.-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Monday in Jamaica, Prime Minister Holmes and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed crucial international support for the people of Haiti, including the Multinational Security Support mission. Grateful for Jamaica's continued leadership and partnership in strengthening security in the Caribbean.-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday announced an additional $100 million to finance the deployment of a multinational force mission to Haiti following a meeting with Caribbean leaders in Jamaica to halt&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-us-embassy-security-gang-violence-1b720280fa85c87ccf0768d3156dbd23">the country’s violent crisis</a>.Blinken also announced another $33 million in humanitarian aid and the creation of a joint proposal agreed on by Caribbean leaders and Haitian stakeholders that would expedite the creation of a “presidential college.”He said the college would take “concrete steps” he did not identify to meet the needs of Haitian people and enable the pending deployment of the multinational force to be led by Kenya.The joint proposal has the backing of members of Caricom, a regional trade bloc that held Monday’s urgent meeting.“I think we can all agree: Haiti is on the brink of disaster,” said Guyanese President Irfaan Ali. “We must take quick and decisive action.”He said that he is “very confident that we have found commonality” to support what he described as a Haitian-led and -owned solution.Meanwhile, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the meeting was a work in progress.“It is clear that Haiti is now at a tipping point,” he said. “We are deeply distressed that it is already too late for too many who have lost far too much at the hands of criminal gangs.”Embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who faces calls to resign or agree to a transitional council, did not attend the meeting. He has been locked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-prime-minister-gangs-resign-e583a191a2f800bc63752220a47dec0d">out of his own country</a>&nbsp;while traveling abroad, due to surging unrest and violence by criminal gangs who have overrun much of Haiti's capital and closed down its main international airports.Henry remained in Puerto Rico and was taking steps to return to Haiti once feasible, according to a brief statement from the U.S. territory's Department of State.While leaders met behind closed doors,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-puerto-rico-haiti-port-au-prince-gangs-24b02571972a676c3bcc3d9a24dfc77d">Jimmy Chérizier</a>, considered Haiti’s most powerful gang leader, told reporters that if the international community continues down the current road, “it will plunge Haiti into further chaos.”“We Haitians have to decide who is going to be the head of the country and what model of government we want,” said Chérizier, a former elite police officer known as Barbecue who leads a gang federation known as G9 Family and Allies. “We are also going to figure out how to get Haiti out of the misery it's in now.”The meeting in Jamaica was organized by members of a regional trade bloc known as Caricom, which for months has pressed for a transitional government in Haiti while protests in the country have demanded Henry’s resignation.“The international community must work together with Haitians towards a peaceful political transition,” U.S. Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Nichols will attend the meeting.Concerns remain that a long-sought solution will remain elusive. Caricom said in a statement on Friday announcing the urgent meeting in Jamaica that while “we are making considerable progress, the stakeholders are not yet where they need to be.”Mia Mottley, Barbados’ prime minister, said that up to 90% of proposals that Haitian stakeholders have “put on the table” are similar. These include an “urgent need” to create a presidential council to help identify a new prime minister to establish a government.Her comments were briefly streamed by Caricom, in what appeared to have been a mistake, and then were abruptly cut off.The meeting was held as powerful gangs continued to attack key government targets&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-gangs-violence-barbecue-police-prime-minister-c275da3b420f018a95099c9e6539e61f">across Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince</a>. Since Feb. 29, gunmen have burned police stations, closed the main international airports and raided the country’s two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates.Scores of people have been killed, and more than 15,000 are homeless after fleeing neighborhoods raided by gangs.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-violence-gangs-food-economy-092a20f037b48a8e1837a4e6424cf571">Food and water are dwindling</a>&nbsp;as stands and stores selling to impoverished Haitians run out of goods. The main port in Port-au-Prince remains closed, stranding dozens of containers with critical supplies.Henry&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-violence-prison-break-curfew-0116d2ebac1b14a587baa176818055cb">landed in Puerto Rico</a>&nbsp;last week after being denied entry into the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.When the attacks began, Henry was in Kenya&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kenya-haiti-un-police-force-gang-violence-30930ccf3cbc31c6969cabd6c9dacb2c">pushing for the U.N.-backed deployment of a police force</a>&nbsp;from the East African country that has been delayed by a court ruling.A growing number of people are demanding Henry's resignation. He has not made any public comment since the attacks began.The U.N. Security Council on Monday urged Haiti’s gangs “to immediately cease their destabilizing actions,” including sexual violence and the recruitment of children, and said it expects that a multinational force will deploy as soon as possible to help end the violence. It urged the international community to support the Haitian National Police by backing the force's deployment.Council members also expressed concern at the limited political progress and urged all political actors to allow free and fair legislative and presidential elections.A U.N. delegation attending Monday's meeting includes the secretary-general's chief of staff Courtenay Rattray, Undersecretary-General Atul Khare, who is in charge of U.N. logistics, and Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča, who is in charge of the Americas in the U.N. political office.U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres is calling for the urgent deployment of the multinational force and that the mission be adequately funded, said his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.Currently, funding is at only $10.8 million, with officials in Kenya demanding more than $230 million.___