BAGHDAD (AP) — A U.S. airstrike on the headquarters of an Iran-backed militia in central Baghdad on Thursday killed a high-ranking militia commander, militia officials said.

Thursday’s strike comes amid mounting regional tensions fueled by the Israel-Hamas war and fears that it could spill over into surrounding countries. It also coincides with a push by Iraqi officials for US-led coalition forces to leave the country.

The Popular Mobilization Force, or PMF, a coalition of militias that is nominally under the control of the Iraqi military, announced in a statement that its deputy head of operations in Baghdad, Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, or “Abu Taqwa,” had been killed “as a result of brutal American aggression.”

A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide information that has not yet been publicly released confirmed that U.S. forces conducted a strike on a vehicle in Baghdad on Monday against the group Harakat al-Nujaba. The group, one of the militias within PMF, was designated a terrorist organization by Washington in 2019.

Iraqi military spokesman Yehia Rasool said in a statement that the Iraqi army blames the U.S.-led International Coalition Forces for the “unprovoked attack on an Iraqi security body operating in accordance with the powers granted to it by” the Iraqi military.

The primary mission of the U.S.-led coalition is to fight the Islamic State, the Sunni extremist militant group that continues to carry out periodic attacks in Iraq despite having lost its hold on the territory it once controlled in 2017. Since then, the coalition has transitioned from a combat role to an advisory and training mission.

The PMF, a group of Iranian-backed, primarily Shiite militias, were also key in the fight against Islamic State after it overran much of Iraq in 2014. The PMF is officially under the command of the Iraqi army, but in practice the militias operate independently.

Thursday’s strike killed two people and wounded five, according to two militia officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

One of the officials said al-Saidi was driving into the garage of the headquarters affiliated with the Harakat al-Nujaba militia, along with another militia official, when the car was hit, killing both.

Heavy security was deployed around the location of the strike on Baghdad’s Palestine Street, and Iraqi war planes could be seen flying overhead. An Associated Press photographer was eventually allowed access to the scene of the strike, where he saw the remains of the charred car.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, a group of Iranian-backed militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has carried out more than 100 attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria.

The group has said the attacks are in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war" target="_blank">war against Hamas</a>&nbsp;that has killed more than 20,000 people in Gaza, and that they aim to push U.S. forces out of Iraq.

Thursday’s strike is likely to increase calls for a U.S. departure.

Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani — who came to power with the backing of Iran-linked political factions but has also attempted to maintain good relations with the U.S. — said that his government is “is proceeding to end the presence of the international coalition forces.”

The strike also comes two days after a suspected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-03-2024-fc2394531bef8238e86879dd98ea435b" target="_blank">Israeli drone strike</a>&nbsp;in the suburbs of Beirut killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh Arouri.

Asked whether Israel had involvement in Thursday’s strike in Baghdad, an Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment.

BAGHDAD (AP) — A U.S. airstrike on the headquarters of an Iran-backed militia in central Baghdad on Thursday killed a high-ranking militia commander, militia officials said.Thursday’s strike comes amid mounting regional tensions fueled by the Israel-Hamas war and fears that it could spill over into surrounding countries. It also coincides with a push by Iraqi officials for US-led coalition forces to leave the country.The Popular Mobilization Force, or PMF, a coalition of militias that is nominally under the control of the Iraqi military, announced in a statement that its deputy head of operations in Baghdad, Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, or “Abu Taqwa,” had been killed “as a result of brutal American aggression.”A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide information that has not yet been publicly released confirmed that U.S. forces conducted a strike on a vehicle in Baghdad on Monday against the group Harakat al-Nujaba. The group, one of the militias within PMF, was designated a terrorist organization by Washington in 2019.Iraqi military spokesman Yehia Rasool said in a statement that the Iraqi army blames the U.S.-led International Coalition Forces for the “unprovoked attack on an Iraqi security body operating in accordance with the powers granted to it by” the Iraqi military.The primary mission of the U.S.-led coalition is to fight the Islamic State, the Sunni extremist militant group that continues to carry out periodic attacks in Iraq despite having lost its hold on the territory it once controlled in 2017. Since then, the coalition has transitioned from a combat role to an advisory and training mission.The PMF, a group of Iranian-backed, primarily Shiite militias, were also key in the fight against Islamic State after it overran much of Iraq in 2014. The PMF is officially under the command of the Iraqi army, but in practice the militias operate independently.Thursday’s strike killed two people and wounded five, according to two militia officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.One of the officials said al-Saidi was driving into the garage of the headquarters affiliated with the Harakat al-Nujaba militia, along with another militia official, when the car was hit, killing both.Heavy security was deployed around the location of the strike on Baghdad’s Palestine Street, and Iraqi war planes could be seen flying overhead. An Associated Press photographer was eventually allowed access to the scene of the strike, where he saw the remains of the charred car.Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, a group of Iranian-backed militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has carried out more than 100 attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria.The group has said the attacks are in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war" target="_blank">war against Hamas</a>&nbsp;that has killed more than 20,000 people in Gaza, and that they aim to push U.S. forces out of Iraq.Thursday’s strike is likely to increase calls for a U.S. departure.Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani — who came to power with the backing of Iran-linked political factions but has also attempted to maintain good relations with the U.S. — said that his government is “is proceeding to end the presence of the international coalition forces.”The strike also comes two days after a suspected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-03-2024-fc2394531bef8238e86879dd98ea435b" target="_blank">Israeli drone strike</a>&nbsp;in the suburbs of Beirut killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh Arouri.Asked whether Israel had involvement in Thursday’s strike in Baghdad, an Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment.————

U.S. airstrike kills militia leader blamed for Iraq attacks 

NEW YORK (AP) — Amid great hype, a court began to release a new batch of previously secret court documents late Wednesday related to Jeffrey Epstein, the jet-setting financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24253239-1324-epstein-documents-943-pages">Click here to read</a> the documents (caution: adult content)

Social media has been rife in recent weeks with posts speculating that the documents would include a list of rich and powerful men who were Epstein’s “clients” or “co-conspirators.”

There was no such list. The initial collection of around 40 documents made public largely contained material that had been released previously, or exhaustively been covered in nearly two decades’ worth of newspaper stories, TV documentaries, interviews, books about the Epstein scandal.

Still, the records — which included transcripts of interviews with some of Epstein’s victims — included reminders that Epstein surrounded himself with famous and powerful figures, including a few who have also been accused of misconduct.

They included mentions of Epstein’s past friendship with Bill Clinton — who is not accused of any wrongdoing — and of Britain’s Prince Andrew, who previously settled a lawsuit accusing him of having sex with a 17-year-old girl who traveled with Epstein.

The documents being unsealed are related to a lawsuit filed in 2015 by one of Epstein’s victims,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-entertainment-lifestyle-virginia-prince-andrew-60348f70fd605c26c26615ffc5ed5f14">Virginia Giuffre</a>. She is one of the dozens of women who sued Epstein saying he had abused them at his homes in Florida, New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands and New Mexico. This particular suit was against Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of helping recruit Epstein’s victims and is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-jeffrey-epstein-sentencing-aeac127f9cc3811d975ce8e10d171260">serving a 20-year prison term</a>.

Epstein, a millionaire known for associating with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and academic stars, killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on a sex trafficking charge.

Giuffre’s lawsuit against Maxwell was settled in 2017, but the court had kept some court documents blacked-out or sealed because of concerns about the privacy rights of Epstein’s victims and other people whose names had come up during the legal battle.

Only around 40 of those documents were made public Wednesday. More will be released in the coming days.

The records included the depositions of several of Epstein's victims, many of whom have told their stories publicly previously.

Giuffre said the summer she turned 17, she was lured away from a job as a spa attendant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club to become a “masseuse” for Epstein — a job that involved performing sexual acts.

She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prince-andrew-virginia-giuffre-lawsuit-settlement-8b04c775aa46f761d81c05ef12e3a94f">settled a lawsuit against Prince Andrew</a>&nbsp;in 2022 in which she claimed he had sexually abused her during a trip to London. That same year, Giuffre withdrew an accusation she had made against Epstein’s former attorney, the law professor Alan Dershowitz, saying she “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-new-york-lawsuits-prince-andrew-jeffrey-epstein-2a7202e552c38ed03c5fe39d6a29721b">may have made a mistake</a>” in identifying him as an abuser.

The <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24253239-1324-epstein-documents-943-pages">records released Wednesday</a> included many references to Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent close to Epstein who was awaiting trial on charges that he raped underage girls when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-arts-and-entertainment-paris-jeffrey-epstein-edfbdb84c6cdd5f736ac7e1c2bac657b">killed himself in a Paris jail</a>&nbsp;in 2022. Giuffre was among the women who had accused Brunel of sexual abuse.

Clinton's name came up because Guiffre was questioned by Maxwell’s lawyers about inaccuracies in newspaper stories about her time with Epstein, including a story quoting her as saying she had ridden in a helicopter with Clinton and flirted with Donald Trump. Giuffre said neither of those things actually happened.

The judge said a handful of names should remain blacked out in the documents because they would identify people who were sexually abused. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they decide to tell their stories publicly, as Giuffre has done.

Even before the documents were released, misinformation about what was in them abounded.&nbsp;

The judge hasn’t set a target for when all of the documents should be made public, but more documents are expected to come in the next few days.

Here’s what we know about the documents:

A millionaire known for associating with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and academic stars, Epstein was initially arrested in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2005 after he was accused of paying a 14-year-old girl for sex.

Dozens of other underage girls described similar sexual abuse, but prosecutors ultimately&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-florida-e2a4431f7319afd037023d9a586aa291">allowed the financier to plead guilty</a>&nbsp;in 2008 to a charge involving a single victim. He served 13 months in a jail work-release program.

Some famous acquaintances abandoned Epstein after his conviction, including former presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, but many did not. Epstein continued to mingle with the rich and famous for another decade, often through philanthropic work.

Reporting by the Miami Herald renewed interest in the scandal, and federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein in 2019 with sex trafficking. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-suicide-department-of-justice-investigation-50c229b7953096f0301bfa1e7f0b7703">killed himself in jail</a>&nbsp;while awaiting trial.

The U.S. attorney in Manhattan then prosecuted Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, for helping recruit his underage victims. She was convicted in 2021 and is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-jeffrey-epstein-sentencing-aeac127f9cc3811d975ce8e10d171260">serving a 20-year prison term</a>.

The documents being unsealed are part of a lawsuit filed against Maxwell in 2015 by one of Epstein’s victims,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-entertainment-lifestyle-virginia-prince-andrew-60348f70fd605c26c26615ffc5ed5f14">Virginia Giuffre</a>. She is one of the dozens of women who sued Epstein saying he had abused them at his homes in Florida, New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands and New Mexico.

Giuffre also claimed she was pressured into having sex with men in Epstein's social orbit, most famously with Britain's Prince Andrew. All of those men said her accounts were fabricated. She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prince-andrew-virginia-giuffre-lawsuit-settlement-8b04c775aa46f761d81c05ef12e3a94f">settled a lawsuit against Prince Andrew</a>&nbsp;in 2022. That same year, Giuffre withdrew an accusation she had made against Epstein's former attorney, the law professor Alan Dershowitz, saying she “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-new-york-lawsuits-prince-andrew-jeffrey-epstein-2a7202e552c38ed03c5fe39d6a29721b">may have made a mistake</a>&nbsp;” in identifying him as an abuser.

Giuffre’s lawsuit against Maxwell was settled in 2017, but the Miami Herald went to court to access court papers initially filed under seal, including transcripts of interviews the lawyers did with potential witnesses.

About 2,000 pages were unsealed by a court in 2019. Additional documents were released in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

This next batch of around 250 records had sections that were blacked out or were sealed entirely because of concerns about the privacy rights of Epstein’s victims and other people whose names had come up during the legal battle but weren’t complicit in his crimes.

U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska, who evaluated the documents to decide what should be unsealed, said in her December order that she was ordering the records released because much of the information within them is already public.

Some records have been released, either in part or in full, in other court cases. Much of the rest involve topics and people who have been exhaustively covered in nearly two decades' worth of newspaper stories, TV documentaries, interviews, books and testimony at Maxwell’s criminal trial.

The people named in the records include many of Epstein's accusers, members of his staff who told their stories to tabloid newspapers, people who served as witnesses at Maxwell's trial, people who were mentioned in passing during depositions but aren't accused of anything salacious, and people who investigated Epstein, including prosecutors, a journalist and a detective.

There are also boldface names of public figures known to have associated with Epstein over the years, but whose relationships with him have already been well documented elsewhere, the judge said.

One of them is Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent close to Epstein who was awaiting trial on charges that he raped underage girls when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-arts-and-entertainment-paris-jeffrey-epstein-edfbdb84c6cdd5f736ac7e1c2bac657b">killed himself in a Paris jail</a>&nbsp;in 2022. Giuffre was among the women who had accused Brunel of sexual abuse.

Clinton and Trump both factor in the court file, partly because Giuffre was questioned by Maxwell's lawyers about inaccuracies in newspaper stories about her time with Epstein. One story quoted her as saying she had ridden in a helicopter with Clinton and flirted with Trump. Giuffre said neither of those things actually happened. She hasn't accused either former president of wrongdoing.

On Dec. 18, the judge gave the people whose names appear in the records 14 days to appeal, then directed the lawyers to confer, prepare the documents for unsealing and post them on the docket.

Two people whose name appears in the records have been given additional time to make arguments to the court as to why their names should stay redacted.

A small batch of documents was made available publicly on Wednesday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704330351229.png" alt="Jeffrey Epstein New York Sex Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Jeffrey Epstein New York Sex Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Amid great hype, a court began to release a new batch of previously secret court documents late Wednesday related to Jeffrey Epstein, the jet-setting financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24253239-1324-epstein-documents-943-pages">Click here to read</a> the documents (caution: adult content)Social media has been rife in recent weeks with posts speculating that the documents would include a list of rich and powerful men who were Epstein’s “clients” or “co-conspirators.”There was no such list. The initial collection of around 40 documents made public largely contained material that had been released previously, or exhaustively been covered in nearly two decades’ worth of newspaper stories, TV documentaries, interviews, books about the Epstein scandal.Still, the records — which included transcripts of interviews with some of Epstein’s victims — included reminders that Epstein surrounded himself with famous and powerful figures, including a few who have also been accused of misconduct.They included mentions of Epstein’s past friendship with Bill Clinton — who is not accused of any wrongdoing — and of Britain’s Prince Andrew, who previously settled a lawsuit accusing him of having sex with a 17-year-old girl who traveled with Epstein.The documents being unsealed are related to a lawsuit filed in 2015 by one of Epstein’s victims,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-entertainment-lifestyle-virginia-prince-andrew-60348f70fd605c26c26615ffc5ed5f14">Virginia Giuffre</a>. She is one of the dozens of women who sued Epstein saying he had abused them at his homes in Florida, New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands and New Mexico. This particular suit was against Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of helping recruit Epstein’s victims and is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-jeffrey-epstein-sentencing-aeac127f9cc3811d975ce8e10d171260">serving a 20-year prison term</a>.Epstein, a millionaire known for associating with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and academic stars, killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on a sex trafficking charge.Giuffre’s lawsuit against Maxwell was settled in 2017, but the court had kept some court documents blacked-out or sealed because of concerns about the privacy rights of Epstein’s victims and other people whose names had come up during the legal battle.Only around 40 of those documents were made public Wednesday. More will be released in the coming days.The records included the depositions of several of Epstein's victims, many of whom have told their stories publicly previously.Giuffre said the summer she turned 17, she was lured away from a job as a spa attendant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club to become a “masseuse” for Epstein — a job that involved performing sexual acts.She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prince-andrew-virginia-giuffre-lawsuit-settlement-8b04c775aa46f761d81c05ef12e3a94f">settled a lawsuit against Prince Andrew</a>&nbsp;in 2022 in which she claimed he had sexually abused her during a trip to London. That same year, Giuffre withdrew an accusation she had made against Epstein’s former attorney, the law professor Alan Dershowitz, saying she “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-new-york-lawsuits-prince-andrew-jeffrey-epstein-2a7202e552c38ed03c5fe39d6a29721b">may have made a mistake</a>” in identifying him as an abuser.The <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24253239-1324-epstein-documents-943-pages">records released Wednesday</a> included many references to Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent close to Epstein who was awaiting trial on charges that he raped underage girls when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-arts-and-entertainment-paris-jeffrey-epstein-edfbdb84c6cdd5f736ac7e1c2bac657b">killed himself in a Paris jail</a>&nbsp;in 2022. Giuffre was among the women who had accused Brunel of sexual abuse.Clinton's name came up because Guiffre was questioned by Maxwell’s lawyers about inaccuracies in newspaper stories about her time with Epstein, including a story quoting her as saying she had ridden in a helicopter with Clinton and flirted with Donald Trump. Giuffre said neither of those things actually happened.The judge said a handful of names should remain blacked out in the documents because they would identify people who were sexually abused. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they decide to tell their stories publicly, as Giuffre has done.Even before the documents were released, misinformation about what was in them abounded.&nbsp;The judge hasn’t set a target for when all of the documents should be made public, but more documents are expected to come in the next few days.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704331774729.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Here’s what we know about the documents:WHO IS JEFFREY EPSTEIN?A millionaire known for associating with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and academic stars, Epstein was initially arrested in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2005 after he was accused of paying a 14-year-old girl for sex.Dozens of other underage girls described similar sexual abuse, but prosecutors ultimately&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-florida-e2a4431f7319afd037023d9a586aa291">allowed the financier to plead guilty</a>&nbsp;in 2008 to a charge involving a single victim. He served 13 months in a jail work-release program.Some famous acquaintances abandoned Epstein after his conviction, including former presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, but many did not. Epstein continued to mingle with the rich and famous for another decade, often through philanthropic work.Reporting by the Miami Herald renewed interest in the scandal, and federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein in 2019 with sex trafficking. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-suicide-department-of-justice-investigation-50c229b7953096f0301bfa1e7f0b7703">killed himself in jail</a>&nbsp;while awaiting trial.The U.S. attorney in Manhattan then prosecuted Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, for helping recruit his underage victims. She was convicted in 2021 and is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-jeffrey-epstein-sentencing-aeac127f9cc3811d975ce8e10d171260">serving a 20-year prison term</a>.WHAT ARE THESE RECORDS ABOUT?The documents being unsealed are part of a lawsuit filed against Maxwell in 2015 by one of Epstein’s victims,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-entertainment-lifestyle-virginia-prince-andrew-60348f70fd605c26c26615ffc5ed5f14">Virginia Giuffre</a>. She is one of the dozens of women who sued Epstein saying he had abused them at his homes in Florida, New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands and New Mexico.Giuffre said the summer she turned 17, she was lured away from a job as a spa attendant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club to become a “masseuse” for Epstein — a job that involved performing sexual acts.Giuffre also claimed she was pressured into having sex with men in Epstein's social orbit, most famously with Britain's Prince Andrew. All of those men said her accounts were fabricated. She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prince-andrew-virginia-giuffre-lawsuit-settlement-8b04c775aa46f761d81c05ef12e3a94f">settled a lawsuit against Prince Andrew</a>&nbsp;in 2022. That same year, Giuffre withdrew an accusation she had made against Epstein's former attorney, the law professor Alan Dershowitz, saying she “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-new-york-lawsuits-prince-andrew-jeffrey-epstein-2a7202e552c38ed03c5fe39d6a29721b">may have made a mistake</a>&nbsp;” in identifying him as an abuser.Giuffre’s lawsuit against Maxwell was settled in 2017, but the Miami Herald went to court to access court papers initially filed under seal, including transcripts of interviews the lawyers did with potential witnesses.About 2,000 pages were unsealed by a court in 2019. Additional documents were released in 2020, 2021 and 2022.This next batch of around 250 records had sections that were blacked out or were sealed entirely because of concerns about the privacy rights of Epstein’s victims and other people whose names had come up during the legal battle but weren’t complicit in his crimes.WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE?U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska, who evaluated the documents to decide what should be unsealed, said in her December order that she was ordering the records released because much of the information within them is already public.Some records have been released, either in part or in full, in other court cases. Much of the rest involve topics and people who have been exhaustively covered in nearly two decades' worth of newspaper stories, TV documentaries, interviews, books and testimony at Maxwell’s criminal trial.The people named in the records include many of Epstein's accusers, members of his staff who told their stories to tabloid newspapers, people who served as witnesses at Maxwell's trial, people who were mentioned in passing during depositions but aren't accused of anything salacious, and people who investigated Epstein, including prosecutors, a journalist and a detective.There are also boldface names of public figures known to have associated with Epstein over the years, but whose relationships with him have already been well documented elsewhere, the judge said.One of them is Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent close to Epstein who was awaiting trial on charges that he raped underage girls when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-arts-and-entertainment-paris-jeffrey-epstein-edfbdb84c6cdd5f736ac7e1c2bac657b">killed himself in a Paris jail</a>&nbsp;in 2022. Giuffre was among the women who had accused Brunel of sexual abuse.Clinton and Trump both factor in the court file, partly because Giuffre was questioned by Maxwell's lawyers about inaccuracies in newspaper stories about her time with Epstein. One story quoted her as saying she had ridden in a helicopter with Clinton and flirted with Trump. Giuffre said neither of those things actually happened. She hasn't accused either former president of wrongdoing.The judge said a handful of names should remain blacked out in the documents because they would identify people who were sexually abused. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they decide to tell their stories publicly, as Giuffre has done.WHEN WILL THE DOCUMENTS BE MADE PUBLIC?On Dec. 18, the judge gave the people whose names appear in the records 14 days to appeal, then directed the lawyers to confer, prepare the documents for unsealing and post them on the docket.Two people whose name appears in the records have been given additional time to make arguments to the court as to why their names should stay redacted.A small batch of documents was made available publicly on Wednesday.

Read the unsealed Jeffrey Epstein court documents 

JERUSALEM (AP) —The Israeli military says a hostage taken captive by Hamas was killed in a failed rescue attempt in Gaza.

The hostage, 25-year-old Sahar Baruch, had been previously reported to have been killed, but Israel initially blamed Hamas, while Hamas said Israeli forces killed him in a raid.

The military said Wednesday it was not possible to determine whether Baruch died from Israeli fire or from Hamas in the rescue mission, which took place in early December.

The announcement about Baruch comes weeks after Israel said its forces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-12-15-2023-072436cece0f2351fadfed892e985554">accidentally killed three hostages</a>&nbsp;in the Gaza Strip. Some relatives of hostages have said the protracted fighting puts the remaining captives at risk.

Following a hostage release deal in late November, some 129 hostages remain, although about 20 are said to have died in captivity.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704314489369.png" alt="Baruch&nbsp; photo courtesy&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.bringthemhomenow.net/">Hostages and Missing Families Forum</a>" />
 <figcaption>Baruch&nbsp; photo courtesy&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.bringthemhomenow.net/">Hostages and Missing Families Forum</a></figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM (AP) —The Israeli military says a hostage taken captive by Hamas was killed in a failed rescue attempt in Gaza.The hostage, 25-year-old Sahar Baruch, had been previously reported to have been killed, but Israel initially blamed Hamas, while Hamas said Israeli forces killed him in a raid.The military said Wednesday it was not possible to determine whether Baruch died from Israeli fire or from Hamas in the rescue mission, which took place in early December.The announcement about Baruch comes weeks after Israel said its forces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-12-15-2023-072436cece0f2351fadfed892e985554">accidentally killed three hostages</a>&nbsp;in the Gaza Strip. Some relatives of hostages have said the protracted fighting puts the remaining captives at risk.Following a hostage release deal in late November, some 129 hostages remain, although about 20 are said to have died in captivity.

Israel: Hostage killed in failed rescue attempt in Gaza 

State government workers are getting a reprieve from Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s order to end remote work and return to their offices after a state agency temporarily blocked the order.

State workers had been set to return to the office on Tuesday after Pillen unilaterally issued the order in November. But on Friday, the Nebraska Committee on Industrial Relations — which serves as an arbitrator that resolves public sector wage and working condition disputes — granted a temporary halt on the order, finding that remote work is currently the status quo for public employees and that any change from the status quo must be resolved through bargaining.

In his order, Pillen noted that state employees were only working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic to lessen the spread of the potentially deadly virus.

“Nebraskans are back to work, and they expect that our agencies are fully staffed and open for business Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,” Pillen said in a statement when he issued the order. “As public servants, we have a duty to meet that expectation, and deliver maximum value to the taxpayers.”

But the state employees union, the Nebraska Association of Public Employees, pushed back on the order, filing a complaint with the committee. The governor's order, it said, would worsen staffing shortages and limit state agencies' ability to retain and attract high-quality public servants.

The union conducted a survey of its members following Pillen's order, in which of the 1,700 who responded, more than 1,000 said they were actively looking or considering looking for new jobs in response to the order.

“It is clear from the data that a critical mass of state employees may leave state employment if we are unable to bargain mutually beneficial terms and conditions of employment regarding remote work,” Justin Hubly, executive director of the employees union, said in a letter to the Nebraska Attorney General's Office, which argued in favor or the governor's order. “This will hurt us all, especially the most vulnerable Nebraskans who rely on critical state services.”

Pillen's office said Tuesday he is committed to having state workers return to the office, saying that while remote work may have served a purpose during the pandemic, “it was never intended to be the norm.”

Associated PressState government workers are getting a reprieve from Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s order to end remote work and return to their offices after a state agency temporarily blocked the order.State workers had been set to return to the office on Tuesday after Pillen unilaterally issued the order in November. But on Friday, the Nebraska Committee on Industrial Relations — which serves as an arbitrator that resolves public sector wage and working condition disputes — granted a temporary halt on the order, finding that remote work is currently the status quo for public employees and that any change from the status quo must be resolved through bargaining.In his order, Pillen noted that state employees were only working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic to lessen the spread of the potentially deadly virus.“Nebraskans are back to work, and they expect that our agencies are fully staffed and open for business Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,” Pillen said in a statement when he issued the order. “As public servants, we have a duty to meet that expectation, and deliver maximum value to the taxpayers.”But the state employees union, the Nebraska Association of Public Employees, pushed back on the order, filing a complaint with the committee. The governor's order, it said, would worsen staffing shortages and limit state agencies' ability to retain and attract high-quality public servants.The union conducted a survey of its members following Pillen's order, in which of the 1,700 who responded, more than 1,000 said they were actively looking or considering looking for new jobs in response to the order.“It is clear from the data that a critical mass of state employees may leave state employment if we are unable to bargain mutually beneficial terms and conditions of employment regarding remote work,” Justin Hubly, executive director of the employees union, said in a letter to the Nebraska Attorney General's Office, which argued in favor or the governor's order. “This will hurt us all, especially the most vulnerable Nebraskans who rely on critical state services.”Pillen's office said Tuesday he is committed to having state workers return to the office, saying that while remote work may have served a purpose during the pandemic, “it was never intended to be the norm.”

Nebraska state workers get reprieve from governor's return-to-office order

WASHINGTON — After 24 attacks against merchant shipping in the Southern Red Sea since Nov. 19, the White House&nbsp; and governments of Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom issues a joint statement Wednesday:

Recognizing the broad consensus as expressed by 44 countries around the world on December 19, 2023, as well as the statement by the UN Security Council on December 1, 2023, condemning Houthi attacks against commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea, and in light of ongoing attacks, including a significant escalation over the past week targeting&nbsp;commercial vessels,&nbsp;with missiles, small boats, and attempted hijackings,

We hereby reiterate the following and warn the Houthis against further attacks:

Ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are illegal,&nbsp;unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing. There is no lawful justification for intentionally targeting civilian shipping and naval vessels. Attacks on&nbsp;vessels, including&nbsp;commercial vessels,&nbsp;using unmanned aerial vehicles, small boats, and missiles, including the first use of anti-ship ballistic missiles against such vessels, are a direct threat to the freedom of navigation that serves as the bedrock of global trade in one of the world’s most critical waterways.

These attacks threaten innocent lives from all over the world and constitute a significant international problem that demands collective action.&nbsp; Nearly 15 percent of global seaborne trade passes through the Red Sea, including 8 percent of global grain trade, 12 percent of seaborne-traded oil and 8 percent of the world’s liquefied natural gas trade. International shipping companies continue to reroute their vessels&nbsp;around the Cape of Good Hope, adding significant cost and weeks of delay to the delivery of goods,&nbsp;and&nbsp;ultimately jeopardizing the movement of critical food, fuel, and humanitarian assistance throughout the world.

Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of&nbsp;these&nbsp;illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews. &nbsp;The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.&nbsp;We remain committed to the international rules-based order and are determined to hold malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks.

Meanwhile, the United States is also calling on the U.N. Security Council to take urgent action against Yemen’s Houthi rebels for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-shipping-houthi-attacks-drones-missiles-1acc4ca5ebcaf6fee932a2061d451f59">attacking ships in the key Red Sea trade route</a>, and warning their longtime financier and weapons supplier Iran that it has a choice.

U.S. deputy ambassador Christopher Lu told an emergency council meeting on Wednesday that the Houthis have carried out more than 20 attacks since Nov. 19.

Lu said Iran has enabled these attacks and while “the United States does not seek confrontation with Iran” Tehran has a choice: It can continue its current course or withhold support from the Houthis which will leave the rebels struggling to track and strike vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The rebels have claimed attacks on ships in the Red Sea which it says are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports. The hardline Shia force are staunch enemies of Israel.

However, the Israeli connections to each ship targeted by rebels have grown increasingly tenuous. In many cases there is no connection at all.

Many shipping companies are now avoiding the Red Sea and have been instead sailing around South Africa to reach ports in Europe and the Mideast, a significantly lengthier and more expensive trip.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699124273212.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON — After 24 attacks against merchant shipping in the Southern Red Sea since Nov. 19, the White House&nbsp; and governments of Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom issues a joint statement Wednesday:Recognizing the broad consensus as expressed by 44 countries around the world on December 19, 2023, as well as the statement by the UN Security Council on December 1, 2023, condemning Houthi attacks against commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea, and in light of ongoing attacks, including a significant escalation over the past week targeting&nbsp;commercial vessels,&nbsp;with missiles, small boats, and attempted hijackings,We hereby reiterate the following and warn the Houthis against further attacks:Ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are illegal,&nbsp;unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing. There is no lawful justification for intentionally targeting civilian shipping and naval vessels. Attacks on&nbsp;vessels, including&nbsp;commercial vessels,&nbsp;using unmanned aerial vehicles, small boats, and missiles, including the first use of anti-ship ballistic missiles against such vessels, are a direct threat to the freedom of navigation that serves as the bedrock of global trade in one of the world’s most critical waterways.These attacks threaten innocent lives from all over the world and constitute a significant international problem that demands collective action.&nbsp; Nearly 15 percent of global seaborne trade passes through the Red Sea, including 8 percent of global grain trade, 12 percent of seaborne-traded oil and 8 percent of the world’s liquefied natural gas trade. International shipping companies continue to reroute their vessels&nbsp;around the Cape of Good Hope, adding significant cost and weeks of delay to the delivery of goods,&nbsp;and&nbsp;ultimately jeopardizing the movement of critical food, fuel, and humanitarian assistance throughout the world.Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of&nbsp;these&nbsp;illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews. &nbsp;The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.&nbsp;We remain committed to the international rules-based order and are determined to hold malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks.Meanwhile, the United States is also calling on the U.N. Security Council to take urgent action against Yemen’s Houthi rebels for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-shipping-houthi-attacks-drones-missiles-1acc4ca5ebcaf6fee932a2061d451f59">attacking ships in the key Red Sea trade route</a>, and warning their longtime financier and weapons supplier Iran that it has a choice.U.S. deputy ambassador Christopher Lu told an emergency council meeting on Wednesday that the Houthis have carried out more than 20 attacks since Nov. 19.Lu said Iran has enabled these attacks and while “the United States does not seek confrontation with Iran” Tehran has a choice: It can continue its current course or withhold support from the Houthis which will leave the rebels struggling to track and strike vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.The rebels have claimed attacks on ships in the Red Sea which it says are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports. The hardline Shia force are staunch enemies of Israel.However, the Israeli connections to each ship targeted by rebels have grown increasingly tenuous. In many cases there is no connection at all.Many shipping companies are now avoiding the Red Sea and have been instead sailing around South Africa to reach ports in Europe and the Mideast, a significantly lengthier and more expensive trip.

White House to terrorists: Stop ship attacks or face consequences

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has collected enough signatures to appear on the 2024 presidential ballot in Utah, election officials say, marking the first state where the independent candidate and prominent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e" target="_blank">anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist</a>&nbsp;has qualified.

Kennedy has met the 1,000-signature requirement needed to qualify for the Utah ballot and can officially file to run as a presidential candidate in the state before a March 5 deadline, state Elections Director Ryan Cowley said.

Utah is the first state where Kennedy’s campaign submitted signatures and qualified for ballot access, campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear said. She did not indicate which day he would file for candidacy.

A scion of one of the nation’s most famous Democratic dynasties, the longtime environmental lawyer veered from the party last fall and announced his independent bid for the White House. He is a son of former senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and a nephew of Democratic President John F. Kennedy.

The candidate rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic for his embrace of public health conspiracy theories and has a loyal following of people who reject the scientific consensus that vaccines are safe and effective.

His success at gaining ballot access in Utah reignites questions of whether the independent could play spoiler for the eventual Democratic and Republican nominees. While it’s unlikely that an independent or a third-party candidate would win the presidency, they could siphon support from the major candidates in a way that tips the scales.

Allies of both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the likely nominees for their respective parties, have questioned whether Kennedy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-presidential-campaign-independent-2024-30d940109c4956de9c81f332ec418463" target="_blank">could be a spoiler</a>&nbsp;for their candidate. Both Biden and Trump are unpopular among voters, increasing the likelihood that third-party support could play a deciding role in 2024.

In an increasingly polarized political climate, Kennedy is playing the middle, aligning with influential people on the far-right while touting his background as an environmentalist. It’s not yet clear in how many states he will qualify for ballot access. Each state sets its own requirements, and the process for collecting signatures and navigating legal hurdles can be costly for candidates not backed by the major parties.

An organization that Kennedy founded, Children’s Health Defense, currently has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704300369387.png" alt="Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. -courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. -courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has collected enough signatures to appear on the 2024 presidential ballot in Utah, election officials say, marking the first state where the independent candidate and prominent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e" target="_blank">anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist</a>&nbsp;has qualified.Kennedy has met the 1,000-signature requirement needed to qualify for the Utah ballot and can officially file to run as a presidential candidate in the state before a March 5 deadline, state Elections Director Ryan Cowley said.Utah is the first state where Kennedy’s campaign submitted signatures and qualified for ballot access, campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear said. She did not indicate which day he would file for candidacy.A scion of one of the nation’s most famous Democratic dynasties, the longtime environmental lawyer veered from the party last fall and announced his independent bid for the White House. He is a son of former senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and a nephew of Democratic President John F. Kennedy.The candidate rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic for his embrace of public health conspiracy theories and has a loyal following of people who reject the scientific consensus that vaccines are safe and effective.His success at gaining ballot access in Utah reignites questions of whether the independent could play spoiler for the eventual Democratic and Republican nominees. While it’s unlikely that an independent or a third-party candidate would win the presidency, they could siphon support from the major candidates in a way that tips the scales.Allies of both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the likely nominees for their respective parties, have questioned whether Kennedy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-presidential-campaign-independent-2024-30d940109c4956de9c81f332ec418463" target="_blank">could be a spoiler</a>&nbsp;for their candidate. Both Biden and Trump are unpopular among voters, increasing the likelihood that third-party support could play a deciding role in 2024.In an increasingly polarized political climate, Kennedy is playing the middle, aligning with influential people on the far-right while touting his background as an environmentalist. It’s not yet clear in how many states he will qualify for ballot access. Each state sets its own requirements, and the process for collecting signatures and navigating legal hurdles can be costly for candidates not backed by the major parties.An organization that Kennedy founded, Children’s Health Defense, currently has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines.

First state approves Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for presidential ballot 

U.S. Department of Justice - Drug Enforcement Agency

OMAHA, Neb. –&nbsp;Steven T. Bell was named Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division and began his time as the fourth director of the five state territory, overseeing 11 offices in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota and eight counties along the western border of Wisconsin and Illinois on January 1. Bell was promoted from Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) of the DEA Omaha Division, replacing Justin C. King who retired in December.

“It’s truly an honor to serve within the DEA Omaha Division,” Bell said. “This Division is filled with talented individuals all working to execute the agency’s core values with the utmost pride and integrity. I look forward to further developing our law enforcement and community partnerships within the Midwestern region and presenting a united front against the greatest drug threat our nation has ever faced.”

A 33-year veteran of law enforcement, Bell began his career with the Metro Nashville Police Department in 1991. While in Tennessee, Bell worked on patrol, the crime suppression unit, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and narcotics. In 1998, he joined the City of Aurora, Colorado Police Department, serving on the patrol division, narcotics unit and Metro Gang Task Force.

Bell graduated from the DEA Academy in 2004 and was assigned to the Phoenix Division Office as a special agent. He promoted to group supervisor in 2012. Four years later, Bell was assigned to the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs at DEA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and moved to the Office of Inspections in 2017.&nbsp; With the creation of the Omaha Division in July 2018, Bell was promoted to ASAC where he developed the infrastructure for the new Division.

A native of Ohio, Bell graduated with a degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati.

The Omaha Division is DEA’s 23rd&nbsp;domestic division and was formed from states previously aligned with the Chicago and St. Louis Divisions to accommodate for federal judicial districts, while providing more centralized investigative and enforcement efforts within the region. The 372,788 square mile Division borders three Canadian provinces and is home to nearly 13 million residents.

U.S. Department of Justice - Drug Enforcement AgencyOMAHA, Neb. –&nbsp;Steven T. Bell was named Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division and began his time as the fourth director of the five state territory, overseeing 11 offices in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota and eight counties along the western border of Wisconsin and Illinois on January 1. Bell was promoted from Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) of the DEA Omaha Division, replacing Justin C. King who retired in December.“It’s truly an honor to serve within the DEA Omaha Division,” Bell said. “This Division is filled with talented individuals all working to execute the agency’s core values with the utmost pride and integrity. I look forward to further developing our law enforcement and community partnerships within the Midwestern region and presenting a united front against the greatest drug threat our nation has ever faced.”A 33-year veteran of law enforcement, Bell began his career with the Metro Nashville Police Department in 1991. While in Tennessee, Bell worked on patrol, the crime suppression unit, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and narcotics. In 1998, he joined the City of Aurora, Colorado Police Department, serving on the patrol division, narcotics unit and Metro Gang Task Force.Bell graduated from the DEA Academy in 2004 and was assigned to the Phoenix Division Office as a special agent. He promoted to group supervisor in 2012. Four years later, Bell was assigned to the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs at DEA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and moved to the Office of Inspections in 2017.&nbsp; With the creation of the Omaha Division in July 2018, Bell was promoted to ASAC where he developed the infrastructure for the new Division.A native of Ohio, Bell graduated with a degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati.The Omaha Division is DEA’s 23rd&nbsp;domestic division and was formed from states previously aligned with the Chicago and St. Louis Divisions to accommodate for federal judicial districts, while providing more centralized investigative and enforcement efforts within the region. The 372,788 square mile Division borders three Canadian provinces and is home to nearly 13 million residents.

Steven Bell Named DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge

TOPEKA, KAN. – The Kansas Lottery announced the winning number in the 2023 Holiday Millionaire Raffle. The $1 million winning Raffle ticket, which was sold in the South Central region of Kansas, was announced just before noon Wednesday in the 15th annual Holiday Millionaire Raffle, according to a media release from the organization.

The $1 million winning Raffle number is 096618

Joining the $1 million top prize winner are more than 5,600 other winners, including one $100,000 winner, one $25,000 winner, and two $10,000 winners.

Below are the prizes and number of winners that were drawn.

The $100,000 winning number is 095156; the $25,000 winning number is 024398; and the $10,000 winning numbers are 129239 and 096746!

For a complete list of winning Raffle numbers, visit the lottery website <a href="https://www.kslottery.com/\">here</a>

&nbsp;Raffle tickets may also be checked at any Kansas Lottery retail location, on the PlayOn® app using the Ticket Checker function, or by calling 785-296-5700.

Players must present their original tickets to claim a Raffle prize. Players with $50 and $100 winning tickets can claim their prizes at most Kansas Lottery retail locations. All other prizes must be claimed at the Kansas Lottery in Topeka, either in person or by mail. Players have 365 days from the date of the Raffle drawing to claim their winning tickets.

TOPEKA, KAN. – The Kansas Lottery announced the winning number in the 2023 Holiday Millionaire Raffle. The $1 million winning Raffle ticket, which was sold in the South Central region of Kansas, was announced just before noon Wednesday in the 15th annual Holiday Millionaire Raffle, according to a media release from the organization.The $1 million winning Raffle number is 096618Joining the $1 million top prize winner are more than 5,600 other winners, including one $100,000 winner, one $25,000 winner, and two $10,000 winners.Below are the prizes and number of winners that were drawn.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704312443171.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The $100,000 winning number is 095156; the $25,000 winning number is 024398; and the $10,000 winning numbers are 129239 and 096746!For a complete list of winning Raffle numbers, visit the lottery website <a href="https://www.kslottery.com/\">here</a>&nbsp;Raffle tickets may also be checked at any Kansas Lottery retail location, on the PlayOn® app using the Ticket Checker function, or by calling 785-296-5700.Players must present their original tickets to claim a Raffle prize. Players with $50 and $100 winning tickets can claim their prizes at most Kansas Lottery retail locations. All other prizes must be claimed at the Kansas Lottery in Topeka, either in person or by mail. Players have 365 days from the date of the Raffle drawing to claim their winning tickets.

Kansas Lottery Holiday Millionaire raffle winning number

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government’s gross national debt has surpassed $34 trillion, a record high that foreshadows the coming political and economic challenges to improve America’s balance sheet in the coming years.

The U.S. Treasury Department issued a report Tuesday logging U.S. finances, which have become a source of tension in a politically divided Washington that could possibly see parts of the government shutdown without an annual budget in place.

Republican lawmakers and the White House agreed last June to temporarily lift the nation’s debt limit, staving off the risk of what would be a historic default. That agreement lasts until January 2025. Here are some answers to questions about the new record national debt.

HOW DID THE NATIONAL DEBT HIT $34 TRILLION?

The national debt eclipsed $34 trillion several years sooner than pre-pandemic projections. The Congressional Budget Office’s January 2020 projections had gross federal debt eclipsing $34 trillion in fiscal year 2029.

“So far, Washington has been spending money as if we had unlimited resources,” said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at Loyola Marymount University. “But the bottom line is there is no free lunch,” he said, “and I think the outlook is pretty grim.”

The gross debt includes money that the government owes itself, so most policymakers rely on the total debt held by the public in assessing the government’s finances. This lower figure — $26.9 trillion — is roughly equal in size to the U.S. gross domestic product.

Last June, the Congressional Budget Office&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-deficit-congress-spending-budget-biden-d3ec1e9bdbdd2089f31f09a1a8ca80ca" target="_blank">estimated in its 30-year outlook</a>&nbsp;that publicly held debt will be equal to a record 181% of American economic activity by 2053.

The national debt does not appear to be a weight on the U.S. economy right now, as investors are willing to lend the federal government money. This lending allows the government to keep spending on programs without having to raise taxes.

But the debt’s path in the decades to come might put at risk national security and major programs, including Social Security and Medicare, which have become the most prominent drivers of forecasted government spending over the next few decades. Government dysfunction, such as another debt limit showdown, could also be a financial risk if investors worry about lawmakers’ willingness to repay the U.S. debt.

Foreign buyers of U.S. debt — like China, Japan, South Korea and European nations — have already cut down on their holdings of Treasury notes.

A Peterson Foundation analysis states that foreign holdings of U.S. debt peaked at 49 percent in 2011, but dropped to 30 percent by the end of 2022.

“Looking ahead, debt will continue to skyrocket as the Treasury expects to borrow nearly $1 trillion more by the end of March,” said Peterson Foundation CEO Michael Peterson. “Adding trillion after trillion in debt, year after year, should be a flashing red warning sign to any policymaker who cares about the future of our country.

The debt equates to about $100,000 per person in the U.S. That sounds like a lot, but the sum so far has not appeared to threaten U.S. economic growth.

Instead, the risk is long term if the debt keeps rising to uncharted levels. Sohn said a higher debt load could put upward pressure on inflation and cause interest rates to remain elevated, which could also increase the cost of repaying the national debt.

And as the debt challenge evolves over time, choices may become more severe as the costs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid increasingly outstrip tax revenues.

When it could turn into a more dire situation, is anyone’s guess, says Shai Akabas, director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, “but if and when that happens, it could mean very significant consequences that occur very quickly.”

“It could mean spikes in interest rates, it could mean a recession that leads to lots more unemployment. It could lead to another bout of inflation or weird going on with consumer prices —several of which are things that we’ve experienced just in the past few years,” he said.

Both Democrats and Republicans have called for debt reduction, but they disagree on the appropriate means of doing so.

The Biden administration has been pushing for tax hikes on the wealthy and corporations to reduce budget deficits, in addition to funding its domestic agenda. Biden also increased the budget for the IRS, so that it can collect unpaid taxes and possibly reduce the debt by hundreds of billions of dollars over 10 years.

Republican lawmakers have called for large cuts to non-defense government programs and the repeal of clean energy tax credits and spending passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. But Republicans also want to trim Biden’s IRS funding and cut taxes further, both of which could cause the debt to worsen.

A Treasury Department representative did not respond to a request for comment.

Akabas said, “There is growing concern among investors and rating agencies that the trajectory we’re on is unsustainable — when that turns into a more dire situation is anyone’s guess.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615508965653.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government’s gross national debt has surpassed $34 trillion, a record high that foreshadows the coming political and economic challenges to improve America’s balance sheet in the coming years.The U.S. Treasury Department issued a report Tuesday logging U.S. finances, which have become a source of tension in a politically divided Washington that could possibly see parts of the government shutdown without an annual budget in place.Republican lawmakers and the White House agreed last June to temporarily lift the nation’s debt limit, staving off the risk of what would be a historic default. That agreement lasts until January 2025. Here are some answers to questions about the new record national debt.<h2>HOW DID THE NATIONAL DEBT HIT $34 TRILLION?</h2>The national debt eclipsed $34 trillion several years sooner than pre-pandemic projections. The Congressional Budget Office’s January 2020 projections had gross federal debt eclipsing $34 trillion in fiscal year 2029.“So far, Washington has been spending money as if we had unlimited resources,” said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at Loyola Marymount University. “But the bottom line is there is no free lunch,” he said, “and I think the outlook is pretty grim.”The gross debt includes money that the government owes itself, so most policymakers rely on the total debt held by the public in assessing the government’s finances. This lower figure — $26.9 trillion — is roughly equal in size to the U.S. gross domestic product.Last June, the Congressional Budget Office&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-deficit-congress-spending-budget-biden-d3ec1e9bdbdd2089f31f09a1a8ca80ca" target="_blank">estimated in its 30-year outlook</a>&nbsp;that publicly held debt will be equal to a record 181% of American economic activity by 2053.<h2>WHAT IS THE IMPACT TO THE ECONOMY?</h2>The national debt does not appear to be a weight on the U.S. economy right now, as investors are willing to lend the federal government money. This lending allows the government to keep spending on programs without having to raise taxes.But the debt’s path in the decades to come might put at risk national security and major programs, including Social Security and Medicare, which have become the most prominent drivers of forecasted government spending over the next few decades. Government dysfunction, such as another debt limit showdown, could also be a financial risk if investors worry about lawmakers’ willingness to repay the U.S. debt.Foreign buyers of U.S. debt — like China, Japan, South Korea and European nations — have already cut down on their holdings of Treasury notes.A Peterson Foundation analysis states that foreign holdings of U.S. debt peaked at 49 percent in 2011, but dropped to 30 percent by the end of 2022.“Looking ahead, debt will continue to skyrocket as the Treasury expects to borrow nearly $1 trillion more by the end of March,” said Peterson Foundation CEO Michael Peterson. “Adding trillion after trillion in debt, year after year, should be a flashing red warning sign to any policymaker who cares about the future of our country.<h2>HOW COULD IT AFFECT ME?</h2>The debt equates to about $100,000 per person in the U.S. That sounds like a lot, but the sum so far has not appeared to threaten U.S. economic growth.Instead, the risk is long term if the debt keeps rising to uncharted levels. Sohn said a higher debt load could put upward pressure on inflation and cause interest rates to remain elevated, which could also increase the cost of repaying the national debt.And as the debt challenge evolves over time, choices may become more severe as the costs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid increasingly outstrip tax revenues.When it could turn into a more dire situation, is anyone’s guess, says Shai Akabas, director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, “but if and when that happens, it could mean very significant consequences that occur very quickly.”“It could mean spikes in interest rates, it could mean a recession that leads to lots more unemployment. It could lead to another bout of inflation or weird going on with consumer prices —several of which are things that we’ve experienced just in the past few years,” he said.<h2>HOW DO REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS DIFFER?</h2>Both Democrats and Republicans have called for debt reduction, but they disagree on the appropriate means of doing so.The Biden administration has been pushing for tax hikes on the wealthy and corporations to reduce budget deficits, in addition to funding its domestic agenda. Biden also increased the budget for the IRS, so that it can collect unpaid taxes and possibly reduce the debt by hundreds of billions of dollars over 10 years.Republican lawmakers have called for large cuts to non-defense government programs and the repeal of clean energy tax credits and spending passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. But Republicans also want to trim Biden’s IRS funding and cut taxes further, both of which could cause the debt to worsen.A Treasury Department representative did not respond to a request for comment.Akabas said, “There is growing concern among investors and rating agencies that the trajectory we’re on is unsustainable — when that turns into a more dire situation is anyone’s guess.”

How did US national debt hit record $34 trillion?



Lincoln, Nebraska — Registration is open for the 2024 Local Food and Healthy Farms Conference, which takes place Jan. 25-27 at the River’s Edge Conference Center in Columbus, Neb.

For over 40 years, the Nebraska Sustainable Ag Society’s (NSAS) annual conference has been a mainstay event for farmers to connect and share knowledge. For the third year, the conference is a collaborative partnership with University of Nebraska Extension and Nebraska Specialty Crop Growers&nbsp;to provide the most dynamic and comprehensive farming and local food systems conference in the state.

"Combining both Extension and NSAS’ efforts has allowed the organizing team to think creatively about how we engage this audience and build connections across the food value chain," said Ben Jewell, a Nebraska Extension educator and lead for the Nebraska Regional Food Systems Initiative. "Our attendees come from a wide range of backgrounds, as farmers, ranchers, food entrepreneurs, advocates and researchers—this diverse group being together over two days allows for more robust conversations that get at the root of the challenges facing our local food system."

The conference invites attendees to learn, connect, and collaborate for a more resilient food future.

"One of the main pieces of feedback we received from attendees at last year’s conference was that there wasn’t enough time for networking and engagement," said Jewell. "Our planning team this year has been intentional about building in extra time between sessions and eliminating talks during meals to allow for more in-depth engagement and connection among attendees. With around 220 stakeholders present at the 2023 Local Food and Healthy Farms conference, this event is a rare opportunity to build relationships across the food value chain in Nebraska."

Many of the sessions are developed and led by local farmers, focused on topics that are most relevant to small and mid-size food and farming operations. Other sessions focus on tribal food systems work in Nebraska, indigenous Mayan regenerative agriculture practices, and how chefs incorporate seasonally available local foods into their menus.

"A highlight of this conference is the local food dinner that is served on Friday evening," said Jewell. "Conference organizers work with chefs at the venue to plan a meal that is entirely sourced from local producers. Everything from local beef, small batch cheeses, fresh greens, and even local grains are featured in this meal."

The cost is $80 per day or $150 for both days and includes meals and access to all conference events. Scholarships are available.&nbsp;Register by January 13, 2024, at&nbsp;<a href="https://unl233.lt.acemlnb.com/Prod/link-tracker?redirectUrl=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&amp;sig=C66rpWo379RkYuZLjRPmVijXMK9NoWdSoUH2pXdPC2cW&amp;iat=1704235116&amp;a=%7C%7C68108822%7C%7C&amp;account=unl233%2Eactivehosted%2Ecom&amp;email=yTC9MQ%2Bl6y5T0szs%2FbU7aWl5Fu%2BQ3P4fdaNLUH79kefnYj4%2FQcVXoV0%3D%3Ay6ZQt5MMflVtSwLrTTwrbgreaVg8iMuK&amp;s=073f67d35943f6c01a66f2eac84e284e&amp;i=551A642A50A11117" target="_blank">sustainablenebraska.org/2024conference-registration</a>.The&nbsp;Local Food and Healthy Farms Conference is supported by several sponsors, including Rodale Institute, Center for Rural Affairs, Roberts Seeds, Viking Blue River Organic Seed, Acres USA, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, and Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska.

Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society (NSAS) is a nonprofit organization serving farmers across the state for over 30 years with resources and networking opportunities including farm tours, grower gatherings and our keystone annual conference.



Lincoln, Nebraska — Registration is open for the 2024 Local Food and Healthy Farms Conference, which takes place Jan. 25-27 at the River’s Edge Conference Center in Columbus, Neb.For over 40 years, the Nebraska Sustainable Ag Society’s (NSAS) annual conference has been a mainstay event for farmers to connect and share knowledge. For the third year, the conference is a collaborative partnership with University of Nebraska Extension and Nebraska Specialty Crop Growers&nbsp;to provide the most dynamic and comprehensive farming and local food systems conference in the state."Combining both Extension and NSAS’ efforts has allowed the organizing team to think creatively about how we engage this audience and build connections across the food value chain," said Ben Jewell, a Nebraska Extension educator and lead for the Nebraska Regional Food Systems Initiative. "Our attendees come from a wide range of backgrounds, as farmers, ranchers, food entrepreneurs, advocates and researchers—this diverse group being together over two days allows for more robust conversations that get at the root of the challenges facing our local food system."The conference invites attendees to learn, connect, and collaborate for a more resilient food future.Conference highlights include:<ul>
 <li>More than 30 sessions on topics that span the agricultural and local food system spectrum, including farm financial and transition planning, farm skills, field crops, livestock, farm and food policy, urban agriculture and local food access, and more.</li><li>New Thursday pre-conference workshops that will provide more in-depth training in regional food systems, communication, and farm/ranch resources.</li><li>Keynote addresses from Nancy Williams, Co-Founder and CEO of No More Empty Pots in Omaha where she and her team have advocated and put into action their mission to improve self-efficacy, regional food security, and economic resilience of urban and rural communities; and Michael Foley, co-owner and operator of Green Uprising Farm, a small (very small), diversified, family farm in Willits, northern California. He is Director of the School of Adaptive Agriculture, also in Willits; market manager for the Willits Farmers Market; and President of the Mendocino County Farmers Market Association. And he is author of&nbsp;Farming for the Long Haul&nbsp;(Chelsea Green, 2019).</li><li>Several opportunities to network with other farmers, researchers, sponsors, service agencies, and consumers including a Friday evening reception and exhibit hall.</li>
 </ul>"One of the main pieces of feedback we received from attendees at last year’s conference was that there wasn’t enough time for networking and engagement," said Jewell. "Our planning team this year has been intentional about building in extra time between sessions and eliminating talks during meals to allow for more in-depth engagement and connection among attendees. With around 220 stakeholders present at the 2023 Local Food and Healthy Farms conference, this event is a rare opportunity to build relationships across the food value chain in Nebraska."Many of the sessions are developed and led by local farmers, focused on topics that are most relevant to small and mid-size food and farming operations. Other sessions focus on tribal food systems work in Nebraska, indigenous Mayan regenerative agriculture practices, and how chefs incorporate seasonally available local foods into their menus."A highlight of this conference is the local food dinner that is served on Friday evening," said Jewell. "Conference organizers work with chefs at the venue to plan a meal that is entirely sourced from local producers. Everything from local beef, small batch cheeses, fresh greens, and even local grains are featured in this meal."The cost is $80 per day or $150 for both days and includes meals and access to all conference events. Scholarships are available.&nbsp;Register by January 13, 2024, at&nbsp;<a href="https://unl233.lt.acemlnb.com/Prod/link-tracker?redirectUrl=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&amp;sig=C66rpWo379RkYuZLjRPmVijXMK9NoWdSoUH2pXdPC2cW&amp;iat=1704235116&amp;a=%7C%7C68108822%7C%7C&amp;account=unl233%2Eactivehosted%2Ecom&amp;email=yTC9MQ%2Bl6y5T0szs%2FbU7aWl5Fu%2BQ3P4fdaNLUH79kefnYj4%2FQcVXoV0%3D%3Ay6ZQt5MMflVtSwLrTTwrbgreaVg8iMuK&amp;s=073f67d35943f6c01a66f2eac84e284e&amp;i=551A642A50A11117" target="_blank">sustainablenebraska.org/2024conference-registration</a>.The&nbsp;Local Food and Healthy Farms Conference is supported by several sponsors, including Rodale Institute, Center for Rural Affairs, Roberts Seeds, Viking Blue River Organic Seed, Acres USA, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, and Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska.Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society (NSAS) is a nonprofit organization serving farmers across the state for over 30 years with resources and networking opportunities including farm tours, grower gatherings and our keystone annual conference.

Registration is Open for the Annual Local Food & Healthy Farms Conference

WASHINGTON — Congress is staring down a funding cliff in mid-January and a second one in early February, but neither of those deadlines have inspired House and Senate leaders to broker agreement on the dozen bills that were supposed to become law by Oct. 1.

Appropriators are concerned the upcoming election year and competing legislative priorities have pushed their work to the back of the line, increasing the odds that Congress stumbles into a partial government shutdown in the new year.

The lawmakers who work on funding bills are equally frustrated that leaders may simply lean on a third stopgap spending bill to keep the government funded for the rest of the fiscal year, throwing months of work on the dozen full-year spending bills out the window.

Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., said in mid-December that using a stopgap spending bill, also called a continuing resolution, to fund the government for the entire fiscal year would be “unprecedented and reckless.”

“We cannot just throw up our hands, act like nothing in the world has changed in the past 12 months, abdicate our responsibility to our constituents and box in our nation’s future by putting the government on autopilot,” Murray said.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the committee, has also rejected the idea of Congress using another continuing resolution, saying during a floor speech in late November the “temporary funding patches lead to harmful uncertainties, needless inefficiencies and wasted taxpayer dollars.”

“A year-long continuing resolution would simply fail to provide the resources needed to protect our nation,” Collins said.

A full-year stopgap spending bill would cut defense spending by $34.6 billion compared to what the Senate spending panel approved in its bipartisan bill, she said.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said Tuesday that using a continuing resolution to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year is “unacceptable.”

“It’s devastating, particularly for defense and we’ve got all of these wars going on,” McConnell said. “So we need to reach an agreement on the topline and get about getting an outcome as soon as possible.”

Congress and the Biden administration agreed to spending levels for fiscal year 2024, which began back on Oct. 1, as well as fiscal year 2025 when they brokered the debt limit deal last summer.

The Senate Appropriations Committee wrote all 12 of its annual government funding bills to roughly that level and the committee approved them all following broadly bipartisan votes.

The House spending panel, however, wrote its bills more than $100 billion below those levels and added in dozens of conservative policy changes that infuriated Democrats.

Those differing spending levels are among the many issues that have delayed the House and Senate from heading to conference committees to hammer out their differences.

Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said before that chamber left for a three-week winter break that he agreed the spending bills should be written to the funding levels in the debt limit law. But he argued the Senate bills are above those numbers.

“We’re awaiting the other team, the other side, the other chamber to come forward with a number that we can agree upon that we write to,” Johnson said. “And that’s the impasse and that’s what we’re waiting on. But the law is the law.”

Collins said Tuesday that her preference would be for the final bills to reflect the topline spending level in the debt limit law “plus the side deal plus filling in with some emergency spending that” she and Chair Murray agreed to.

The stalemate has aggravated both Democrats and Republicans on the Senate and House committees, who say leadership needs to give them the green light to begin talks ahead of the Jan. 19 deadline for four spending bills and the Feb. 2 deadline for the other eight appropriations measures.

Arkansas Republican Rep. Steve Womack, chair of the Financial Services spending panel, said last week that congressional leaders should have told the committee weeks ago what the total spending level would be for the current fiscal year, known as the topline.

“We’re just in a bad spot. We’ve needed these topline numbers,” Womack said. “I’m anxious to go home for Christmas, but at the end of the day, I know if they gave us a topline today, we are just going to absolutely kill our staffs. These do not happen overnight.”

Maryland Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer, ranking member on the Financial Services spending panel, said January will be “chaotic” since the GOP leaders have “created a crisis.”

“They have created a chaotic, almost impossible situation for themselves and the country,” Hoyer said.

A shutdown, he said, is “more likely than it should be because of the timeframe and because of the irresolution and the deep division within the Republican Party.”

Kentucky Rep. Hal Rogers, the top Republican on the Commerce-Justice-Science spending subcommittee, said not having spending levels puts meeting the Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 deadlines in “severe jeopardy.”

Rogers said he believes Speaker Johnson understands the importance of getting agreement on the spending levels, but said that is challenging at the moment.

“I think he fully understands that,” Roger said. “But he’s got to put together the votes to make that happen.”

Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, chair of the Defense spending subcommittee, said Congress should use the topline spending levels that were put in the debt limit law that Republicans and Democrats voted to approve.

“Toplines on appropriations, in my book, are set,” Tester said. “They were agreed to and the speaker of the House voted for them months ago. And to go back is really bad form, bad business, word is not your bond, very anti-Montanan.”

Tester said he would work to get agreement between the Republican House and Democratic Senate on his bill before funding expires on Feb. 2, but said he wasn’t sure that could happen.

“It’s got me very worried because there are no presents to open in January,” Tester said, alluding to the fact that Congress normally negotiates the bills ahead of the winter break.

The prospect of Congress using a stopgap spending bill to keep the government funded for the rest of the fiscal year doesn’t appeal to Tester, who said “God forbid” when asked about the possibility.

Oklahoma Republican Rep. Tom Cole, chair of the Transportation-HUD subcommittee, said using another stopgap spending bill, or a series of them, to fund the government — instead of passing the 12 full-year bills — is “very possible.”

“In some ways, it’s even the most likely, but it should not be the desired outcome,” Cole said.

The odds of a partial government shutdown beginning next year are low, Cole said, though he didn’t rule it out entirely.

Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, chair of the Labor-HHS-Education spending subcommittee, said “there’s still nothing from the House” that would allow the chairs and ranking members to begin conference talks.

Given the time crunch, Baldwin said, the best option would be for the House to pass the dozen government funding bills the Senate Appropriations Committee approved earlier this year on broadly bipartisan votes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704223603619.png" alt="House Speaker Mike Johnson-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Mike Johnson-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON — Congress is staring down a funding cliff in mid-January and a second one in early February, but neither of those deadlines have inspired House and Senate leaders to broker agreement on the dozen bills that were supposed to become law by Oct. 1.Appropriators are concerned the upcoming election year and competing legislative priorities have pushed their work to the back of the line, increasing the odds that Congress stumbles into a partial government shutdown in the new year.The lawmakers who work on funding bills are equally frustrated that leaders may simply lean on a third stopgap spending bill to keep the government funded for the rest of the fiscal year, throwing months of work on the dozen full-year spending bills out the window.Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., said in mid-December that using a stopgap spending bill, also called a continuing resolution, to fund the government for the entire fiscal year would be “unprecedented and reckless.”“We cannot just throw up our hands, act like nothing in the world has changed in the past 12 months, abdicate our responsibility to our constituents and box in our nation’s future by putting the government on autopilot,” Murray said.Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the committee, has also rejected the idea of Congress using another continuing resolution, saying during a floor speech in late November the “temporary funding patches lead to harmful uncertainties, needless inefficiencies and wasted taxpayer dollars.”“A year-long continuing resolution would simply fail to provide the resources needed to protect our nation,” Collins said.A full-year stopgap spending bill would cut defense spending by $34.6 billion compared to what the Senate spending panel approved in its bipartisan bill, she said.Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said Tuesday that using a continuing resolution to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year is “unacceptable.”“It’s devastating, particularly for defense and we’ve got all of these wars going on,” McConnell said. “So we need to reach an agreement on the topline and get about getting an outcome as soon as possible.”<h2>Spending levels in debt limit deal</h2>Congress and the Biden administration agreed to spending levels for fiscal year 2024, which began back on Oct. 1, as well as fiscal year 2025 when they brokered the debt limit deal last summer.The Senate Appropriations Committee wrote all 12 of its annual government funding bills to roughly that level and the committee approved them all following broadly bipartisan votes.The House spending panel, however, wrote its bills more than $100 billion below those levels and added in dozens of conservative policy changes that infuriated Democrats.Those differing spending levels are among the many issues that have delayed the House and Senate from heading to conference committees to hammer out their differences.Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said before that chamber left for a three-week winter break that he agreed the spending bills should be written to the funding levels in the debt limit law. But he argued the Senate bills are above those numbers.“We’re awaiting the other team, the other side, the other chamber to come forward with a number that we can agree upon that we write to,” Johnson said. “And that’s the impasse and that’s what we’re waiting on. But the law is the law.”Collins said Tuesday that her preference would be for the final bills to reflect the topline spending level in the debt limit law “plus the side deal plus filling in with some emergency spending that” she and Chair Murray agreed to.The stalemate has aggravated both Democrats and Republicans on the Senate and House committees, who say leadership needs to give them the green light to begin talks ahead of the Jan. 19 deadline for four spending bills and the Feb. 2 deadline for the other eight appropriations measures.Arkansas Republican Rep. Steve Womack, chair of the Financial Services spending panel, said last week that congressional leaders should have told the committee weeks ago what the total spending level would be for the current fiscal year, known as the topline.“We’re just in a bad spot. We’ve needed these topline numbers,” Womack said. “I’m anxious to go home for Christmas, but at the end of the day, I know if they gave us a topline today, we are just going to absolutely kill our staffs. These do not happen overnight.”<h2>‘Chaotic’ month predicted</h2>Maryland Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer, ranking member on the Financial Services spending panel, said January will be “chaotic” since the GOP leaders have “created a crisis.”“They have created a chaotic, almost impossible situation for themselves and the country,” Hoyer said.A shutdown, he said, is “more likely than it should be because of the timeframe and because of the irresolution and the deep division within the Republican Party.”Kentucky Rep. Hal Rogers, the top Republican on the Commerce-Justice-Science spending subcommittee, said not having spending levels puts meeting the Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 deadlines in “severe jeopardy.”Rogers said he believes Speaker Johnson understands the importance of getting agreement on the spending levels, but said that is challenging at the moment.“I think he fully understands that,” Roger said. “But he’s got to put together the votes to make that happen.”Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, chair of the Defense spending subcommittee, said Congress should use the topline spending levels that were put in the debt limit law that Republicans and Democrats voted to approve.“Toplines on appropriations, in my book, are set,” Tester said. “They were agreed to and the speaker of the House voted for them months ago. And to go back is really bad form, bad business, word is not your bond, very anti-Montanan.”Tester said he would work to get agreement between the Republican House and Democratic Senate on his bill before funding expires on Feb. 2, but said he wasn’t sure that could happen.“It’s got me very worried because there are no presents to open in January,” Tester said, alluding to the fact that Congress normally negotiates the bills ahead of the winter break.The prospect of Congress using a stopgap spending bill to keep the government funded for the rest of the fiscal year doesn’t appeal to Tester, who said “God forbid” when asked about the possibility.Oklahoma Republican Rep. Tom Cole, chair of the Transportation-HUD subcommittee, said using another stopgap spending bill, or a series of them, to fund the government — instead of passing the 12 full-year bills — is “very possible.”“In some ways, it’s even the most likely, but it should not be the desired outcome,” Cole said.The odds of a partial government shutdown beginning next year are low, Cole said, though he didn’t rule it out entirely.Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, chair of the Labor-HHS-Education spending subcommittee, said “there’s still nothing from the House” that would allow the chairs and ranking members to begin conference talks.Given the time crunch, Baldwin said, the best option would be for the House to pass the dozen government funding bills the Senate Appropriations Committee approved earlier this year on broadly bipartisan votes.

Congress faces 2 shutdown deadlines; no action yet on spending

JERUSALEM —Just after 9:30 p.m. (Sanaa time), on Tuesday, Iranian-backed Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen into the Southern Red Sea, according to a statement from the. U.S. Central Command.

Multiple commercial ships in the area reported the impact of the ASBMs into the surrounding water though none have reported any damage. 

These illegal actions endangered the lives of dozens of innocent mariners and continue to disrupt the free flow of international commerce. This is the 24th attack against merchant shipping in the Southern Red Sea since Nov. 19.

Meanwhile, Israel was on high alert for an escalation with Hezbollah on Wednesday after one of the top leaders of the Palestinian Hamas was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">killed in a strike in Beirut</a>&nbsp;that was widely blamed on Israel and heightened the risk of a broader Middle East conflict.

The killing of Saleh Arouri,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-beirut-explosion-suburbs-hezbollah-israel-2a43fe948e8cb49c64b34bb963d77f64">the most senior Hamas member slain</a>&nbsp;since the war in Gaza erupted nearly three months ago, provided a morale boost for Israelis still reeling from Hamas'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-attack-military-war-a8f63b07641212f0de61861844e5e71e">Oct. 7 attack</a>&nbsp;as the militants put up stiff resistance in Gaza and continue to hold scores of hostages.

But its implications for the war remain unclear. Israel has killed several top Hamas leaders over the years, only to see them quickly replaced. And the strike in Hezbollah's southern Beirut stronghold could cause the low-intensity fighting along the Lebanon border to boil over into all-out war.

Much depends on how Hassan Nasrallah — who has led Hezbollah since an Israeli strike killed his predecessor in 1992 — chooses to respond. He has previously vowed to retaliate for any Israeli targeting of allied militant leaders in Lebanon, and was expected to deliver a speech at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT).

Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been exchanging fire almost daily over the Israeli-Lebanese border since the war in Gaza began, but Nasrallah has appeared reluctant to escalate it further, perhaps fearing a repeat of the monthlong 2006 war, in which Israel heavily bombed Beirut and southern Lebanon.

JERUSALEM —Just after 9:30 p.m. (Sanaa time), on Tuesday, Iranian-backed Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen into the Southern Red Sea, according to a statement from the. U.S. Central Command.Multiple commercial ships in the area reported the impact of the ASBMs into the surrounding water though none have reported any damage. These illegal actions endangered the lives of dozens of innocent mariners and continue to disrupt the free flow of international commerce. This is the 24th attack against merchant shipping in the Southern Red Sea since Nov. 19.Meanwhile, Israel was on high alert for an escalation with Hezbollah on Wednesday after one of the top leaders of the Palestinian Hamas was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">killed in a strike in Beirut</a>&nbsp;that was widely blamed on Israel and heightened the risk of a broader Middle East conflict.The killing of Saleh Arouri,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-beirut-explosion-suburbs-hezbollah-israel-2a43fe948e8cb49c64b34bb963d77f64">the most senior Hamas member slain</a>&nbsp;since the war in Gaza erupted nearly three months ago, provided a morale boost for Israelis still reeling from Hamas'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-attack-military-war-a8f63b07641212f0de61861844e5e71e">Oct. 7 attack</a>&nbsp;as the militants put up stiff resistance in Gaza and continue to hold scores of hostages.But its implications for the war remain unclear. Israel has killed several top Hamas leaders over the years, only to see them quickly replaced. And the strike in Hezbollah's southern Beirut stronghold could cause the low-intensity fighting along the Lebanon border to boil over into all-out war.Much depends on how Hassan Nasrallah — who has led Hezbollah since an Israeli strike killed his predecessor in 1992 — chooses to respond. He has previously vowed to retaliate for any Israeli targeting of allied militant leaders in Lebanon, and was expected to deliver a speech at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT).Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been exchanging fire almost daily over the Israeli-Lebanese border since the war in Gaza began, but Nasrallah has appeared reluctant to escalate it further, perhaps fearing a repeat of the monthlong 2006 war, in which Israel heavily bombed Beirut and southern Lebanon.Hezbollah announced a flurry of rocket launches into northern Israel late Tuesday but did not directly link them to the killing of Arouri. Journalists in southern Lebanon reported heavy Israeli shelling and airstrikes. But there were no reports of casualties, and by early Wednesday the border area was calm.Israeli officials have not commented on the strike that killed Arouri, but Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, said “we are on high readiness for any scenario.”The United States has sought to prevent any widening of the conflict, including by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uss-gerald-r-ford-aircraft-carrier-israel-20fb033f78bfd37fb4b0cf1df468a731">deploying two aircraft carriers and other military assets to the region</a>. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected in the region this week.A HIGH-PROFILE TARGETPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have repeatedly threatened to kill Hamas leaders wherever they are. The group's Oct. 7 attack from Gaza into southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, and some 240 others were taken hostage.Israel claims to have killed a number of mid-level Hamas leaders in Gaza, but this would be the first time since the war that it has reached into another country to target the group's top leaders, many of whom live in exile around the region.Arouri was the deputy of Hamas’ supreme political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, and headed the group’s presence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He was also a key liaison with Hezbollah. The U.S. State Department had listed him as a terrorist and&nbsp;<a href="https://rewardsforjustice.net/rewards/salih-al-aruri/">offered a $5 million reward</a>&nbsp;for information about him.Haniyeh said Hamas was “more powerful and determined” following the attack, which killed six other members of the group, including two military commanders. “They left behind them strong men who will carry the banner after them,” he said of those killed.Hezbollah called the strike “a serious attack on Lebanon, its people, its security, sovereignty and resistance.”“We affirm that this crime will never pass without response and punishment,” it said.ISRAEL SEEKS A ‘CLEAR VICTORY’ IN GAZAThe focus of the war remains on Gaza, where Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel is seeking a “clear victory” over Hamas, which has ruled the territory since 2007.Israel's air, ground and sea assault in Gaza has killed more than 22,300 people, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory</a>. The count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.The campaign has driven some 85% of Gaza’s population from their homes, forcing hundreds of thousands of people into overcrowded shelters or teeming tent camps in Israeli-designated safe areas that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-hamas-war-90e02d26420b8fe3157f73c256f9ed6a">military has nevertheless bombed</a>. A quarter of Gaza's population&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-12-21-2023-7d9718b32bf0d308c44c7c9e3c4e0deb">face starvation</a>, according to the United Nations, as Israeli restrictions and heavy fighting hinder aid delivery.The unprecedented death and destruction has led South Africa to accuse Israel of genocide in a case filed with the International Court of Justice, allegations Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-02-2024-08e0eeee96bfc559a2390c60c7db351b">has strongly denied and vowed to contest</a>.Still, Israel appears far from achieving its goals of crushing Hamas and returning the estimated 129 hostages still held by the group after more than 100 were released in a cease-fire deal in November.Gallant said several thousand Hamas fighters remain in northern Gaza, where Israeli troops have been battling militants for over two months and where entire neighborhoods have been blasted into rubble.Heavy fighting is also underway in central Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israeli officials say Hamas' military structure is still largely intact.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-leader-gaza-war-sinwar-7359ae98217aa11aa7c20c2780d5d350">Yehya Sinwar, Hamas' top leader in Gaza</a>, and his deputies have thus far eluded Israeli forces.Egypt, which along with Qatar has served as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, has proposed a multistage plan for ending the war in which all hostages would eventually be released in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israel would withdraw from Gaza and a government of Palestinian technocrats would govern Gaza and parts of the occupied West Bank until elections are held.Neither Israel nor Hamas have accepted the plan in its entirety, but neither has rejected it outright.An Israeli delegation was in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official who was not authorized to brief media and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said the killing of Arouri was likely to hamper the negotiations for a couple days.___