JERUSALEM —U.S. forces continue to face&nbsp; terrorist obstacles in the Red Sea.

Between approximately 12:15 p.m. and 2:40 p.m. Monday, United States forces successfully engaged and destroyed an air defense system with two missiles ready to launch, a ground control station in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, and one unmanned aerial system launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from Yemen over the Red Sea, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.

Separately, at approximately 8:00 a.m. on April 7, an anti-ship ballistic missile was launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden where a coalition ship was escorting M/V Hope Island, a Marshall Islands Flagged, U.K. owned, Italian operated cargo ship. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.

This was the fifth observed missile launch against this coalition ship and M/V Hope Island.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated his pledge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-rafah-israel-hamas-war-photo-gallery-2a93ded7d44b9720d941f7e53c5bf45e">to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah</a>, which is filled with around 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom are displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip.

“It will happen. There is a date,” Netanyahu said in a video statement Monday, without elaborating.

The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has said a ground operation into Rafah would be a mistake and has demanded to see a credible plan to protect civilians. Netanyahu spoke as Israeli negotiators are in Cairo discussing international efforts to broker a cease-fire deal with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israeli troops withdrew Sunday from Khan Younis, another city in southern Gaza, ending a key phase of the war. Defense officials say they're regrouping ahead of a push into Rafah. Palestinians who visited Khan Younis on Monday said the city is now unlivable, offering them little immediate chance to return. Many have been sheltering in Rafah.

The Palestinian death toll from the war has passed 33,200, with nearly 76,000 wounded, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. The ministry&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">doesn’t differentiate</a>&nbsp;between civilians and combatants in its tally, but says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/women-children-gaza-war-victims-un-inequality-f0f89a724543b99c2c22439e7af09405">women and children</a>&nbsp;make up two-thirds of the dead.

The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703990687604.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM —U.S. forces continue to face&nbsp; terrorist obstacles in the Red Sea.Between approximately 12:15 p.m. and 2:40 p.m. Monday, United States forces successfully engaged and destroyed an air defense system with two missiles ready to launch, a ground control station in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, and one unmanned aerial system launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from Yemen over the Red Sea, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.Separately, at approximately 8:00 a.m. on April 7, an anti-ship ballistic missile was launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden where a coalition ship was escorting M/V Hope Island, a Marshall Islands Flagged, U.K. owned, Italian operated cargo ship. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.This was the fifth observed missile launch against this coalition ship and M/V Hope Island.Meanwhile,&nbsp;Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated his pledge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-rafah-israel-hamas-war-photo-gallery-2a93ded7d44b9720d941f7e53c5bf45e">to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah</a>, which is filled with around 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom are displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip.“It will happen. There is a date,” Netanyahu said in a video statement Monday, without elaborating.The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has said a ground operation into Rafah would be a mistake and has demanded to see a credible plan to protect civilians. Netanyahu spoke as Israeli negotiators are in Cairo discussing international efforts to broker a cease-fire deal with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.Israeli troops withdrew Sunday from Khan Younis, another city in southern Gaza, ending a key phase of the war. Defense officials say they're regrouping ahead of a push into Rafah. Palestinians who visited Khan Younis on Monday said the city is now unlivable, offering them little immediate chance to return. Many have been sheltering in Rafah.The Palestinian death toll from the war has passed 33,200, with nearly 76,000 wounded, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. The ministry&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">doesn’t differentiate</a>&nbsp;between civilians and combatants in its tally, but says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/women-children-gaza-war-victims-un-inequality-f0f89a724543b99c2c22439e7af09405">women and children</a>&nbsp;make up two-thirds of the dead.The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage.

U.S. forces destroy a terrorist air defense system

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Monday declared gender-affirming surgery and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-surrogacy-ivf-a9229ef32f3c5b4f3b0bb7bd0e08f503">surrogacy as grave violations of human dignity</a>, putting them on par with abortion and euthanasia as practices that it said reject God’s plan for human life.

The Vatican’s doctrine office issued “Infinite Dignity,” a 20-page declaration that has been in the works for five years. After substantial revision in recent months, it was approved March 25 by Pope Francis, who ordered its publication.

From a pope who has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-lgbtq-pope-bfa5b71fa79055626e362936e739d1d8">made outreach to the LGBTQ+ community</a>&nbsp;a hallmark of his papacy, the document was received as a setback, albeit predictable, by trans Catholics. But its message was also consistent with the Argentine Jesuit's long-standing belief that while trans people should be welcomed in the church, so-called “gender ideologies” should not.

In its most eagerly anticipated section, the Vatican repeated its rejection of “gender theory,” or the idea that one’s biological sex can change. It said God created man and woman as biologically different, separate beings, and said people must not tinker with that or try to "make oneself God.”

“It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception,” the document said.

It distinguished between gender-affirming surgeries, which it rejected, and “genital abnormalities” that are present at birth or that develop later. Those abnormalities can be “resolved” with the help of health care professionals, it said.

Advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics immediately criticized the document as outdated, harmful and contrary to the stated goal of recognizing the “infinite dignity” of all of God's children. They warned it could have real-world effects on trans people, fueling anti-trans violence and discrimination.

“While it lays out a wonderful rationale for why each human being, regardless of condition in life, must be respected, honored, and loved, it does not apply this principle to gender-diverse people,” said Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics.

Nicolete Burbach, lead expert in social and environmental justice at the London Jesuit Centre, said the document showed the Vatican continues to fail to engage with queer and feminist approaches to the body “which it simply dismisses as supposedly subjecting both the body and human dignity itself to human whims.”

“I think the main difficulty faced by the document is that it attempts to affirm the church’s authentic commitment to human dignity in the face of a troubling history on the part of the church itself around attacks on that dignity,” said Burbach, a trans Catholic theologian who researches transness and the Catholic Church.

The document’s existence, rumored since 2019, was confirmed in recent weeks by the new prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, a close Francis confidant.

Fernández had cast the document as something of a nod to conservatives after he authored a more explosive document&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-lgbtq-pope-bfa5b71fa79055626e362936e739d1d8">approving blessings for same-sex couples</a>&nbsp;that sparked criticism from conservative bishops around the world, especially in Africa.

And yet, in an apparent attempt at balance, the document takes pointed aim at countries — including many in Africa — that criminalize homosexuality. It echoed Francis' assertion in a 2023 interview with The Associated Press that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-gay-rights-ap-interview-1359756ae22f27f87c1d4d6b9c8ce212">“being homosexual is not a crime</a>."

The new document denounces “as contrary to human dignity the fact that, in some places, not a few people are imprisoned, tortured, and even deprived of the good of life solely because of their sexual orientation.”

The White House said President Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, was “pleased” to see that the declaration “furthers the Vatican’s call to ensure that LGBTQ+ (individuals) are protected from violence and imprisonment around the world,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

On the specifics involving gender theory, Jean-Pierre stressed that it was not Biden’s role to “litigate internal church policy.”

Asked how its negative take on trans people squared with Francis’ message of welcome, Fernández said the welcome remained but that the pope fervently believed that the idea that gender was fluid “rather than helping to recognize dignity, impoverishes the vision” of a man and woman coming together to create new life.

The document is something of a repackaging of previously articulated Vatican positions, read now through the prism of human dignity. It restates well-known Catholic doctrine opposing abortion and euthanasia, and adds to the list some of Francis’ main concerns as pope: the threats to human dignity posed by poverty, war, human trafficking, the death penalty and forced migration.

In a newly articulated position, it says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-surrogacy-ivf-a9229ef32f3c5b4f3b0bb7bd0e08f503">surrogacy violates both the dignity of the surrogate mother and the child</a>.

While much attention about surrogacy has focused on possible exploitation of poor women as surrogates, the Vatican asserts that the child "has the right to have a fully human (and not artificially induced) origin and to receive the gift of a life that manifests both the dignity of the giver and that of the receiver.”

“Considering this, the legitimate desire to have a child cannot be transformed into a ‘right to a child’ that fails to respect the dignity of that child as the recipient of the gift of life,” it said.

The Vatican had previously published its most articulated position on gender in 2019, when the Congregation for Catholic Education&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cb94b41d1d8046ddbde697dbba5022fc">rejected the idea that people can choose</a>&nbsp;or change their genders and insisted on the complementarity of biologically male and female sex organs to create new life.

The new document from the more authoritative Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith quotes from that 2019 education document, but tempers the tone. Significantly, it doesn’t repeat Vatican doctrine that homosexual people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect but that homosexual actions are “intrinsically disordered.”

In a news conference to introduce the document, Fernández acknowledged that the “intrinsically disordered” language was very strong. He suggested there might be a better way, "with other words," to express the church's vision of sex between husband and wife to create new life.

Francis has ministered to trans Catholics, including trans sex workers, and insisted that the Catholic Church must welcome all children of God.

But he has also denounced “gender theory” as the “worst danger” facing humanity today, an “ugly ideology” that threatens to cancel out God-given differences between man and woman. He has blasted in particular what he calls the “ideological colonization” of the West in the developing world, where development aid is sometimes conditioned on adopting Western ideas about gender.

Transgender activists immediately called the document “hurtful” and devoid of the voices and experiences of real trans people, especially in the distinction it makes between gender-affirming surgeries and surgeries on intersex people.

“The suggestion that gender-affirming health care — which has saved the lives of so many wonderful trans people and enabled them to live in harmony with their bodies, their communities and (God) — might risk or diminish trans people's dignity is not only hurtful but dangerously ignorant,” said Mara Klein, a nonbinary, transgender activist who has participated in Germany’s church reform project.

Klein said the Vatican “hypocrisy” was furthered by the document's approval of surgery on intersex people, “which if performed without consent especially on minors often cause immense physical and psychological harm.”

The document comes at a time of some backlash against transgender people, including in the United States where Republican-led state legislatures are considering a new round of bills&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-republican-legislatures-5d98832c0234de079263672c738e0631">restricting medical care for transgender youths</a>&nbsp;— and in some cases, adults.

“On top of the rising hostility towards our communities, we are faced with a church that does not listen and refuses to see the beauty of creation that can be found in our biographies,” Klein said in an email.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711361555231.png" alt="File photo Pope Francis at St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)" />
 <figcaption>File photo Pope Francis at St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)</figcaption>
 </figure>VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Monday declared gender-affirming surgery and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-surrogacy-ivf-a9229ef32f3c5b4f3b0bb7bd0e08f503">surrogacy as grave violations of human dignity</a>, putting them on par with abortion and euthanasia as practices that it said reject God’s plan for human life.The Vatican’s doctrine office issued “Infinite Dignity,” a 20-page declaration that has been in the works for five years. After substantial revision in recent months, it was approved March 25 by Pope Francis, who ordered its publication.From a pope who has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-lgbtq-pope-bfa5b71fa79055626e362936e739d1d8">made outreach to the LGBTQ+ community</a>&nbsp;a hallmark of his papacy, the document was received as a setback, albeit predictable, by trans Catholics. But its message was also consistent with the Argentine Jesuit's long-standing belief that while trans people should be welcomed in the church, so-called “gender ideologies” should not.In its most eagerly anticipated section, the Vatican repeated its rejection of “gender theory,” or the idea that one’s biological sex can change. It said God created man and woman as biologically different, separate beings, and said people must not tinker with that or try to "make oneself God.”“It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception,” the document said.It distinguished between gender-affirming surgeries, which it rejected, and “genital abnormalities” that are present at birth or that develop later. Those abnormalities can be “resolved” with the help of health care professionals, it said.Advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics immediately criticized the document as outdated, harmful and contrary to the stated goal of recognizing the “infinite dignity” of all of God's children. They warned it could have real-world effects on trans people, fueling anti-trans violence and discrimination.“While it lays out a wonderful rationale for why each human being, regardless of condition in life, must be respected, honored, and loved, it does not apply this principle to gender-diverse people,” said Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics.Nicolete Burbach, lead expert in social and environmental justice at the London Jesuit Centre, said the document showed the Vatican continues to fail to engage with queer and feminist approaches to the body “which it simply dismisses as supposedly subjecting both the body and human dignity itself to human whims.”“I think the main difficulty faced by the document is that it attempts to affirm the church’s authentic commitment to human dignity in the face of a troubling history on the part of the church itself around attacks on that dignity,” said Burbach, a trans Catholic theologian who researches transness and the Catholic Church.The document’s existence, rumored since 2019, was confirmed in recent weeks by the new prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, a close Francis confidant.Fernández had cast the document as something of a nod to conservatives after he authored a more explosive document&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-lgbtq-pope-bfa5b71fa79055626e362936e739d1d8">approving blessings for same-sex couples</a>&nbsp;that sparked criticism from conservative bishops around the world, especially in Africa.And yet, in an apparent attempt at balance, the document takes pointed aim at countries — including many in Africa — that criminalize homosexuality. It echoed Francis' assertion in a 2023 interview with The Associated Press that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-gay-rights-ap-interview-1359756ae22f27f87c1d4d6b9c8ce212">“being homosexual is not a crime</a>."The new document denounces “as contrary to human dignity the fact that, in some places, not a few people are imprisoned, tortured, and even deprived of the good of life solely because of their sexual orientation.”The White House said President Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, was “pleased” to see that the declaration “furthers the Vatican’s call to ensure that LGBTQ+ (individuals) are protected from violence and imprisonment around the world,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.On the specifics involving gender theory, Jean-Pierre stressed that it was not Biden’s role to “litigate internal church policy.”Asked how its negative take on trans people squared with Francis’ message of welcome, Fernández said the welcome remained but that the pope fervently believed that the idea that gender was fluid “rather than helping to recognize dignity, impoverishes the vision” of a man and woman coming together to create new life.The document is something of a repackaging of previously articulated Vatican positions, read now through the prism of human dignity. It restates well-known Catholic doctrine opposing abortion and euthanasia, and adds to the list some of Francis’ main concerns as pope: the threats to human dignity posed by poverty, war, human trafficking, the death penalty and forced migration.In a newly articulated position, it says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-surrogacy-ivf-a9229ef32f3c5b4f3b0bb7bd0e08f503">surrogacy violates both the dignity of the surrogate mother and the child</a>.While much attention about surrogacy has focused on possible exploitation of poor women as surrogates, the Vatican asserts that the child "has the right to have a fully human (and not artificially induced) origin and to receive the gift of a life that manifests both the dignity of the giver and that of the receiver.”“Considering this, the legitimate desire to have a child cannot be transformed into a ‘right to a child’ that fails to respect the dignity of that child as the recipient of the gift of life,” it said.The Vatican had previously published its most articulated position on gender in 2019, when the Congregation for Catholic Education&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cb94b41d1d8046ddbde697dbba5022fc">rejected the idea that people can choose</a>&nbsp;or change their genders and insisted on the complementarity of biologically male and female sex organs to create new life.The new document from the more authoritative Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith quotes from that 2019 education document, but tempers the tone. Significantly, it doesn’t repeat Vatican doctrine that homosexual people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect but that homosexual actions are “intrinsically disordered.”In a news conference to introduce the document, Fernández acknowledged that the “intrinsically disordered” language was very strong. He suggested there might be a better way, "with other words," to express the church's vision of sex between husband and wife to create new life.Francis has ministered to trans Catholics, including trans sex workers, and insisted that the Catholic Church must welcome all children of God.But he has also denounced “gender theory” as the “worst danger” facing humanity today, an “ugly ideology” that threatens to cancel out God-given differences between man and woman. He has blasted in particular what he calls the “ideological colonization” of the West in the developing world, where development aid is sometimes conditioned on adopting Western ideas about gender.Transgender activists immediately called the document “hurtful” and devoid of the voices and experiences of real trans people, especially in the distinction it makes between gender-affirming surgeries and surgeries on intersex people.“The suggestion that gender-affirming health care — which has saved the lives of so many wonderful trans people and enabled them to live in harmony with their bodies, their communities and (God) — might risk or diminish trans people's dignity is not only hurtful but dangerously ignorant,” said Mara Klein, a nonbinary, transgender activist who has participated in Germany’s church reform project.Klein said the Vatican “hypocrisy” was furthered by the document's approval of surgery on intersex people, “which if performed without consent especially on minors often cause immense physical and psychological harm.”The document comes at a time of some backlash against transgender people, including in the United States where Republican-led state legislatures are considering a new round of bills&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-republican-legislatures-5d98832c0234de079263672c738e0631">restricting medical care for transgender youths</a>&nbsp;— and in some cases, adults.“On top of the rising hostility towards our communities, we are faced with a church that does not listen and refuses to see the beauty of creation that can be found in our biographies,” Klein said in an email.___

Vatican blasts gender-affirming surgery, surrogacy and gender theory 

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/08/first-early-ballots-mailed-out-in-nebraskas-first-election-with-voter-id/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA — Nebraska’s May 14 primary election begins sooner than many voters think, and they are going to need an accepted ID to participate.

County election officials mailed out the first ballots Monday. In-person early voting at county offices starts April 15.

New this year is a Nebraska requirement to provide&nbsp;a driver’s license number or state ID number to apply for an early voting ballot. Or voters can include a photocopy of a driver’s license, state ID, passport, military ID, tribal ID, college ID or a few more options.

Secretary of State Bob Evnen praised election officials Monday in all 93 counties for educating voters on the process.

“They are ensuring every voter can cast their ballot securely and independently while adhering to the new voter ID law,” he said.

So far, Evnen’s office said, counties are reporting a “smooth process” in applying for early voting ballots.&nbsp;

Local and statewide advocates for voting rights have also been generally positive about implementation so far. Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment in 2022 requiring a photo ID to vote.

Civic Nebraska spokesman Steve Smith said the organization had heard no complaints yet. Civic Nebraska and other voting rights groups opposed proposals for voter ID as unnecessary and said it creates hurdles for voters of limited means and transportation.

Most voters are choosing to write down their driver’s license or state ID number on the ballot application, election officials said.

Thus far, the number of applications appears on pace to continue the long-term upward trajectory of early voting for a primary race.

As of Monday, officials were set to mail 105,000 early primary ballots to registered Nebraska voters, second only to the 121,000 in 2022, during a heated GOP gubernatorial primary election.

Most of those requests are driven by early ballots requested in the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas. Douglas County was sending 53,000 ballots Monday. Lancaster County was mailing out 15,000 Monday and another 10,000 Tuesday. Sarpy was sending 3,000 Monday and 500 Tuesday.&nbsp;

The 2020 primary election, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, saw a then-record 80,000 ballots mailed by early April.&nbsp;

Nebraska candidates and their campaigns are gearing up this week to chase those ballots —&nbsp;calling voters who requested early ballots to make sure they vote and return them.

Local political consultant Stephen Bader said he expects early voting to make up at least a third of the primary vote, if not more. Campaigns will be sending postcards and calling and texting voters.&nbsp;

They’ll also be advertising on social media and doing door-to-door canvassing to contact voters. Campaigns consider such follow-up efforts important in close races, Bader said.

Early voting ballots can still be requested from county election offices or a ballot request can be&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/earlyvote_app_fill_.pdf">printed one out online</a>&nbsp;and mailed in.

The Secretary of State’s Office has compiled an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/elections/election-officials-contact-information">online list of county election office contacts</a>&nbsp;for people who need help.

The Legislature’s Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee steered passage of Legislative Bill 514 last year, led by the committee chair, State Sen Tom Brewer.

Brewer, who represents north-central Nebraska, said at the time he wanted to give counties time to prepare for the change.

He declined to comment Monday on the progress on how the state law is being implemented. He has said voter ID was needed to help rebuild public confidence in the voting process and its results.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712610426651.jpeg" alt="A Lancaster County early voting drop box sits outside of the Lancaster County Election Commission in Lincoln. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>A Lancaster County early voting drop box sits outside of the Lancaster County Election Commission in Lincoln. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Aaron Sanderford<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/08/first-early-ballots-mailed-out-in-nebraskas-first-election-with-voter-id/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA — Nebraska’s May 14 primary election begins sooner than many voters think, and they are going to need an accepted ID to participate.County election officials mailed out the first ballots Monday. In-person early voting at county offices starts April 15.New this year is a Nebraska requirement to provide&nbsp;a driver’s license number or state ID number to apply for an early voting ballot. Or voters can include a photocopy of a driver’s license, state ID, passport, military ID, tribal ID, college ID or a few more options.Secretary of State Bob Evnen praised election officials Monday in all 93 counties for educating voters on the process.“They are ensuring every voter can cast their ballot securely and independently while adhering to the new voter ID law,” he said.So far, Evnen’s office said, counties are reporting a “smooth process” in applying for early voting ballots.&nbsp;<h2>No major hiccups yet</h2>Local and statewide advocates for voting rights have also been generally positive about implementation so far. Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment in 2022 requiring a photo ID to vote.Civic Nebraska spokesman Steve Smith said the organization had heard no complaints yet. Civic Nebraska and other voting rights groups opposed proposals for voter ID as unnecessary and said it creates hurdles for voters of limited means and transportation.Most voters are choosing to write down their driver’s license or state ID number on the ballot application, election officials said.Thus far, the number of applications appears on pace to continue the long-term upward trajectory of early voting for a primary race.As of Monday, officials were set to mail 105,000 early primary ballots to registered Nebraska voters, second only to the 121,000 in 2022, during a heated GOP gubernatorial primary election.Most of those requests are driven by early ballots requested in the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas. Douglas County was sending 53,000 ballots Monday. Lancaster County was mailing out 15,000 Monday and another 10,000 Tuesday. Sarpy was sending 3,000 Monday and 500 Tuesday.&nbsp;The 2020 primary election, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, saw a then-record 80,000 ballots mailed by early April.&nbsp;<h2>Ballot follow-up calls, visits coming</h2>Nebraska candidates and their campaigns are gearing up this week to chase those ballots —&nbsp;calling voters who requested early ballots to make sure they vote and return them.Local political consultant Stephen Bader said he expects early voting to make up at least a third of the primary vote, if not more. Campaigns will be sending postcards and calling and texting voters.&nbsp;They’ll also be advertising on social media and doing door-to-door canvassing to contact voters. Campaigns consider such follow-up efforts important in close races, Bader said.Early voting ballots can still be requested from county election offices or a ballot request can be&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/earlyvote_app_fill_.pdf">printed one out online</a>&nbsp;and mailed in.The Secretary of State’s Office has compiled an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/elections/election-officials-contact-information">online list of county election office contacts</a>&nbsp;for people who need help.The Legislature’s Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee steered passage of Legislative Bill 514 last year, led by the committee chair, State Sen Tom Brewer.Brewer, who represents north-central Nebraska, said at the time he wanted to give counties time to prepare for the change.He declined to comment Monday on the progress on how the state law is being implemented. He has said voter ID was needed to help rebuild public confidence in the voting process and its results.

First early ballots mailed out in Nebraska’s first election with voter ID 

MADISON, Wisc. (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;said Monday that college graduates would see “life-changing” relief from his new plan to ease debt burdens for more than 30 million borrowers, the latest attempt by the Democratic president to make good on a campaign promise that could buoy his standing with young voters.

(Click below to watch the President's statement)

Biden detailed the initiative, which has been in the works for months, during a trip to Wisconsin, one of a handful of battleground states that could decide the outcome of Biden's likely rematch with Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

Biden said he wanted to “give everybody a fair shot” and the “freedom to chase their dreams” as he lamented the rising cost of higher education.

“Even when they work hard and pay their student loans, their debt increases and not diminishes," he said. "Too many people feel the strain and stress, wondering if they can get married, have their first child, start a family, because even if they get by, they still have this crushing, crushing debt.”

Biden's trip comes less than a week after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/primaries-wisconsin-connecticut-new-york-rhode-island-70c6d0bfb946af5ff4c2d5c435625f91">primary voting in Wisconsin</a>&nbsp;that highlighted political weaknesses for Biden as he prepares for the general election.

More than 48,000 Democratic voters chose “uninstructed” instead of Biden, more than double his narrow margin of victory in the state in 2020.

Trump also saw a significant number of defections during the state's primary, with nearly 119,000 Republicans voting for a different candidate than their party's presumptive nominee.

But Biden's results, which echoed similar protest votes in states like Michigan and Minnesota, have rattled Democrats who are eager to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-2024-election-nominee-polling-f80f8d7193e7901768b1bf67378c442a">solidify the coalition</a>&nbsp;that catapulted him into the White House in the first place.

A critical fracture has been the war in the Middle East. Young voters are more likely to disapprove of Biden's enduring support for Israel's military operation in Gaza, which has caused heavy casualties among Palestinian civilians.

Some have also been impatient with Biden's attempts to wipe away student loan debt. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-653c2e9c085863bdbf81f125f87669fa">U.S. Supreme Court last year foiled</a>&nbsp;his first attempt to forgive hundreds of billions of dollars in loans, a decision that Biden called a “mistake.”

Since then, the White House has pursued debt relief through other targeted initiatives, including those for public service workers and low-income borrowers. Administration officials said they have canceled $144 billion in student loans for almost 4 million Americans.

At the same time, the Department of Education has been working on a more expansive plan to replace Biden's original effort. Although the new federal rule has not yet been issued, Monday's announcement was an opportunity to energize young voters whose support Biden will need to defeat Trump in November.

Republicans said Biden's plan shifts the financial burden of college tuition onto taxpayers who didn't take out loans to attend school.

“This is an unfair ploy to buy votes before an election and does absolutely nothing to address the high cost of education that puts young people right back into debt," said Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who chairs a committee on education and other issues.

Biden will make the announcement on Monday in Madison, the state’s liberal capital and home of the University of Wisconsin’s flagship campus. The president is scheduled to speak at a nearby technical college.

Nearly 15% of Democrats in Dane County, home to Madison, voted “uninstructed.” That is nearly double the statewide total of 8%.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who represents Madison, said he was struck that concerns about Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza were top of mind among voters at five town halls over the past two weeks in more rural parts of his district.

“I was surprised to see the intensity on the issue of Gaza coming not from a student voice out of Madison, but older voters in more rural parts of the district,” Pocan said.

Pocan said the number of “uninstructed” votes shows the concern in Wisconsin and that Biden needs to address it. He said he planned to talk directly with Biden about it on Monday.

“I just want to make sure he knows that if we’re going to have a problem, that could be the problem in Wisconsin,” Pocan said.

Biden's new debt plan would expand federal student loan relief to new categories of borrowers through the Higher Education Act, which administration officials believe puts it on a stronger legal footing than the sweeping proposal that was killed by a 6-3 court majority last year.

The plan is expected to be smaller and more targeted than Biden's original plan, which would have canceled up to $20,000 in loans for more than 40 million borrowers. The new plan would cancel some or all federal student loans for more than 30 million Americans, the White House said. The Education Department plans to issue a formal proposal in the coming months, with plans to start implementing parts of the plan as early as this fall.

“President Biden will use every tool available to cancel student loan debt for as many borrowers as possible, no matter how many times Republican elected officials try to stand in his way,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a call with reporters.

Details the White House released on Monday largely mirror a plan drafted by the Education Department. It lays out five categories of borrowers who would be eligible to get at least some of their federal student loans canceled if the rule is approved.

The plan’s widest-reaching benefit would cancel up to $20,000 in interest for borrowers who have seen their balance grow beyond its original amount because of unpaid interest. Borrowers could get the entirety of their interest erased, with no limit, if they are enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan and have annual incomes of less than $120,000 or couples making less than $240,000.

That part of the plan would forgive at least some unpaid interest for an estimated 25 million borrowers, with 23 million getting all their interest erased, according to the White House.

An additional 2 million borrowers would automatically have their loans canceled because they’re eligible but have not applied for other forgiveness programs, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Borrowers who have been repaying their undergraduate student loans for at least 20 years would be eligible to have any remaining debt canceled, along with those repaying their graduate school loans for 25 years or more.

The plan would forgive debt for those who were in college programs deemed to have “low financial value.” It’s meant to help those who were in programs that ended up losing eligibility to receive federal student aid or programs found to have cheated students.

A final category would cancel debt for borrowers facing hardships that prevent them from repaying their student loans, either because they’re at high risk of defaulting or are burdened with medical debt or child care expenses, among other criteria.

Cardona said in a call with reporters that the relief that would be provided under the new plan would be "on top of the $146 billion in student loan debt relief for 4 million Americans that we’ve already approved, more than any other administration in our country’s history.”

Hearings to craft the rule wrapped up in February, and the draft is under review. The Education Department will issue a formal proposal and open it to public comment before it can be finalized.

The White House web site released specifics Monday morning.

The plans if finalized as proposed, would deliver some amount of relief to:

The plans announced Monday would address the disproportionate debt burden on borrowers of color and other vulnerable borrowers.

The plans announced today, together with the Administration’s past actions, will provide relief to more than 30 million borrowers.&nbsp; These plans would fully eliminate accrued interest for 23 million borrowers, cancel the full amount of student debt for over 4 million borrowers, and provide more than 10 million borrowers with at least $5,000 in debt relief or more.&nbsp; With disproportionately high debt burdens, Black and Latino borrowers will get substantial benefits from this relief.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will announce his latest effort to broaden student loan relief this week for new categories of borrowers, according to three people familiar with the plans, nearly a year after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-653c2e9c085863bdbf81f125f87669fa#:~:text=The%20Supreme%20Court%20rejects%20Biden's,billion%20in%20student%20loan%20debt&amp;text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20A%20sharply,debts%20for%20millions%20of%20Americans.">the Supreme Court foiled</a>&nbsp;his administration’s first attempt to cancel debt for millions who attended college.

Biden will detail the plan Monday in Madison, Wisconsin, where the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin is located. The actual federal regulations — outlining who would qualify to get their student loan debt reduced or eliminated — are not expected to be released then, said the people, who were granted anonymity to detail a proposal not yet made public.

Much of the specifics that Biden will discuss Monday have long been telegraphed through a negotiated rulemaking process at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-cancellation-debt-forgiveness-college-069753ae42ab90974eb03173b8b5910a">Department of Education</a>, which has worked for months to hash out the new categories of borrowers. The president announced immediately after the Supreme Court decision that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona would undertake the process because he would have the power under the Higher Education Act to waive or compromise student loan debt in specific cases.

Still, the effort seeks to make good on Biden’s promise after the Supreme Court struck down his initial plan in June, a $400 billion proposal to cancel or reduce federal student loan debt that a majority of justices said required congressional approval. Biden called that decision a “mistake” and “wrong.”

And the fresh announcement on student loan relief, a vital issue for younger voters, could help energize parts of Biden's political coalition who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-2024-election-nominee-polling-f80f8d7193e7901768b1bf67378c442a">have become disillusioned</a>&nbsp;over his job performance — people whose support the president will need to defeat presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump this year.

The plan that Biden will detail is set to expand federal student loan relief to new yet-targeted categories of borrowers through the Higher Education Act, which administration officials believe puts it on a stronger legal footing than the sweeping proposal that was killed by a 6-3 court majority last year. The planned announcement from Biden was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

“This new path is legally sound,” Biden said in June. “It’s going to take longer, but, in my view, it’s the best path that remains to providing for as many borrowers as possible with debt relief.”

Biden's latest attempt at cancellation is expected to be smaller and more targeted than his original plan, which would have canceled up to $20,000 in loans for more than 40 million borrowers. Details of the new plan have come into focus in recent months as the Education Department brought its ideas to a panel of outside negotiators with an interest in higher education, ranging from students to loan servicers.

Through that process, the agency laid out five categories of borrowers who would be eligible to get some or all of their federal loans canceled. The plan is focused on helping those with the greatest need for relief, including many who might otherwise never repay their loans.

Among those targeted for help are individuals whose unpaid interest has snowballed beyond the size of the original loan. The proposal would reset their balances back to the initial balance by erasing up to $10,000 or $20,000 in interest, depending on a borrower's income.

Borrowers paying down their student loans for decades would get all remaining debt erased under the department's plan. Loans used for a borrower's undergraduate education would be canceled if they had been in repayment for at least 20 years. For other types of federal loans, it's 25 years.

The plan would automatically cancel loans for those who went to for-profit college programs deemed “low-value.” Borrowers would be eligible for cancellation if, while they attended the program, the average federal student loan payment among graduates was too high compared to their average salary.

Those who are eligible for other types of cancellation but haven't applied would automatically get relief. It would apply to Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Borrower Defense to Repayment, programs that have been around for years but require infamously difficult paperwork.

Under pressure from advocates, the department also added a category for those facing “hardship.” It would offer cancellation to borrowers considered highly likely to be in default within two years. Additional borrowers would be eligible for relief under a wide-ranging definition of financial hardship.

A series of hearings to craft the rule wrapped up in February, and the draft is now under review. Before it can be finalized, the Education Department will need to issue a formal proposal and open it to a public comment period.

🎥Biden makes 2nd attempt at large-scale student loan forgiveness

UNL&nbsp;Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources

&nbsp; Lincoln, Neb. April 8, 2024 — The ethanol and ethanol co-product industry continues to be a main economic driver in Nebraska, producing near-historic averages in 2020, despite lower ethanol prices and COVID-related production issues, according to a new University of Nebraska-Lincoln study.

The study found that the positive impact of the industry is spread throughout the state, directly creating 1,758 jobs, many of which are in small communities. The 2020 report, based on the most recent data available, confirms the importance of the ethanol industry in Nebraska and points toward potential future growth. In total, the Nebraska ethanol industry was responsible for just over $4.4 billion of economic activity.

Like many industries in 2020, ethanol production was harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic through production difficulties but also by weakened output prices, a trend that has prevailed for some time. However, the industry continues to expand offerings of highly valued co-products, insulating itself from cyclical ethanol fuel prices.

As recently as 2013, co-product offerings were limited to dried distiller’s grains. Since then, additional co-product markets have emerged, placing unique values on wet distiller’s grains, modified distiller’s grains, corn oil, hand sanitizer, starches, and high fructose corn syrup.

The total value of production in the industry was $3.433 billion in 2020, of which 65.6% was the primary product (ethanol) and the remaining 35.4% of value was made up of various co-products. Over the five-year period from 2016-2020, the value of ethanol and co-product production averaged 35% of cattle production, 63% of corn production, and 141% of soybean production.

Additionally, ethanol and co-product production are directly responsible for the equivalent of 1,758 full-time jobs. This averages to 73.25 jobs per plant, with a median of 51 jobs per plant. The minimum number of jobs directly created by an ethanol plant is 27, with a maximum of 400. For reference, half of the plants included in the study are in towns with fewer than 1,900 residents.

According to Tim Meyer, a co-author of the report and associate professor in the university’s Department of Agricultural Economics, it is no surprise that ethanol plants are general economic activity drivers. Using IMPLAN, a modeling technique used to quantify indirect economic activity, the ethanol industry is responsible for creating an additional 6,242 jobs and $977 million of economic activity, on top of the $3.433 billion of direct output.

“The Nebraska ethanol and co-products industry continues to provide a positive economic impact on the state,” Meyer said. “Given the industry’s ability to persist and thrive through low ethanol prices, it is our opinion ethanol will continue to be a large driver of economic impact for an extended period of time.”

The study and report were produced by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Bureau of Business Research, in partnership with the Nebraska Ethanol Board. It is available at&nbsp;<a href="https://agecon.unl.edu/ethanolimpact" target="_blank">https://agecon.unl.edu/ethanolimpact</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

UNL&nbsp;Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources&nbsp; Lincoln, Neb. April 8, 2024 — The ethanol and ethanol co-product industry continues to be a main economic driver in Nebraska, producing near-historic averages in 2020, despite lower ethanol prices and COVID-related production issues, according to a new University of Nebraska-Lincoln study.The study found that the positive impact of the industry is spread throughout the state, directly creating 1,758 jobs, many of which are in small communities. The 2020 report, based on the most recent data available, confirms the importance of the ethanol industry in Nebraska and points toward potential future growth. In total, the Nebraska ethanol industry was responsible for just over $4.4 billion of economic activity.Like many industries in 2020, ethanol production was harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic through production difficulties but also by weakened output prices, a trend that has prevailed for some time. However, the industry continues to expand offerings of highly valued co-products, insulating itself from cyclical ethanol fuel prices.As recently as 2013, co-product offerings were limited to dried distiller’s grains. Since then, additional co-product markets have emerged, placing unique values on wet distiller’s grains, modified distiller’s grains, corn oil, hand sanitizer, starches, and high fructose corn syrup.The total value of production in the industry was $3.433 billion in 2020, of which 65.6% was the primary product (ethanol) and the remaining 35.4% of value was made up of various co-products. Over the five-year period from 2016-2020, the value of ethanol and co-product production averaged 35% of cattle production, 63% of corn production, and 141% of soybean production.Additionally, ethanol and co-product production are directly responsible for the equivalent of 1,758 full-time jobs. This averages to 73.25 jobs per plant, with a median of 51 jobs per plant. The minimum number of jobs directly created by an ethanol plant is 27, with a maximum of 400. For reference, half of the plants included in the study are in towns with fewer than 1,900 residents.According to Tim Meyer, a co-author of the report and associate professor in the university’s Department of Agricultural Economics, it is no surprise that ethanol plants are general economic activity drivers. Using IMPLAN, a modeling technique used to quantify indirect economic activity, the ethanol industry is responsible for creating an additional 6,242 jobs and $977 million of economic activity, on top of the $3.433 billion of direct output.“The Nebraska ethanol and co-products industry continues to provide a positive economic impact on the state,” Meyer said. “Given the industry’s ability to persist and thrive through low ethanol prices, it is our opinion ethanol will continue to be a large driver of economic impact for an extended period of time.”The study and report were produced by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Bureau of Business Research, in partnership with the Nebraska Ethanol Board. It is available at&nbsp;<a href="https://agecon.unl.edu/ethanolimpact" target="_blank">https://agecon.unl.edu/ethanolimpact</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Nebraska study reveals state’s ethanol industry remains strong despite recent challenges

KANSAS CITY (AP) —A chilly, midday darkness fell across North America as a total solar eclipse raced across the continent.

Monday’s spectacle was watched by millions in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. It was North America’s biggest eclipse crowd ever, thanks to the densely populated path.

Cloud cover threatened to spoil the view in some places, especially in parts of Texas, but the skies cleared with minutes to spare.

One place that got stuck with clouds: Niagara Falls, New York. Totality arrived to whoops and cheers from spectators at Niagara Falls State Park.

Justin Pape drove 6 hours from York, Pennsylvania, with his family to be in the path. He says “it’s unfortunate it was cloudy" but they still got to see a glimpse of it and it still got dark.

During a total solar eclipse, the moon passes in front of the sun and blocks the sunlight for a few minutes. There won’t be another coast-to-coast spectacle on the continent until 2045.

DALLAS (AP) — Millions across North America witnessed the moon block out the sun during a total solar eclipse Monday.

The eclipse’s path of totality stretched from Mazatlán, Mexico to Newfoundland, an area that crosses 15 U.S. states and is home to 44 million people. Revelers were engulfed in darkness at state parks, on city rooftops and in small towns.

Most of those in North America, but not in the direct path, still witnessed a partial eclipse, with the moon transforming the sun into a fiery crescent.

Totality's first stop on land cast Mazatlán's sparkling beaches into darkness before continuing northeast toward Eagle Pass, Texas, one its first stops in the U.S.

Total solar eclipses happen somewhere around the world every 11 to 18 months, but they don't often cross paths with millions of people. The U.S. last got a taste in 2017, and won’t again see a coast-to-coast spectacle until 2045.

DALLAS – Emergency lights clicked on outside D.A. Hulcy Middle School as the last sliver of the sun disappeared. Students cheered and whooped, sitting on towels and picnic blankets in an adjacent parking lot.

“I’m a new person,” eighth grader Nia Modkins said.

Students and teachers took off their eclipse glasses and pointed at the sky, taking pictures and videos. Once three minutes elapsed, their teachers told them to put their eclipse glasses back on as the sun prepared for its return act.

Once daylight swept over the parking lot again, eighth grader Sky Johnson swiped through her phone, looking for the video she’d taken during totality.

“Two minutes of me screaming, literally,” she said.

MAZATLAN, Mexico – Mazatlan’s sparkling beaches have been cast into darkness as the total solar eclipse reaches its maximum coverage.

Hundreds of gathered faces were illuminated only by the screens of their cellphones as they tried to capture the slightly more than 4 minutes of totality.

Palm trees were silhouetted against a faint glow near the horizon like one of the resort’s famous sunsets, but coming before noon.

Karen Ibarra, of Colombia, is a researcher at Mexico’s National Autonomous University. She came to Mazatlan for the eclipse.

As darkness blanketed the coast she said, “seeing the corona is the best.”

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE REACHES U.S. ON WAY TO CANADA

The moon’s shadow has moved into the U.S. with cloudy skies in store for a part of the total eclipse path from Texas to Maine.

The eclipse cuts through major cities including Dallas; Austin, Texas; Indianapolis; Cleveland; and Niagara Falls, New York.

A total solar eclipse has begun. Totality will last up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds in certain spots.

The eclipse is crossing North America, darkening skies along a path through Mexico, the United States and Canada.

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE BEGINS IN NORTH AMERICA OVER MEXICO

A total solar eclipse has reached North America over Mexico as throngs gather along the country’s Pacific coast.

It’ll race toward United States and eastern Canada before exiting into the Atlantic.

MESQUITE, Texas – City officials cheered as the thick clouds parted in early afternoon and the sun peeked out, with the moon already taking a bite out of it.

“We special ordered the sun this morning,” said downtown development manager Beverly Abell.

Hundreds gathered at Front Street Station for the outdoor watch party, many pulling out their eclipse glasses to watch the moon’s bite grow ever bigger.

At the Fort Worth Zoo, clouds occasionally moved over as the eclipse started. Zoo patrons stopped along the paths to take it in.

Todd Beeby, 34, drove up with friends from Houston. He said that even with some clouds moving over, the viewing was good.

CHEERS IN MEXICO AS MOON BEGINS PASSING OVER SUN

MAZATLAN, Mexico – Cheers broke out along the beach in this resort city as the moon began to pass over the sun.

Hundreds in a beachside park had passed the waiting time by readying their equipment and listening to a youth orchestra play Star Wars songs while a large screen projected images of Princess Leia behind them.

Luz Elena Aguillón de la O sat in the grass with a group of 14 family and friends who had gathered from Mexico City, Guanajuato and right here in Mazatlan to take in the spectacle.

BIDEN ENCOURAGES AMERICANS TO WEAR EYE PROTECTION

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden posted&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1777355754791432285">a brief video on X</a>&nbsp;to encourage Americans to wear eye protection when viewing the eclipse – in a subtle dig at his predecessor and 2024 rival, former President Donald Trump.

“Folks, enjoy the eclipse, but play it safe, don’t be silly,” Biden said in a video showing him donning eclipse glasses and looking skyward from the balcony outside the Blue Room of the White House.

That’s the spot where Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-41201f59ceb84f53910ede1f77007bee">glanced up toward the sun</a>&nbsp;without eye protection in 2017.

Biden is traveling to Wisconsin, which, like Washington, will experience a partial eclipse on Monday.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she had no details to share on whether Biden would view the phenomenon.

The moon lines up perfectly between the Earth and the sun in a total eclipse over the South Pacific.

Over the next few hours, it will sweep across North America, entering Mexico, cutting diagonally from Texas to Maine, before exiting over eastern Canada into the Atlantic.

PARTIAL ECLIPSE BEGINS OVER SOUTH PACIFIC

The moon has started to cover up the sun as a partial eclipse begins over the South Pacific. Millions along a narrow corridor in North America from Mexico’s Pacific coast to eastern Canada hope for clouds to clear as they eagerly wait for totality to reach their location.

MEXICAN BEACH TOWN IS FIRST IN LINE FOR TOTALITY

MAZATLAN, Mexico – Valeria Rosas says her four kids had been so excited by an October partial solar eclipse that passed over southeast Mexico, that she decided to come to this Pacific coast beach city for Monday's total eclipse.

The 32-year-old drove eight hours from Leon, Guanajuato, with 10 friends and relatives.

They joined hundreds of others in a beachside park under blue skies streaked with wispy clouds. It’s the first part of North America that will get to see the total eclipse.

Rosas’ mother, Carmen Loza Rodríguez, recalled that Rosas was a baby when Mexico last saw a total solar eclipse in 1991.

“How cool that we have the opportunity to experience it in this digital age, that we can share it with the world,” Rosas said.

NIAGARA FALLS, New York — The main attraction at Niagara Falls is typically the more than 750,000 gallons of water that rush over the brink every second. On Monday, it was the eclipse.

Tourists streamed into Niagara Falls State Park with wagons, strollers, coolers and chairs. Photographers’ tripods lined a railing under cloudy skies.

Synthia Nguyen and Jen Cerna from Washington, D.C., claimed a prime lawn spot along the rapids, arriving at 6 a.m. with chairs, a blanket and a tent — that they were quickly asked to take down.

They were excited that totality would last a few minutes, long enough for it to sink in.

The pair work in an ophthalmology office.

“We’re expecting a lot of calls tomorrow,” Cerna said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712085263547.png" alt="Associated Press" />
 <figcaption>Associated Press</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —A chilly, midday darkness fell across North America as a total solar eclipse raced across the continent.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712604323366.png" alt="Image courtesy the NASA eclipse broadcast" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy the NASA eclipse broadcast</figcaption>
 </figure>Monday’s spectacle was watched by millions in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. It was North America’s biggest eclipse crowd ever, thanks to the densely populated path.Cloud cover threatened to spoil the view in some places, especially in parts of Texas, but the skies cleared with minutes to spare.One place that got stuck with clouds: Niagara Falls, New York. Totality arrived to whoops and cheers from spectators at Niagara Falls State Park.Justin Pape drove 6 hours from York, Pennsylvania, with his family to be in the path. He says “it’s unfortunate it was cloudy" but they still got to see a glimpse of it and it still got dark.During a total solar eclipse, the moon passes in front of the sun and blocks the sunlight for a few minutes. There won’t be another coast-to-coast spectacle on the continent until 2045.DALLAS (AP) — Millions across North America witnessed the moon block out the sun during a total solar eclipse Monday.The eclipse’s path of totality stretched from Mazatlán, Mexico to Newfoundland, an area that crosses 15 U.S. states and is home to 44 million people. Revelers were engulfed in darkness at state parks, on city rooftops and in small towns.Most of those in North America, but not in the direct path, still witnessed a partial eclipse, with the moon transforming the sun into a fiery crescent.Totality's first stop on land cast Mazatlán's sparkling beaches into darkness before continuing northeast toward Eagle Pass, Texas, one its first stops in the U.S.Total solar eclipses happen somewhere around the world every 11 to 18 months, but they don't often cross paths with millions of people. The U.S. last got a taste in 2017, and won’t again see a coast-to-coast spectacle until 2045.Here's the latest:DALLAS STUDENTS ELATED BY ECLIPSEDALLAS – Emergency lights clicked on outside D.A. Hulcy Middle School as the last sliver of the sun disappeared. Students cheered and whooped, sitting on towels and picnic blankets in an adjacent parking lot.“I’m a new person,” eighth grader Nia Modkins said.Students and teachers took off their eclipse glasses and pointed at the sky, taking pictures and videos. Once three minutes elapsed, their teachers told them to put their eclipse glasses back on as the sun prepared for its return act.Once daylight swept over the parking lot again, eighth grader Sky Johnson swiped through her phone, looking for the video she’d taken during totality.“Two minutes of me screaming, literally,” she said.By Adithi Ramakrishnan___BEACHES GROW DARK IN MEXICOMAZATLAN, Mexico – Mazatlan’s sparkling beaches have been cast into darkness as the total solar eclipse reaches its maximum coverage.Hundreds of gathered faces were illuminated only by the screens of their cellphones as they tried to capture the slightly more than 4 minutes of totality.Palm trees were silhouetted against a faint glow near the horizon like one of the resort’s famous sunsets, but coming before noon.Karen Ibarra, of Colombia, is a researcher at Mexico’s National Autonomous University. She came to Mazatlan for the eclipse.As darkness blanketed the coast she said, “seeing the corona is the best.”___TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE REACHES U.S. ON WAY TO CANADAThe moon’s shadow has moved into the U.S. with cloudy skies in store for a part of the total eclipse path from Texas to Maine.The eclipse cuts through major cities including Dallas; Austin, Texas; Indianapolis; Cleveland; and Niagara Falls, New York.___A total solar eclipse has begun. Totality will last up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds in certain spots.The eclipse is crossing North America, darkening skies along a path through Mexico, the United States and Canada.Here's the latest:TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE BEGINS IN NORTH AMERICA OVER MEXICOA total solar eclipse has reached North America over Mexico as throngs gather along the country’s Pacific coast.It’ll race toward United States and eastern Canada before exiting into the Atlantic.___TEXANS THANKFUL FOR BREAKS IN CLOUDSMESQUITE, Texas – City officials cheered as the thick clouds parted in early afternoon and the sun peeked out, with the moon already taking a bite out of it.“We special ordered the sun this morning,” said downtown development manager Beverly Abell.Hundreds gathered at Front Street Station for the outdoor watch party, many pulling out their eclipse glasses to watch the moon’s bite grow ever bigger.At the Fort Worth Zoo, clouds occasionally moved over as the eclipse started. Zoo patrons stopped along the paths to take it in.Todd Beeby, 34, drove up with friends from Houston. He said that even with some clouds moving over, the viewing was good.CHEERS IN MEXICO AS MOON BEGINS PASSING OVER SUNMAZATLAN, Mexico – Cheers broke out along the beach in this resort city as the moon began to pass over the sun.Hundreds in a beachside park had passed the waiting time by readying their equipment and listening to a youth orchestra play Star Wars songs while a large screen projected images of Princess Leia behind them.Luz Elena Aguillón de la O sat in the grass with a group of 14 family and friends who had gathered from Mexico City, Guanajuato and right here in Mazatlan to take in the spectacle.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">An eclipse is worth marveling at. But don&#39;t be silly, folks – play it safe and wear protective eyewear. <a href="https://t.co/S6REAiZ735">pic.twitter.com/S6REAiZ735</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1777355754791432285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>BIDEN ENCOURAGES AMERICANS TO WEAR EYE PROTECTIONWASHINGTON – President Joe Biden posted&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1777355754791432285">a brief video on X</a>&nbsp;to encourage Americans to wear eye protection when viewing the eclipse – in a subtle dig at his predecessor and 2024 rival, former President Donald Trump.“Folks, enjoy the eclipse, but play it safe, don’t be silly,” Biden said in a video showing him donning eclipse glasses and looking skyward from the balcony outside the Blue Room of the White House.That’s the spot where Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-41201f59ceb84f53910ede1f77007bee">glanced up toward the sun</a>&nbsp;without eye protection in 2017.Biden is traveling to Wisconsin, which, like Washington, will experience a partial eclipse on Monday.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she had no details to share on whether Biden would view the phenomenon.___TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE BEGINS OVER PACIFICThe moon lines up perfectly between the Earth and the sun in a total eclipse over the South Pacific.Over the next few hours, it will sweep across North America, entering Mexico, cutting diagonally from Texas to Maine, before exiting over eastern Canada into the Atlantic.PARTIAL ECLIPSE BEGINS OVER SOUTH PACIFICThe moon has started to cover up the sun as a partial eclipse begins over the South Pacific. Millions along a narrow corridor in North America from Mexico’s Pacific coast to eastern Canada hope for clouds to clear as they eagerly wait for totality to reach their location.___MEXICAN BEACH TOWN IS FIRST IN LINE FOR TOTALITYMAZATLAN, Mexico – Valeria Rosas says her four kids had been so excited by an October partial solar eclipse that passed over southeast Mexico, that she decided to come to this Pacific coast beach city for Monday's total eclipse.The 32-year-old drove eight hours from Leon, Guanajuato, with 10 friends and relatives.They joined hundreds of others in a beachside park under blue skies streaked with wispy clouds. It’s the first part of North America that will get to see the total eclipse.Rosas’ mother, Carmen Loza Rodríguez, recalled that Rosas was a baby when Mexico last saw a total solar eclipse in 1991.“How cool that we have the opportunity to experience it in this digital age, that we can share it with the world,” Rosas said.___SPECTATORS ARRIVE EARLY AT NIAGARA FALLSNIAGARA FALLS, New York — The main attraction at Niagara Falls is typically the more than 750,000 gallons of water that rush over the brink every second. On Monday, it was the eclipse.Tourists streamed into Niagara Falls State Park with wagons, strollers, coolers and chairs. Photographers’ tripods lined a railing under cloudy skies.Synthia Nguyen and Jen Cerna from Washington, D.C., claimed a prime lawn spot along the rapids, arriving at 6 a.m. with chairs, a blanket and a tent — that they were quickly asked to take down.They were excited that totality would last a few minutes, long enough for it to sink in.The pair work in an ophthalmology office.“We’re expecting a lot of calls tomorrow,” Cerna said.

The Latest: Total solar eclipse sweeps across North America

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/08/public-service-commissioner-calls-for-greater-enforcement-of-illegal-ride-services/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — A member of the Nebraska Public Service Commission, a former Omaha police officer, is calling for tougher enforcement of illegal “ride services” following an alleged sexual assault of a customer.

Christian Mirch, who represents the Omaha area on the commission, said a rape reported recently in Saunders County points up a need for greater scrutiny of such services. Mirch said the recent reported assault might have been prevented by tougher enforcement.

&nbsp;“They’re supposed to fall under our regulations,” he said of the ride services. “It’s really to make sure the public is safe and there’s adequate liability insurance.”

Under state law, entities that transport passengers are required to obtain an authority to operate from the Public Service Commission. A $300 fee and liability insurance of at least $500,000 is required. “Transportation network companies,” such as Uber, are required to register as a company and must meet several requirements for liability insurance and criminal background checks of drivers.

Paul Hammel<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/08/public-service-commissioner-calls-for-greater-enforcement-of-illegal-ride-services/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — A member of the Nebraska Public Service Commission, a former Omaha police officer, is calling for tougher enforcement of illegal “ride services” following an alleged sexual assault of a customer.Christian Mirch, who represents the Omaha area on the commission, said a rape reported recently in Saunders County points up a need for greater scrutiny of such services. Mirch said the recent reported assault might have been prevented by tougher enforcement.&nbsp;“They’re supposed to fall under our regulations,” he said of the ride services. “It’s really to make sure the public is safe and there’s adequate liability insurance.”Under state law, entities that transport passengers are required to obtain an authority to operate from the Public Service Commission. A $300 fee and liability insurance of at least $500,000 is required. “Transportation network companies,” such as Uber, are required to register as a company and must meet several requirements for liability insurance and criminal background checks of drivers.A spokeswoman for the Public Service Commission, in response to questions from the Examiner, said the agency does investigate complaints but must “physically witness” an illegal ride service in action to issue a citation.Since January 2019, 206 informal complaint investigations have been initiated by the PSC’s Transportation Department, which deals with taxi cabs, Ubers and ride services. Of those, 79 complaints dealt with alleged illegal operators, according to Deb Collins of the PSC.<h2>Warnings issued first</h2>Entities in non-compliance are typically sent give a warning, either written or verbal, Collins said, and those suspected of operating without proper authority are sent a “cease and desist” letter.She said that investigators have been able, since 2019, to take formal action in six cases, with two others referred to a county attorney for possible action.Mirch said that it hasn’t been enough. He said the PSC has two sworn investigators who should be cracking down, particularly in cases like the one in Saunders County that involved a victim who was a recent immigrant from Honduras.Criminals are able to target “vulnerable populations,” he said, if they think nothing will happen to them.<h2>Rides advertised on Facebook</h2>In the Saunders County case, a 35-year-old female told investigators that she had arranged a ride to a grocery store in Fremont about 4 p.m. on Nov. 19 through a man she knew as Kevin Juarez Orellano, who advertised his ride service on Facebook.But instead of a ride to the grocery store, Orellano — who also goes by the name Jose Arrelano — drove across the Platte River into Saunders County, where he parked on a country road and sexually assaulted his rider, according to court records.Arrelano, 29, now stands charged with first-degree sexual assault.The victim didn’t report the assault until a month later, the arrest affidavit stated, out of fear that the assailant would harm her daughter.In February, the affidavit said the victim made a recorded call to her assailant on the pretext of arranging a ride for a relative.She then confronted Arrelano about the sexual assault. His response: “It’s over…. We have to leave it behind.” He was arrested shortly thereafter.<h2>Ride services not uncommon</h2>Such ride services are not uncommon in immigrant communities, according to&nbsp;Maria Arriaga, executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Latino-Americans.“You come here starting from zero,” she said, and some immigrants don’t know how to drive or cannot obtain a driver’s license.“In the Midwest, you need a car to go anywhere,” Arriaga said.Most ride services are informal, she said. Someone, for example, will arrange for a friend or acquaintance to pick up a child from school or give them a ride to do shopping.Arriaga said she had not heard of the alleged assault in Saunders County but can see the potential risk. She added that her commission provides help for victims of such crimes.<h2>Don’t take rides from strangers</h2>“It’s not recommended to get into a car of a stranger under any circumstance,” Arriaga said.Mirch said that in his experience, an investigator doesn’t need to personally witness a violation but only needs to develop “probable casue” of a violation and then let a prosecutor decide.PSC investigators, in his opinion, need to spend more time “in the field” probing complaints.