LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes sank in 2023 to a nearly 30-year low, as sharply higher mortgage rates, rising prices and a persistently low level of homes on the market combined to push homeownership out of reach for many Americans.

The National Association of Realtors said Friday that existing U.S. home sales totaled 4.09 million last year, an 18.7% decline from 2022. That is the weakest year for home sales since 1995 and the biggest annual decline since 2007, the start of the housing slump of the late 2000s.

The median national home price for all of last year edged up just under 1% to record high $389,800, the NAR said.

Last year’s home sales slump echoes the nearly 18% annual decline in 2022, when mortgage rates began rising, eventually more than doubling by the end of the year. That trend continued in 2023, driving the average rate on a 30-year mortgage by late October to 7.79%, the highest level since late 2000.

The sharply higher home loan borrowing costs limited home hunters' buying power on top of years of soaring prices. A dearth of homes for sale also kept many would-be homebuyers and sellers on the sidelines.

Still, a pullback in mortgage rates since late last year, and forecasts calling for a further rate declines this year, is fueling hopes that home sales will begin to bounce back from their dismal showing in 2023.

“The latest month’s sales look to be the bottom before inevitably turning higher in the new year,” said Lawrence Yun, the NAR's chief economist. ”Mortgage rates are meaningfully lower compared to just two months ago, and more inventory is expected to appear on the market in upcoming months.”

Mortgage rates have been mostly easing since November, echoing a pullback in the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing loans. The yield has largely come down on hopes that inflation has cooled enough for the Federal Reserve to shift to cutting interest rates this year.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mortgage-rates-housing-interest-financing-home-loan-f772736312197acdcbe2fcc6fd534e9f">The average rate on a 30-year home loan was 6.6% this week,</a>&nbsp;according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. If rates continue to ease, as many economists expect, that should help boost demand heading into the spring homebuying season, which traditionally begins in late February.

Still, the average rate remains sharply higher than just two years ago, when it was 3.56%. That large gap between rates now and then has helped limit the number of previously occupied homes on the market by discouraging homeowners who locked in rock-bottom rates from selling.

“Prospective homebuyers have been shut out of the market by a lack of inventory,” said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS. “If there had been more listings on the market in 2023, we would have had more home sales.”

At the end of December, there were just 1 million homes on the market, the NAR said. While that's a 4.2% increase from a year earlier, the number of available homes remains well below the monthly historical average of about 2.25 million.

The available inventory at the end of last month amounts to a 3.2-month supply, going by the current sales pace. That’s down 3.5% from the previous month, but up from 2.9% from December 2022. In a more balanced market between buyers and sellers, there is a 4- to 6-month supply.

That means homebuyers are likely to face intense competition for the relatively few homes on the market, which should keep pushing up prices.

"There will still be a demand-supply imbalance in the housing market well into 2024,” Sturtevant said.

Despite easing mortgage rates, home sales in December declined after rising the previous month. Existing home sales fell 1% from November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.78 million, the slowest sales pace since August 2010, the NAR said.

Sales fell 6.2% from a year earlier. Last month’s sales pace is short of the roughly 3.83 million that economists were expecting, according to FactSet.

Home prices rose for the sixth straight month in December. The national median home sales price rose 4.4% from a year earlier to $382,600, the NAR said.

Homebuyers continued to face a competitive market due to the shortage of homes for sale.

Homes sold last month typically within just 29 days after hitting the market, and 56% of properties that sold in December were on the market for less than a month, the NAR said.

First-time homebuyers who don’t have any home equity to put toward their down payment continued to have a tough time getting into the housing market. They accounted for just 29% of all homes sold last month, down from 31% in November and December 2022. They've accounted for 40% of sales historically.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624025620777.png" alt="Photo by David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Photo by David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes sank in 2023 to a nearly 30-year low, as sharply higher mortgage rates, rising prices and a persistently low level of homes on the market combined to push homeownership out of reach for many Americans.The National Association of Realtors said Friday that existing U.S. home sales totaled 4.09 million last year, an 18.7% decline from 2022. That is the weakest year for home sales since 1995 and the biggest annual decline since 2007, the start of the housing slump of the late 2000s.The median national home price for all of last year edged up just under 1% to record high $389,800, the NAR said.Last year’s home sales slump echoes the nearly 18% annual decline in 2022, when mortgage rates began rising, eventually more than doubling by the end of the year. That trend continued in 2023, driving the average rate on a 30-year mortgage by late October to 7.79%, the highest level since late 2000.The sharply higher home loan borrowing costs limited home hunters' buying power on top of years of soaring prices. A dearth of homes for sale also kept many would-be homebuyers and sellers on the sidelines.Still, a pullback in mortgage rates since late last year, and forecasts calling for a further rate declines this year, is fueling hopes that home sales will begin to bounce back from their dismal showing in 2023.“The latest month’s sales look to be the bottom before inevitably turning higher in the new year,” said Lawrence Yun, the NAR's chief economist. ”Mortgage rates are meaningfully lower compared to just two months ago, and more inventory is expected to appear on the market in upcoming months.”Mortgage rates have been mostly easing since November, echoing a pullback in the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing loans. The yield has largely come down on hopes that inflation has cooled enough for the Federal Reserve to shift to cutting interest rates this year.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mortgage-rates-housing-interest-financing-home-loan-f772736312197acdcbe2fcc6fd534e9f">The average rate on a 30-year home loan was 6.6% this week,</a>&nbsp;according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. If rates continue to ease, as many economists expect, that should help boost demand heading into the spring homebuying season, which traditionally begins in late February.Still, the average rate remains sharply higher than just two years ago, when it was 3.56%. That large gap between rates now and then has helped limit the number of previously occupied homes on the market by discouraging homeowners who locked in rock-bottom rates from selling.“Prospective homebuyers have been shut out of the market by a lack of inventory,” said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS. “If there had been more listings on the market in 2023, we would have had more home sales.”At the end of December, there were just 1 million homes on the market, the NAR said. While that's a 4.2% increase from a year earlier, the number of available homes remains well below the monthly historical average of about 2.25 million.The available inventory at the end of last month amounts to a 3.2-month supply, going by the current sales pace. That’s down 3.5% from the previous month, but up from 2.9% from December 2022. In a more balanced market between buyers and sellers, there is a 4- to 6-month supply.That means homebuyers are likely to face intense competition for the relatively few homes on the market, which should keep pushing up prices."There will still be a demand-supply imbalance in the housing market well into 2024,” Sturtevant said.Despite easing mortgage rates, home sales in December declined after rising the previous month. Existing home sales fell 1% from November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.78 million, the slowest sales pace since August 2010, the NAR said.Sales fell 6.2% from a year earlier. Last month’s sales pace is short of the roughly 3.83 million that economists were expecting, according to FactSet.Home prices rose for the sixth straight month in December. The national median home sales price rose 4.4% from a year earlier to $382,600, the NAR said.Homebuyers continued to face a competitive market due to the shortage of homes for sale.Homes sold last month typically within just 29 days after hitting the market, and 56% of properties that sold in December were on the market for less than a month, the NAR said.First-time homebuyers who don’t have any home equity to put toward their down payment continued to have a tough time getting into the housing market. They accounted for just 29% of all homes sold last month, down from 31% in November and December 2022. They've accounted for 40% of sales historically.

Home sales slowest in almost 30 years

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of pro-life supporters under falling snow on Friday at the annual March for Life, as speakers urged the impassioned crowd to capitalize on the movement's major victory in the Supreme Court and keep fighting until abortion is eliminated.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?533055-1/pro-life-advocates-supporters-attend-march-life-rally">Click here to watch </a>a replay of the rally

Months before a presidential election that could be heavily influenced by abortion politics, pro-life activists packed the National Mall carrying signs with messages such as “Life is precious" and “I am the pro-life generation.” After listening to speeches, the crowd, braving frigid temperatures, marched past the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court. One group planted in front of Court, beating a drum and chanting: “Everyone you know was once an embryo."

Friday’s March for Life is the second such event in the nation's capital since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">the June 2022 Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;that ended the federal protection for abortion rights enshrined in Roe v. Wade. Last year’s march was triumphant, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-florida-state-government-kentucky-6ed9dbcdaae33312f1425ea38b681a7e">organizers relishing a state-by-state fight</a>&nbsp;in legislatures around the country.

Speakers praised the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade but said it was more important now than ever to keep up the pressure on lawmakers to advance abortion restrictions.

“Roe is done, but we still live in a culture that knows not how to care for life,” said Benjamin Watson, a former NFL player who is now an anti-abortion advocate. “Roe is done, but the factors that drive women to seek abortions are ever apparent and ever increasing. Roe is done, but abortion is still legal and thriving in too much of America.”

Friday's event appeared smaller than in past years as ice and snow complicated travel plans. But the crowd was fired up as speakers, which included members of Congress and Michigan University Football Coach Jim Harbaugh, urged participants to keep fighting until abortion becomes “unthinkable.”

“Let's be encouraged, let's press on and hope that we can join together and make this great difference," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “We can stand with every woman for every child, and we can truly build a culture that cherishes and protects life.”

The snow fell heavily throughout the speeches as young people built snowmen and had snowball fights behind the stage. Near the Capitol, the crowd celebrated as a group on a balcony of the Cannon House Office building cheered on the march.

“I almost didn’t come when I saw the forecast, but this is just incredible,” said Stephanie Simpson, a 42-year-old grocery store employee from Cleveland, who has attended the last four marches.

Roberto Reyes, a Mexican native and Carmelite friar, said: “All these people are going to remember this year’s march for the rest of their lives!”

Members of the crowd described overturning Roe v. Wade as a victory, but said the anti-abortion fight rages on.

“The key message this year is that our work is not done,” said Bishop Michael Burbidge, chair of the committee for pro-life activities for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The movement has seen mixed results. The ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization reverted abortion lawmaking back to the states, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-exception-lawsuit-legislature-confusion-b2808df90937e96887aa4e1f9c565771">14 states</a>&nbsp;are now enforcing bans on abortion throughout pregnancy. Two more have such bans on hold because of court rulings. And another two have bans that take effect when cardiac activity can be detected, about six weeks into pregnancy — often before women know they’re pregnant.

But abortion restrictions have also lost at the ballot box in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-abortion-amendment-election-2023-fe3e06747b616507d8ca21ea26485270">Ohio</a>, Kansas and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-kentucky-abortion-3fa387a4cdc355d50a223f4788aa0ae8">Kentucky</a>. And total bans have produced high-profile causes for abortion rights supporters to rally around.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-texas-ban-7d865cdfd75bdc6b2f4186f4d1e6e8bd">Kate Cox</a>, a Texas mother of two, sought an abortion after learning the baby she was carrying had a fatal genetic condition. Her request for an exemption from Texas’ ban, one of the country’s strictest, was denied by the state Supreme Court, and she left Texas to seek an abortion elsewhere.

Movement organizers now expect abortion rights to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-kamala-harris-abortion-c634452da5e103913982e1cc5a0cae78">a major Democratic rallying cry</a>&nbsp;in President Joe Biden's reelection campaign.

“The pro-abortion forces, that's one of the major things they're going to run on,” said Susan Swift, president of Pro-Life Legal and a veteran anti-abortion activist. “That's one of the only things that seems to animate their base.”

Biden campaign officials openly state that they plan to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-kamala-harris-abortion-c634452da5e103913982e1cc5a0cae78">make Biden synonymous</a>&nbsp;with the fight to preserve abortion rights.

Vice President Kamala Harris has led the charge on the issue for the White House. She will hold the first event in Wisconsin on Monday, which would have been the 51st anniversary of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-roe-v-wade-33c08858dc8b0aa5f0450858b51a648a">Roe v. Wade</a>, the lawsuit that led to the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision establishing a constitutional right to abortion.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705761295598.png" alt="Friday’s March for Life is the second such event in the nation's capital since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">the June 2022 Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;that ended the federal protection for abortion rights enshrined in Roe v. Wade-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Friday’s March for Life is the second such event in the nation's capital since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">the June 2022 Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;that ended the federal protection for abortion rights enshrined in Roe v. Wade-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of pro-life supporters under falling snow on Friday at the annual March for Life, as speakers urged the impassioned crowd to capitalize on the movement's major victory in the Supreme Court and keep fighting until abortion is eliminated.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?533055-1/pro-life-advocates-supporters-attend-march-life-rally">Click here to watch </a>a replay of the rally<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Thank you to everyone who is participating in today’s snowy <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchForLife?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchForLife</a> on the National Mall! It’s an honor to fight alongside you for pro-family, pro-children policies here in DC! <a href="https://t.co/VDXNIPsoIL">pic.twitter.com/VDXNIPsoIL</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1748436943971491936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Months before a presidential election that could be heavily influenced by abortion politics, pro-life activists packed the National Mall carrying signs with messages such as “Life is precious" and “I am the pro-life generation.” After listening to speeches, the crowd, braving frigid temperatures, marched past the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court. One group planted in front of Court, beating a drum and chanting: “Everyone you know was once an embryo."Friday’s March for Life is the second such event in the nation's capital since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">the June 2022 Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;that ended the federal protection for abortion rights enshrined in Roe v. Wade. Last year’s march was triumphant, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-florida-state-government-kentucky-6ed9dbcdaae33312f1425ea38b681a7e">organizers relishing a state-by-state fight</a>&nbsp;in legislatures around the country.Speakers praised the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade but said it was more important now than ever to keep up the pressure on lawmakers to advance abortion restrictions.“Roe is done, but we still live in a culture that knows not how to care for life,” said Benjamin Watson, a former NFL player who is now an anti-abortion advocate. “Roe is done, but the factors that drive women to seek abortions are ever apparent and ever increasing. Roe is done, but abortion is still legal and thriving in too much of America.”Friday's event appeared smaller than in past years as ice and snow complicated travel plans. But the crowd was fired up as speakers, which included members of Congress and Michigan University Football Coach Jim Harbaugh, urged participants to keep fighting until abortion becomes “unthinkable.”“Let's be encouraged, let's press on and hope that we can join together and make this great difference," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “We can stand with every woman for every child, and we can truly build a culture that cherishes and protects life.”The snow fell heavily throughout the speeches as young people built snowmen and had snowball fights behind the stage. Near the Capitol, the crowd celebrated as a group on a balcony of the Cannon House Office building cheered on the march.“I almost didn’t come when I saw the forecast, but this is just incredible,” said Stephanie Simpson, a 42-year-old grocery store employee from Cleveland, who has attended the last four marches.Roberto Reyes, a Mexican native and Carmelite friar, said: “All these people are going to remember this year’s march for the rest of their lives!”Members of the crowd described overturning Roe v. Wade as a victory, but said the anti-abortion fight rages on.“The key message this year is that our work is not done,” said Bishop Michael Burbidge, chair of the committee for pro-life activities for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.The movement has seen mixed results. The ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization reverted abortion lawmaking back to the states, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-exception-lawsuit-legislature-confusion-b2808df90937e96887aa4e1f9c565771">14 states</a>&nbsp;are now enforcing bans on abortion throughout pregnancy. Two more have such bans on hold because of court rulings. And another two have bans that take effect when cardiac activity can be detected, about six weeks into pregnancy — often before women know they’re pregnant.But abortion restrictions have also lost at the ballot box in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-abortion-amendment-election-2023-fe3e06747b616507d8ca21ea26485270">Ohio</a>, Kansas and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-kentucky-abortion-3fa387a4cdc355d50a223f4788aa0ae8">Kentucky</a>. And total bans have produced high-profile causes for abortion rights supporters to rally around.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-texas-ban-7d865cdfd75bdc6b2f4186f4d1e6e8bd">Kate Cox</a>, a Texas mother of two, sought an abortion after learning the baby she was carrying had a fatal genetic condition. Her request for an exemption from Texas’ ban, one of the country’s strictest, was denied by the state Supreme Court, and she left Texas to seek an abortion elsewhere.Movement organizers now expect abortion rights to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-kamala-harris-abortion-c634452da5e103913982e1cc5a0cae78">a major Democratic rallying cry</a>&nbsp;in President Joe Biden's reelection campaign.“The pro-abortion forces, that's one of the major things they're going to run on,” said Susan Swift, president of Pro-Life Legal and a veteran anti-abortion activist. “That's one of the only things that seems to animate their base.”Biden campaign officials openly state that they plan to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-kamala-harris-abortion-c634452da5e103913982e1cc5a0cae78">make Biden synonymous</a>&nbsp;with the fight to preserve abortion rights.Vice President Kamala Harris has led the charge on the issue for the White House. She will hold the first event in Wisconsin on Monday, which would have been the 51st anniversary of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-roe-v-wade-33c08858dc8b0aa5f0450858b51a648a">Roe v. Wade</a>, the lawsuit that led to the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision establishing a constitutional right to abortion.___

🎥 March for Life rallies against abortion with an eye toward the Nov. elections

JERUSALEM (AP) —U.S. fighter jets struck Houthi rebel sites in Yemen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-us-military-strikes-dec1682fcb279904f84a8246e987f3fb">for a sixth time Friday</a>, taking out anti-ship missile launchers that were prepared to fire, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-houthis-yemen-shipping-attacks-fc5c1ed40f4e370bed81670bfdda0899">ongoing military operations</a>.

The Iranian-backed Houthi militants say their attacks on global shipping in the Red Sea corridor are aimed at stopping Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Now in its fourth month, the war in Gaza is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-bombs-destruction-death-toll-scope-419488c511f83c85baea22458472a796">one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns</a>&nbsp;in recent history and has increased tensions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-iran-airstrikes-militants-tensions-israel-hamas-war-palestinians-db154c92bb423936237f48996e237d26">across the Middle East</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Gaza’s Health Ministry</a>&nbsp;says nearly 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, and the United Nations says more than half a million people in Gaza — a quarter of the population —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-12-21-2023-7d9718b32bf0d308c44c7c9e3c4e0deb">are starving</a>.

In Israel, around 1,200 people were killed during the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2">Oct. 7 attack</a>&nbsp;by Hamas that sparked the war, which saw some 250 people taken hostage by militants. More than 100 hostages are believed to be held captive in Gaza.

The strikes come as President Joe Biden acknowledged Thursday that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">the bombardment</a>&nbsp;of Houthi sites, including last Friday’s massive array of strikes by U.S. and British forces, has yet to stop the Iranian-backed militants’ attacks on vessels in the Red Sea that have disrupted global shipping.

The Houthis say their attacks are aimed at stopping Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and Israeli&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/benjamin-netanyahu">Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu</a>&nbsp;finally spoke Friday after a glaring, nearly four-week gap in direct communication during which fundamental differences have come into focus over a possible pathway to Palestinian statehood once the fighting in Gaza ends.

Biden and his top aides have all but smothered Netanyahu with robust support, even in the face of global condemnation over the mounting civilian death toll and humanitarian suffering in Gaza as the Israelis have carried out military operations in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

But the leaders' relationship has increasingly shown&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-1-19-2024-e5f45fb7b14d3dc8ff64b0aee4b473aa">signs of strain</a>&nbsp;as Netanyahu has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-18-2024-73d552c6e73e0dc3783a0a11b2b5f67d">repeatedly rebuffed</a>&nbsp;Biden's calls for Palestinian sovereignty, gumming up what the U.S. president believes is the key to unlocking a durable peace in the Middle East — the oft-cited, elusive two-state solution.

Friday's phone call came one day after Netanyahu said that he has told U.S. officials in plain terms that he will not support a Palestinian state as part of any postwar plan. Biden, for his part, in Friday's call reaffirmed his commitment to work toward helping the Palestinians move toward statehood.

“As we’re talking about post-conflict Gaza ... you can’t do that without also talking about the aspirations of the Palestinian people and what that needs to look like for them,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

The leaders spoke frequently in the first weeks of the war. But the regular cadence of calls between Biden and Netanyahu, who have had a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-government-and-politics-216dd66d518577ef1e5be1cf2e8a2f37">hot-and-cold relationship</a>&nbsp;for over three decades, has slowed considerably. Their 30- to 40-minute call Friday was their first conversation since Dec. 23.

Both sides are hemmed in by domestic political considerations.

The chasm between Biden, a center-left Democrat, and Netanyahu, who leads the most conservative government in Israel’s history, has expanded as pressure mounts on the United States to use its considerable leverage to press Israel to wind down a war that has already killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians.

There is also growing impatience with Netanyahu in Israel over the lack of progress in freeing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hostages-hamas-100-days-goldbergpolin-7d397419d6556cb1256ca7fbd54e83bb">dozens of hostages still held</a>&nbsp;by Islamic militants in Gaza.

“There is certainly a reason to be concerned,” says Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israeli relations at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, “The more and more we see political considerations dominating the relationship between Biden and Netanyahu, which is likely to continue because of the upcoming presidential election and the weakness of both leaders, the more we will see them pulling apart.”

In their most recent calls, Biden’s frustration with Netanyahu has grown more evident, even though the U.S. leader has been careful to reaffirm his support for Israel at each step, according to U.S. officials who requested anonymity to discuss the leaders' private interactions.

Yet, Biden, at least publicly, has not given up on the idea of winning over Netanyahu. Asked by a reporter on Friday if a two-state solution is impossible while Netanyahu is in office, Biden replied, “No, it's not.”

Aides insist Biden understands the political box Netanyahu finds himself in with his hard-right coalition and as he deals with ongoing corruption charges that have left the prime minister fighting for his freedom, not just his political future.

Biden, meanwhile, faces American voters in November, in a likely rematch with former President Donald Trump. Netanyahu and Trump forged a close relationship during the Republican’s term in office. Biden faces criticism from some on his left who believe he hasn't pushed the Israelis hard enough to demonstrate restraint as it carries out military operations.

Key Democratic lawmakers, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, this week warned that Netanyahu's position on statehood could complicate negotiations in the Senate on a spending package that includes military aid for Israel.

Expect Netanyahu to “use every trick that he has to keep his coalition together and avoid elections and play out the clock,” said Michael Koplow, chief policy officer at the Israel Policy Forum. ”And I’m sure that part of it is a conviction that if he waits until November, he may end up with Donald Trump back in the Oval Office.”

In recent weeks, some of the more difficult conversations have been left to Ron Dermer, a top aide to Netanyahu and former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., and Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. The two top aides talk almost daily — sometimes multiple times during a day, according to a U.S. official and an Israeli official, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Other senior Biden administration officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, as well as senior advisers Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein, have been at the forefront of the administration's push to engage the Israelis and other Middle East allies as the Biden-Netanyahu dialogue has become less constructive.

Netanyahu, who has opposed calls for a two-state solution throughout his political career, told reporters this week that he flatly told U.S. officials he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-18-2024-73d552c6e73e0dc3783a0a11b2b5f67d">remains opposed</a>&nbsp;to any postwar plan that includes establishment of a Palestinian state.

The prime minister's latest rejection of Biden's push in that direction came after Blinken this week said at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Israel and its Middle East neighbors had “a profound opportunity” to solve the generational Israel-Palestinian conflict. Asked if he thought Netanyahu was up to making the most of the moment, Blinken demurred.

“Look, these are decisions for Israelis to make,” Blinken said. “This is a profound decision for the country as a whole to make: What direction does it want to take? Does it see — can it seize — the opportunity that we believe is there?”

The Biden-Netanyahu relationship has seen no shortage of peaks and valleys over the years. As vice president, Biden privately criticized Netanyahu after the the Israeli leader embarrassed President Barack Obama by approving the construction of 1,600 new apartments in disputed East Jerusalem in the middle of Biden’s 2010 visit to Israel.

Netanyahu publicly resisted, before eventually relenting to, Biden's calls on the Israelis to wind down a May 2021 military operation in Gaza. And in late 2019, during a question and answer session with voters on the campaign trail, Biden called Netanyahu an “extreme right” leader.

The path to a two-state solution — one in which Israel would co-exist with an independent Palestinian state — has eluded U.S. presidents and Middle East diplomats for decades.

But as the war grinds on, Biden and his team have pressed the notion that there is a new dynamic in the Middle East in which Israel’s Arab and Muslim neighbors stand ready to integrate Israel into the region once the war ends, but only if Israel commits to a pathway to a Palestinian state.

Biden has proposed that a “revitalized” Palestinian Authority, which is based in the West Bank, could run Gaza once combat ends. Netanyahu has roundly rejected the idea of putting the Palestinian Authority, which is beset by corruption, in charge of the territory.

Netanyahu argues that a Palestinian state would become a launchpad for attacks on Israel. So Israel “must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan River,” Netanyahu said. “That collides with the idea of sovereignty. What can we do?”

White House officials have sought to play down Netanyahu's public rejection of Biden's call for a two-state solution, noting that the prime minister's rhetoric is not new.

They hold out hope Israel could eventually come around to accepting a Palestinian state that comes with strong security guarantees for Israel.

"I don’t think Biden has any illusions about Netanyahu,” said Daniel Kurtzer, who served as U.S. ambassador to Egypt during the Bill Clinton administration and to Israel under George W. Bush. “But I don’t think he’s ready to slam the door on him. And that’s because he gets the intersection between the policy and the politics.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705692352787.png" alt="Biden said the air strikes in Yemen are not stopping the Houthis but will continue-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Biden said the air strikes in Yemen are not stopping the Houthis but will continue-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM (AP) —U.S. fighter jets struck Houthi rebel sites in Yemen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-us-military-strikes-dec1682fcb279904f84a8246e987f3fb">for a sixth time Friday</a>, taking out anti-ship missile launchers that were prepared to fire, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-houthis-yemen-shipping-attacks-fc5c1ed40f4e370bed81670bfdda0899">ongoing military operations</a>.The Iranian-backed Houthi militants say their attacks on global shipping in the Red Sea corridor are aimed at stopping Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Now in its fourth month, the war in Gaza is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-bombs-destruction-death-toll-scope-419488c511f83c85baea22458472a796">one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns</a>&nbsp;in recent history and has increased tensions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-iran-airstrikes-militants-tensions-israel-hamas-war-palestinians-db154c92bb423936237f48996e237d26">across the Middle East</a>.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Gaza’s Health Ministry</a>&nbsp;says nearly 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, and the United Nations says more than half a million people in Gaza — a quarter of the population —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-12-21-2023-7d9718b32bf0d308c44c7c9e3c4e0deb">are starving</a>.In Israel, around 1,200 people were killed during the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2">Oct. 7 attack</a>&nbsp;by Hamas that sparked the war, which saw some 250 people taken hostage by militants. More than 100 hostages are believed to be held captive in Gaza.The strikes come as President Joe Biden acknowledged Thursday that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">the bombardment</a>&nbsp;of Houthi sites, including last Friday’s massive array of strikes by U.S. and British forces, has yet to stop the Iranian-backed militants’ attacks on vessels in the Red Sea that have disrupted global shipping.The Houthis say their attacks are aimed at stopping Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.Meanwhile,&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and Israeli&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/benjamin-netanyahu">Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu</a>&nbsp;finally spoke Friday after a glaring, nearly four-week gap in direct communication during which fundamental differences have come into focus over a possible pathway to Palestinian statehood once the fighting in Gaza ends.Biden and his top aides have all but smothered Netanyahu with robust support, even in the face of global condemnation over the mounting civilian death toll and humanitarian suffering in Gaza as the Israelis have carried out military operations in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.But the leaders' relationship has increasingly shown&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-1-19-2024-e5f45fb7b14d3dc8ff64b0aee4b473aa">signs of strain</a>&nbsp;as Netanyahu has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-18-2024-73d552c6e73e0dc3783a0a11b2b5f67d">repeatedly rebuffed</a>&nbsp;Biden's calls for Palestinian sovereignty, gumming up what the U.S. president believes is the key to unlocking a durable peace in the Middle East — the oft-cited, elusive two-state solution.Neither side shows signs of budging.Friday's phone call came one day after Netanyahu said that he has told U.S. officials in plain terms that he will not support a Palestinian state as part of any postwar plan. Biden, for his part, in Friday's call reaffirmed his commitment to work toward helping the Palestinians move toward statehood.“As we’re talking about post-conflict Gaza ... you can’t do that without also talking about the aspirations of the Palestinian people and what that needs to look like for them,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.The leaders spoke frequently in the first weeks of the war. But the regular cadence of calls between Biden and Netanyahu, who have had a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-government-and-politics-216dd66d518577ef1e5be1cf2e8a2f37">hot-and-cold relationship</a>&nbsp;for over three decades, has slowed considerably. Their 30- to 40-minute call Friday was their first conversation since Dec. 23.Both sides are hemmed in by domestic political considerations.The chasm between Biden, a center-left Democrat, and Netanyahu, who leads the most conservative government in Israel’s history, has expanded as pressure mounts on the United States to use its considerable leverage to press Israel to wind down a war that has already killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians.There is also growing impatience with Netanyahu in Israel over the lack of progress in freeing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hostages-hamas-100-days-goldbergpolin-7d397419d6556cb1256ca7fbd54e83bb">dozens of hostages still held</a>&nbsp;by Islamic militants in Gaza.“There is certainly a reason to be concerned,” says Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israeli relations at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, “The more and more we see political considerations dominating the relationship between Biden and Netanyahu, which is likely to continue because of the upcoming presidential election and the weakness of both leaders, the more we will see them pulling apart.”In their most recent calls, Biden’s frustration with Netanyahu has grown more evident, even though the U.S. leader has been careful to reaffirm his support for Israel at each step, according to U.S. officials who requested anonymity to discuss the leaders' private interactions.Yet, Biden, at least publicly, has not given up on the idea of winning over Netanyahu. Asked by a reporter on Friday if a two-state solution is impossible while Netanyahu is in office, Biden replied, “No, it's not.”Aides insist Biden understands the political box Netanyahu finds himself in with his hard-right coalition and as he deals with ongoing corruption charges that have left the prime minister fighting for his freedom, not just his political future.Biden, meanwhile, faces American voters in November, in a likely rematch with former President Donald Trump. Netanyahu and Trump forged a close relationship during the Republican’s term in office. Biden faces criticism from some on his left who believe he hasn't pushed the Israelis hard enough to demonstrate restraint as it carries out military operations.Key Democratic lawmakers, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, this week warned that Netanyahu's position on statehood could complicate negotiations in the Senate on a spending package that includes military aid for Israel.Expect Netanyahu to “use every trick that he has to keep his coalition together and avoid elections and play out the clock,” said Michael Koplow, chief policy officer at the Israel Policy Forum. ”And I’m sure that part of it is a conviction that if he waits until November, he may end up with Donald Trump back in the Oval Office.”In recent weeks, some of the more difficult conversations have been left to Ron Dermer, a top aide to Netanyahu and former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., and Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. The two top aides talk almost daily — sometimes multiple times during a day, according to a U.S. official and an Israeli official, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.Other senior Biden administration officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, as well as senior advisers Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein, have been at the forefront of the administration's push to engage the Israelis and other Middle East allies as the Biden-Netanyahu dialogue has become less constructive.Netanyahu, who has opposed calls for a two-state solution throughout his political career, told reporters this week that he flatly told U.S. officials he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-18-2024-73d552c6e73e0dc3783a0a11b2b5f67d">remains opposed</a>&nbsp;to any postwar plan that includes establishment of a Palestinian state.The prime minister's latest rejection of Biden's push in that direction came after Blinken this week said at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Israel and its Middle East neighbors had “a profound opportunity” to solve the generational Israel-Palestinian conflict. Asked if he thought Netanyahu was up to making the most of the moment, Blinken demurred.“Look, these are decisions for Israelis to make,” Blinken said. “This is a profound decision for the country as a whole to make: What direction does it want to take? Does it see — can it seize — the opportunity that we believe is there?”The Biden-Netanyahu relationship has seen no shortage of peaks and valleys over the years. As vice president, Biden privately criticized Netanyahu after the the Israeli leader embarrassed President Barack Obama by approving the construction of 1,600 new apartments in disputed East Jerusalem in the middle of Biden’s 2010 visit to Israel.Netanyahu publicly resisted, before eventually relenting to, Biden's calls on the Israelis to wind down a May 2021 military operation in Gaza. And in late 2019, during a question and answer session with voters on the campaign trail, Biden called Netanyahu an “extreme right” leader.The path to a two-state solution — one in which Israel would co-exist with an independent Palestinian state — has eluded U.S. presidents and Middle East diplomats for decades.But as the war grinds on, Biden and his team have pressed the notion that there is a new dynamic in the Middle East in which Israel’s Arab and Muslim neighbors stand ready to integrate Israel into the region once the war ends, but only if Israel commits to a pathway to a Palestinian state.Biden has proposed that a “revitalized” Palestinian Authority, which is based in the West Bank, could run Gaza once combat ends. Netanyahu has roundly rejected the idea of putting the Palestinian Authority, which is beset by corruption, in charge of the territory.Netanyahu argues that a Palestinian state would become a launchpad for attacks on Israel. So Israel “must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan River,” Netanyahu said. “That collides with the idea of sovereignty. What can we do?”White House officials have sought to play down Netanyahu's public rejection of Biden's call for a two-state solution, noting that the prime minister's rhetoric is not new.They hold out hope Israel could eventually come around to accepting a Palestinian state that comes with strong security guarantees for Israel."I don’t think Biden has any illusions about Netanyahu,” said Daniel Kurtzer, who served as U.S. ambassador to Egypt during the Bill Clinton administration and to Israel under George W. Bush. “But I don’t think he’s ready to slam the door on him. And that’s because he gets the intersection between the policy and the politics.”

Attacks continue in Red Sea despite series of U.S. military strikes

ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump used his social media platform Friday to mock&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>&nbsp;'s birth name, the latest example of the former president keying on race and ethnicity to attack people of color, especially his political rivals.

In a post on his Truth Social account,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump</a>&nbsp;repeatedly referred to Haley, the daughter of immigrants from India, as “Nimbra.” Haley, the former South Carolina governor, was born in Bamberg, South Carolina, as Nimarata Nikki Randhawa. She has always gone by her middle name, “Nikki.” She took the surname “Haley” upon her marriage in 1996.

Trump called Haley “Nimbra” three times in the post and said she “doesn't have what it takes.”

The attack comes four days before the New Hampshire primary, in which Haley is trying to establish herself as the only viable Trump alternative in the Republicans' 2024 nominating contest.

Trump's post was an escalation of recent attacks in which he referenced Haley's given first name — though he's misspelled it “Nimrada” — and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-nikki-haley-eligible-president-140548395483">falsely asserted</a>&nbsp;she is ineligible for the presidency because her parents were not U.S. citizens when she was born in 1972.

The attacks echo&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-presidential-election-general-news-events-61f7085d848248cd98410027d33f2101">Trump's “birther” rhetoric against President Barack Obama</a>. Trump spent years pushing the conspiracy theory that the nation's first Black president was born in Kenya and not a “natural born” U.S. citizen as required by the Constitution. That effort was part of Trump's rise among Republicans' most culturally conservative base ahead of his 2016 election that surprised much of the U.S. political establishment.

Haley has dismissed Trump's latest attacks as proof that she threatens his bid for a third consecutive nomination.

“That’s what he does when he feels threatened. That’s what he does when he feels insecure,” Haley told reporters in New Hampshire on Friday when asked about Trump's false assertions that her heritage disqualifies her from the Oval Office. “I know that I am a threat. I know that’s why he’s doing that. So it’s not going to waste any energy for me.”

Trump’s campaign did not immediately reply to an inquiry about his comments.

Since Monday's Iowa caucuses — which Trump won by 30 points over Ron DeSantis, who placed second — Haley has aimed to portray the rest of the GOP primary battle as a two-way race between Trump and herself despite her narrow third-place finish. Haley's campaign is aiming for a stronger showing in New Hampshire, hoping for a springboard into her home-state South Carolina, which holds the South's first presidential primary next month.

For his part, Trump bounces between declarations that the nominating fight already is effectively over and blasting Haley as if the two are indeed locked in a tight contest. Trump still criticizes his other remaining rival, DeSantis, but his preferred pejoratives for the Florida governor, “Ron DeSanctimonious” or “Ron DeSanctus,” has nothing to do with race or ethnicity. DeSantis is white.

Pastor Darrell Scott, a Black man who has led a diversity coalition for Trump’s previous campaigns, defended the former president's attacks on Haley as “slings and arrows” that come in election season.

“You have to dissect politics as politics. It’s not personal,” said Scott. “He’s not intending to demean her or degrade her in any way. He’s just doing that to garner votes.”

Scott defended Trump's aggressive approach generally as a “goose-and-gander situation” for a public figure constantly “under attack for everything.”

Tara Setmayer, senior adviser to the Lincoln Project group that opposes Trump from within the conservative movement, agreed that Trump’s rhetoric works in a Republican primary. But she said that’s a damning reality for the party and does not excuse his behavior.

“These are the rantings of an incredibly, almost pathetically insecure man who has demonstrated over his entire career his racism and bigotry,” said Setmayer, who is multiracial and calls herself a former Republican and now a conservative independent. “Why would anyone expect it to be any different now, when an entire political party has enabled this level of morally questionable behavior?”

Trump has a long history of using race, ethnicity and immigrant heritage as a cudgel.

For years, he has referred to Obama as “Barack Hussein Obama,” putting an obvious emphasis on the 44th president's middle name. Obama was the son of an white American mother and a Black father from Kenya. He was born in Hawaii, though Trump spent years asserting Obama had manufactured the story and a birth certificate to support it. Trump eventually admitted his claims were false but then, during the 2016 general election, said he did so only to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/events-united-states-presidential-election-26d97545011649599ae5a9aed6e4c54a">“get on with the campaign.”</a>

When David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-presidential-election-general-news-events-2a7d4a5264a04b76a31b5b5bcb8e580a">encouraged Republican primary voters</a>&nbsp;to back Trump in 2016, Trump responded in a CNN interview that he knew “nothing about David Duke, I know nothing about white supremacists.”

Trump is also among many Republicans who deliberately mispronounce Vice President Kamala Harris's name. Rather than the correct “KA'-ma-la,” Trump sometimes says, “Ka-MAH-la.” Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican descent, is the first woman to become vice president and the second non-white person as either president or vice president, following Obama.

Leading up to Trump’s 2017 inauguration, civil rights icon John Lewis, then a Black congressman from Georgia, said he would not attend Trump’s inauguration because he considered him an illegitimate president. Trump reacted by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-presidential-election-events-a4d26580a09344e386bb0a55ae9ca5e5">blasting Lewis’s Atlanta-based district</a>&nbsp;as being in “horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested).” The district includes downtown Atlanta, Coca-Cola’s world headquarters, the Georgia Institute of Technology and principal sites of the 1996 Olympic Games, among other attributes.

During his presidency, Trump questioned during a meeting with lawmakers why the U.S. would accept immigrants from Haiti and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-international-news-fdda2ff0b877416c8ae1c1a77a3cc425">“shithole countries”</a>&nbsp;across Africa instead of countries like Norway. He did not explicitly mention race but the White House followed disclosure of his comments with a statement explaining that Trump supported granting access to the U.S. for “those who can contribute to our society.”

He also has said that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/728ada1e918a482c9e9b1f3e24937caa">four congresswomen of color</a>&nbsp;should go back to the “broken and crime infested” countries they came from, ignoring the fact that all of the women are American citizens and three were born in the U.S.

Trump himself is the grandson of a Bavarian-born German immigrant, Frederick Trump.

Haley frames her family's story as proof that the U.S. “is not a racist country.” She sometimes highlights her role in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-d0b5cc464ccc4baeb40bbdae66600916">taking down the Confederate battle flag</a>&nbsp;from South Carolina statehouse grounds after a racist massacre in her state — though she had sidestepped requests to remove the banner earlier in her term. And Haley has for years navigated Trump's penchant for racist rhetoric.

ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump used his social media platform Friday to mock&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>&nbsp;'s birth name, the latest example of the former president keying on race and ethnicity to attack people of color, especially his political rivals.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705698852949.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In a post on his Truth Social account,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump</a>&nbsp;repeatedly referred to Haley, the daughter of immigrants from India, as “Nimbra.” Haley, the former South Carolina governor, was born in Bamberg, South Carolina, as Nimarata Nikki Randhawa. She has always gone by her middle name, “Nikki.” She took the surname “Haley” upon her marriage in 1996.Trump called Haley “Nimbra” three times in the post and said she “doesn't have what it takes.”The attack comes four days before the New Hampshire primary, in which Haley is trying to establish herself as the only viable Trump alternative in the Republicans' 2024 nominating contest.Trump's post was an escalation of recent attacks in which he referenced Haley's given first name — though he's misspelled it “Nimrada” — and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-nikki-haley-eligible-president-140548395483">falsely asserted</a>&nbsp;she is ineligible for the presidency because her parents were not U.S. citizens when she was born in 1972.The attacks echo&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-presidential-election-general-news-events-61f7085d848248cd98410027d33f2101">Trump's “birther” rhetoric against President Barack Obama</a>. Trump spent years pushing the conspiracy theory that the nation's first Black president was born in Kenya and not a “natural born” U.S. citizen as required by the Constitution. That effort was part of Trump's rise among Republicans' most culturally conservative base ahead of his 2016 election that surprised much of the U.S. political establishment.Haley has dismissed Trump's latest attacks as proof that she threatens his bid for a third consecutive nomination.“That’s what he does when he feels threatened. That’s what he does when he feels insecure,” Haley told reporters in New Hampshire on Friday when asked about Trump's false assertions that her heritage disqualifies her from the Oval Office. “I know that I am a threat. I know that’s why he’s doing that. So it’s not going to waste any energy for me.”Trump’s campaign did not immediately reply to an inquiry about his comments.Since Monday's Iowa caucuses — which Trump won by 30 points over Ron DeSantis, who placed second — Haley has aimed to portray the rest of the GOP primary battle as a two-way race between Trump and herself despite her narrow third-place finish. Haley's campaign is aiming for a stronger showing in New Hampshire, hoping for a springboard into her home-state South Carolina, which holds the South's first presidential primary next month.For his part, Trump bounces between declarations that the nominating fight already is effectively over and blasting Haley as if the two are indeed locked in a tight contest. Trump still criticizes his other remaining rival, DeSantis, but his preferred pejoratives for the Florida governor, “Ron DeSanctimonious” or “Ron DeSanctus,” has nothing to do with race or ethnicity. DeSantis is white.Pastor Darrell Scott, a Black man who has led a diversity coalition for Trump’s previous campaigns, defended the former president's attacks on Haley as “slings and arrows” that come in election season.“You have to dissect politics as politics. It’s not personal,” said Scott. “He’s not intending to demean her or degrade her in any way. He’s just doing that to garner votes.”Scott defended Trump's aggressive approach generally as a “goose-and-gander situation” for a public figure constantly “under attack for everything.”Tara Setmayer, senior adviser to the Lincoln Project group that opposes Trump from within the conservative movement, agreed that Trump’s rhetoric works in a Republican primary. But she said that’s a damning reality for the party and does not excuse his behavior.“These are the rantings of an incredibly, almost pathetically insecure man who has demonstrated over his entire career his racism and bigotry,” said Setmayer, who is multiracial and calls herself a former Republican and now a conservative independent. “Why would anyone expect it to be any different now, when an entire political party has enabled this level of morally questionable behavior?”Trump has a long history of using race, ethnicity and immigrant heritage as a cudgel.For years, he has referred to Obama as “Barack Hussein Obama,” putting an obvious emphasis on the 44th president's middle name. Obama was the son of an white American mother and a Black father from Kenya. He was born in Hawaii, though Trump spent years asserting Obama had manufactured the story and a birth certificate to support it. Trump eventually admitted his claims were false but then, during the 2016 general election, said he did so only to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/events-united-states-presidential-election-26d97545011649599ae5a9aed6e4c54a">“get on with the campaign.”</a>When David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-presidential-election-general-news-events-2a7d4a5264a04b76a31b5b5bcb8e580a">encouraged Republican primary voters</a>&nbsp;to back Trump in 2016, Trump responded in a CNN interview that he knew “nothing about David Duke, I know nothing about white supremacists.”Trump is also among many Republicans who deliberately mispronounce Vice President Kamala Harris's name. Rather than the correct “KA'-ma-la,” Trump sometimes says, “Ka-MAH-la.” Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican descent, is the first woman to become vice president and the second non-white person as either president or vice president, following Obama.Leading up to Trump’s 2017 inauguration, civil rights icon John Lewis, then a Black congressman from Georgia, said he would not attend Trump’s inauguration because he considered him an illegitimate president. Trump reacted by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-presidential-election-events-a4d26580a09344e386bb0a55ae9ca5e5">blasting Lewis’s Atlanta-based district</a>&nbsp;as being in “horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested).” The district includes downtown Atlanta, Coca-Cola’s world headquarters, the Georgia Institute of Technology and principal sites of the 1996 Olympic Games, among other attributes.During his presidency, Trump questioned during a meeting with lawmakers why the U.S. would accept immigrants from Haiti and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-international-news-fdda2ff0b877416c8ae1c1a77a3cc425">“shithole countries”</a>&nbsp;across Africa instead of countries like Norway. He did not explicitly mention race but the White House followed disclosure of his comments with a statement explaining that Trump supported granting access to the U.S. for “those who can contribute to our society.”He also has said that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/728ada1e918a482c9e9b1f3e24937caa">four congresswomen of color</a>&nbsp;should go back to the “broken and crime infested” countries they came from, ignoring the fact that all of the women are American citizens and three were born in the U.S.Trump himself is the grandson of a Bavarian-born German immigrant, Frederick Trump.Haley frames her family's story as proof that the U.S. “is not a racist country.” She sometimes highlights her role in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-d0b5cc464ccc4baeb40bbdae66600916">taking down the Confederate battle flag</a>&nbsp;from South Carolina statehouse grounds after a racist massacre in her state — though she had sidestepped requests to remove the banner earlier in her term. And Haley has for years navigated Trump's penchant for racist rhetoric.

Trump mocks Nikki Haley's first name in latest social media attack 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — In his second state of the state address to Nebraska lawmakers, Gov. Jim Pillen on Thursday covered everything from praising the state's response to recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/midwest-snowstorm-effects-linger-tuesday-1e8f125fa357c014c6761acddb00cae0">winter storms</a>&nbsp;to supporting a divisive bill that would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-legislature-transgender-controversy-8c4f869b0e976042c4e900a421e5481a">restrict transgender student</a>&nbsp;participation in high school sports and limit trans students’ access to bathrooms and locker rooms.

But it was the Republican's plan to slash local government property taxes and possibly raise the state's 5.5% sales tax that drew the most criticism across the political spectrum.

Pillen is proposing a 40% reduction in property taxes that would slash $2 billion from the high of $5 billion collected across the state in 2022.

“First and foremost, the most important economic issue we face is out-of-control property taxes,” Pillen said.

Complaints about property taxes are nothing new for home and business owners in Nebraska, which ranked seventh in the nation in 2021 for the highest property tax rate, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Historically, state officials have argued that the matter was not theirs to fix, pointing instead to county and city governments, which assess and allocate property taxes to fund everything from schools and libraries to police and fire departments.

But soaring housing prices in recent years have led to ballooning property tax bills for homeowners, as residential real estate in Nebraska is assessed at nearly 100% of market value. That has proven particularly challenging for residents on fixed incomes, such as the elderly, who may have already paid off their mortgage but can't afford the ever-rising tax bill.

“Fixed-income Nebraskans who have lived, worked and raised families here now face the prospect of being forced out of their homes," Pillen said.

How to reach that 40% reduction will be a challenge.

Pillen touted a series of budget adjustments, including a bill that would impose a hard spending cap on local governments that could only be increased by a vote of the people. He also backed proposals to close several tax loopholes for special interests, transfer $274 million from the accounts of some 500 state agency cash funds toward property tax relief, and raise a tax on cigarettes by as much as $2 a pack.

“It's not the job of government to hoard cash,” Pillen said. “We must give it back to the people.”

What Pillen didn't mention was his proposal to support lower property taxes by increasing the state sales tax. Earlier this month, the governor proposed boosting the sales tax by 2 percentage points, which would make it the nation's highest at 7.5%.

In cities that charge a local sales tax, that could tack on nearly 10 cents for every dollar spent on clothes, appliances, cars and other goods and services outside of groceries, which aren't taxed in Nebraska.

The governor found no one in Nebraska's unique one-chamber legislature made up of 49 lawmakers to propose such a bill. Omaha Sen. Lou Ann Linehan has proposed up to a 1-cent increase as a way to balance the 40% reduction on property taxes, drawing protest from both liberals and conservatives.

The Nebraska Democratic Party said proposals to raise the state sales tax represent “a massive shift in taxes on the backs of working and middle-class families.”

Conversely, the conservative Tax Foundation said cigarette and sales tax increases would hurt Nebraska business by sending consumers to neighboring states with lower sales taxes.

"The state should focus on revenue limits to provide property tax relief," said Manish Bhatt, an analyst with the Tax Foundation. "If lawmakers wish to broaden the sales tax base, they should do so without an increased rate.”

Asked after his speech whether a 40% reduction in property taxes could be reached without an increase in sales tax, Pillen said his plan would require "an extraordinary tax shift,' but he stopped short of fully backing a sales tax hike.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — In his second state of the state address to Nebraska lawmakers, Gov. Jim Pillen on Thursday covered everything from praising the state's response to recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/midwest-snowstorm-effects-linger-tuesday-1e8f125fa357c014c6761acddb00cae0">winter storms</a>&nbsp;to supporting a divisive bill that would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-legislature-transgender-controversy-8c4f869b0e976042c4e900a421e5481a">restrict transgender student</a>&nbsp;participation in high school sports and limit trans students’ access to bathrooms and locker rooms.But it was the Republican's plan to slash local government property taxes and possibly raise the state's 5.5% sales tax that drew the most criticism across the political spectrum.Pillen is proposing a 40% reduction in property taxes that would slash $2 billion from the high of $5 billion collected across the state in 2022.“First and foremost, the most important economic issue we face is out-of-control property taxes,” Pillen said.Complaints about property taxes are nothing new for home and business owners in Nebraska, which ranked seventh in the nation in 2021 for the highest property tax rate, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.Historically, state officials have argued that the matter was not theirs to fix, pointing instead to county and city governments, which assess and allocate property taxes to fund everything from schools and libraries to police and fire departments.But soaring housing prices in recent years have led to ballooning property tax bills for homeowners, as residential real estate in Nebraska is assessed at nearly 100% of market value. That has proven particularly challenging for residents on fixed incomes, such as the elderly, who may have already paid off their mortgage but can't afford the ever-rising tax bill.“Fixed-income Nebraskans who have lived, worked and raised families here now face the prospect of being forced out of their homes," Pillen said.How to reach that 40% reduction will be a challenge.Pillen touted a series of budget adjustments, including a bill that would impose a hard spending cap on local governments that could only be increased by a vote of the people. He also backed proposals to close several tax loopholes for special interests, transfer $274 million from the accounts of some 500 state agency cash funds toward property tax relief, and raise a tax on cigarettes by as much as $2 a pack.“It's not the job of government to hoard cash,” Pillen said. “We must give it back to the people.”What Pillen didn't mention was his proposal to support lower property taxes by increasing the state sales tax. Earlier this month, the governor proposed boosting the sales tax by 2 percentage points, which would make it the nation's highest at 7.5%.In cities that charge a local sales tax, that could tack on nearly 10 cents for every dollar spent on clothes, appliances, cars and other goods and services outside of groceries, which aren't taxed in Nebraska.The governor found no one in Nebraska's unique one-chamber legislature made up of 49 lawmakers to propose such a bill. Omaha Sen. Lou Ann Linehan has proposed up to a 1-cent increase as a way to balance the 40% reduction on property taxes, drawing protest from both liberals and conservatives.The Nebraska Democratic Party said proposals to raise the state sales tax represent “a massive shift in taxes on the backs of working and middle-class families.”Conversely, the conservative Tax Foundation said cigarette and sales tax increases would hurt Nebraska business by sending consumers to neighboring states with lower sales taxes."The state should focus on revenue limits to provide property tax relief," said Manish Bhatt, an analyst with the Tax Foundation. "If lawmakers wish to broaden the sales tax base, they should do so without an increased rate.”Asked after his speech whether a 40% reduction in property taxes could be reached without an increase in sales tax, Pillen said his plan would require "an extraordinary tax shift,' but he stopped short of fully backing a sales tax hike.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen backs anti-LGBTQ bill and tax cuts in state of the state address

WASHINGTON (AP) —President Joe Biden on Friday signed a short-term spending bill that keeps the federal government operating until early March.

The bill averts what would’ve been a partial government shutdown starting Saturday. It does not address additional aid for Ukraine, which remains in limbo as key legislators&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-speaker-johnson-border-security-ukraine-government-shutdown-fa505e84f1ffd1767eb01a250a161393" target="_blank">continue to negotiate</a>&nbsp;a border security measure that would go in tandem with more support for Kyiv.

Congress, ahead of the winter snowstorm that struck Washington, D.C., on Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/budget-spending-congress-extend-shutdown-fa6958e60fd2c08880b21e091f108215" target="_blank">passed the short-term bill</a>&nbsp;with large bipartisan majorities on Thursday. The vote was 77-18 in the Senate and 314-108 in the House.

Under the bill, funding for agencies overseeing agriculture, veterans affairs, energy, transportation and housing runs through March 1. Funding for the rest of the federal government now runs through March 8. It’s meant to buy lawmakers extra time to draft full-year spending bills through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will continue to face pressure from House conservatives who want him to abandon a bipartisan agreement that sets overall spending levels for those full-year bills at $1.66 trillion. Those conservatives say that is too much money, but Democrats and moderate Republicans say Congress must abide by that deal and avoid legislative dysfunction during an election year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705691803663.png" alt="President Biden during a campaign stop Thursday in North Carolina-image from the White House video" />
 <figcaption>President Biden during a campaign stop Thursday in North Carolina-image from the White House video</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —President Joe Biden on Friday signed a short-term spending bill that keeps the federal government operating until early March.The bill averts what would’ve been a partial government shutdown starting Saturday. It does not address additional aid for Ukraine, which remains in limbo as key legislators&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-speaker-johnson-border-security-ukraine-government-shutdown-fa505e84f1ffd1767eb01a250a161393" target="_blank">continue to negotiate</a>&nbsp;a border security measure that would go in tandem with more support for Kyiv.Congress, ahead of the winter snowstorm that struck Washington, D.C., on Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/budget-spending-congress-extend-shutdown-fa6958e60fd2c08880b21e091f108215" target="_blank">passed the short-term bill</a>&nbsp;with large bipartisan majorities on Thursday. The vote was 77-18 in the Senate and 314-108 in the House.Under the bill, funding for agencies overseeing agriculture, veterans affairs, energy, transportation and housing runs through March 1. Funding for the rest of the federal government now runs through March 8. It’s meant to buy lawmakers extra time to draft full-year spending bills through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will continue to face pressure from House conservatives who want him to abandon a bipartisan agreement that sets overall spending levels for those full-year bills at $1.66 trillion. Those conservatives say that is too much money, but Democrats and moderate Republicans say Congress must abide by that deal and avoid legislative dysfunction during an election year.

Biden signs bill to avoid a partial government shutdown

TOKYO (AP) — Japan became the fifth country in history to reach the moon when its spacecraft landed on the lunar surface early Saturday, officials said. But an issue with the power supply means that the mission could be in jeopardy.

Officials also said they needed more time to analyze whether the spacecraft, which wasn't carrying astronauts, made a pinpoint landing — one of the priorities of the mission.

Hitoshi Kuninaka, head of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, said they believe that rovers were launched and data were being transmitted back to Earth from the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM.

But he said that SLIM's solar battery wasn't generating power and the battery life of the spacecraft would only last a few more hours. He said that the priority now was for the craft to gather as much moon data as possible on the remaining battery.

Japan follows the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India in reaching the moon.

Kuninaka said he believes that Japan's space program at least achieved “minimum” success.

SLIM landed on the moon at about 12:20 a.m. Tokyo time on Saturday (1520 GMT Friday).

There was a tense wait for news after the Japan space agency's mission control initially said that SLIM was on the lunar surface, but that it was still “checking its status.” No further details were given until a news conference nearly two hours later.

For the mission to be considered fully successful, space officials need to confirm whether SLIM made a pinpoint landing. Kuninaka said while more time is needed, he personally thinks it was most likely achieved, based on his observation of data showing the spacecraft's movement until the landing.

SLIM, which was aiming to hit a very small target, is a lightweight spacecraft about the size of a passenger vehicle. It was using “pinpoint landing” technology that promises far greater control than any previous moon landing.

While most previous probes have used landing zones about 10 kilometers (six miles) wide, SLIM was aiming at a target of just 100 meters (330 feet).

The project was the fruit of two decades of work on precision technology by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA.

As the spacecraft descended, JAXA's mission control said that everything was going as planned and later said that SLIM was on the lunar surface. But there was no mention of whether the landing was successful. Mission control kept repeating that it was “checking its status" and that more information would be given at the news conference.

SLIM, nicknamed "the Moon Sniper," started its descent at midnight Saturday, and within 15 minutes it was down to about 10 kilometers (six miles) above the lunar surface, according to the space agency, which is known as JAXA.

At an altitude of five kilometers (three miles), the lander was in a vertical descent mode, then at 50 meters (165 feet) above the surface, SLIM was supposed to make a parallel movement to find a safe landing spot, JAXA said.

The mission's main goal is to test new landing technology that would allow moon missions to land “where we want to, rather than where it is easy to land,” JAXA has said. The spacecraft is supposed to seek clues about the origin of the moon, including analyzing minerals with a special camera.

The SLIM, equipped with a pad to cushion impact, was aiming to land near the Shioli crater, near a region covered in volcanic rock.

The closely watched mission came only 10 days after a moon mission by a U.S. private company failed when the spacecraft&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/private-moon-lander-earth-reentry-e59645ffd5dc43f80f25a8ec34c0f449">developed a fuel leak</a>&nbsp;hours after the launch.

SLIM was launched on a Mitsubishi Heavy H2A rocket in September. It initially orbited Earth and entered lunar orbit on Dec. 25.

Japan hopes to regain confidence for its space technology after a number of failures. A spacecraft designed by a Japanese company&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-lunar-landing-crash-japan-32230ba28a3c41824ec4ee9ed7d6ed4c">crashed during a lunar landing attempt</a>&nbsp;in April, and a new flagship rocket&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-space-rocket-h3-failure-observation-satellite-dc137cb55bb4b72537508f1319989ce1">failed its debut launch in March</a>.

JAXA has a track record with difficult landings. Its Hayabusa2 spacecraft, launched in 2014, touched down twice on the 900-meter-long (3,000-foot-long) asteroid Ryugu, collecting samples that were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5309328972d9456bbe0522b88c81c6bc">returned to Earth</a>.

Experts say a success of SLIM's pinpoint landing, especially on the moon, would raise Japan's profile in the global space technology race.

Takeshi Tsuchiya, aeronautics professor at the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, said it was important to confirm the accuracy of landing on a targeted area for the future of moon explorations.

“It is necessary to show the world that Japan has the appropriate technology in order to be able to properly assert Japan's position in lunar development,” he said. The moon is important from the perspective of explorations of resources, and it can also be used as a base to go to other planets, like Mars, he said.

SLIM is carrying two small autonomous probes — lunar excursion vehicles LEV-1 and LEV-2, which will be released just before landing.

LEV-1, equipped with an antenna and a camera, is tasked with recording SLIM's landing. LEV-2, is a ball-shaped rover equipped with two cameras, developed by JAXA together with Sony, toymaker Tomy and Doshisha University.

JAXA will broadcast a livestream of the landing, while space fans will gather to watch the historic moment on a big screen at the agency's Sagamihara campus southwest of Tokyo.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705690562751.png" alt="&nbsp;Animation of the lander courtesy Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Animation of the lander courtesy Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency</figcaption>
 </figure>TOKYO (AP) — Japan became the fifth country in history to reach the moon when its spacecraft landed on the lunar surface early Saturday, officials said. But an issue with the power supply means that the mission could be in jeopardy.Officials also said they needed more time to analyze whether the spacecraft, which wasn't carrying astronauts, made a pinpoint landing — one of the priorities of the mission.Hitoshi Kuninaka, head of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, said they believe that rovers were launched and data were being transmitted back to Earth from the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM.But he said that SLIM's solar battery wasn't generating power and the battery life of the spacecraft would only last a few more hours. He said that the priority now was for the craft to gather as much moon data as possible on the remaining battery.Japan follows the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India in reaching the moon.Kuninaka said he believes that Japan's space program at least achieved “minimum” success.SLIM landed on the moon at about 12:20 a.m. Tokyo time on Saturday (1520 GMT Friday).There was a tense wait for news after the Japan space agency's mission control initially said that SLIM was on the lunar surface, but that it was still “checking its status.” No further details were given until a news conference nearly two hours later.For the mission to be considered fully successful, space officials need to confirm whether SLIM made a pinpoint landing. Kuninaka said while more time is needed, he personally thinks it was most likely achieved, based on his observation of data showing the spacecraft's movement until the landing.SLIM, which was aiming to hit a very small target, is a lightweight spacecraft about the size of a passenger vehicle. It was using “pinpoint landing” technology that promises far greater control than any previous moon landing.While most previous probes have used landing zones about 10 kilometers (six miles) wide, SLIM was aiming at a target of just 100 meters (330 feet).The project was the fruit of two decades of work on precision technology by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA.As the spacecraft descended, JAXA's mission control said that everything was going as planned and later said that SLIM was on the lunar surface. But there was no mention of whether the landing was successful. Mission control kept repeating that it was “checking its status" and that more information would be given at the news conference.SLIM, nicknamed "the Moon Sniper," started its descent at midnight Saturday, and within 15 minutes it was down to about 10 kilometers (six miles) above the lunar surface, according to the space agency, which is known as JAXA.At an altitude of five kilometers (three miles), the lander was in a vertical descent mode, then at 50 meters (165 feet) above the surface, SLIM was supposed to make a parallel movement to find a safe landing spot, JAXA said.The mission's main goal is to test new landing technology that would allow moon missions to land “where we want to, rather than where it is easy to land,” JAXA has said. The spacecraft is supposed to seek clues about the origin of the moon, including analyzing minerals with a special camera.The SLIM, equipped with a pad to cushion impact, was aiming to land near the Shioli crater, near a region covered in volcanic rock.The closely watched mission came only 10 days after a moon mission by a U.S. private company failed when the spacecraft&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/private-moon-lander-earth-reentry-e59645ffd5dc43f80f25a8ec34c0f449">developed a fuel leak</a>&nbsp;hours after the launch.SLIM was launched on a Mitsubishi Heavy H2A rocket in September. It initially orbited Earth and entered lunar orbit on Dec. 25.Japan hopes to regain confidence for its space technology after a number of failures. A spacecraft designed by a Japanese company&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-lunar-landing-crash-japan-32230ba28a3c41824ec4ee9ed7d6ed4c">crashed during a lunar landing attempt</a>&nbsp;in April, and a new flagship rocket&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-space-rocket-h3-failure-observation-satellite-dc137cb55bb4b72537508f1319989ce1">failed its debut launch in March</a>.JAXA has a track record with difficult landings. Its Hayabusa2 spacecraft, launched in 2014, touched down twice on the 900-meter-long (3,000-foot-long) asteroid Ryugu, collecting samples that were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5309328972d9456bbe0522b88c81c6bc">returned to Earth</a>.Experts say a success of SLIM's pinpoint landing, especially on the moon, would raise Japan's profile in the global space technology race.Takeshi Tsuchiya, aeronautics professor at the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, said it was important to confirm the accuracy of landing on a targeted area for the future of moon explorations.“It is necessary to show the world that Japan has the appropriate technology in order to be able to properly assert Japan's position in lunar development,” he said. The moon is important from the perspective of explorations of resources, and it can also be used as a base to go to other planets, like Mars, he said.SLIM is carrying two small autonomous probes — lunar excursion vehicles LEV-1 and LEV-2, which will be released just before landing.LEV-1, equipped with an antenna and a camera, is tasked with recording SLIM's landing. LEV-2, is a ball-shaped rover equipped with two cameras, developed by JAXA together with Sony, toymaker Tomy and Doshisha University.JAXA will broadcast a livestream of the landing, while space fans will gather to watch the historic moment on a big screen at the agency's Sagamihara campus southwest of Tokyo.

Japan joins elite club by landing on the moon

LINCOLN, NEB. – “We thank Governor Pillen for again recognizing high property taxes as the greatest challenge facing Nebraska and reiterating his commitment to fixing our state’s property tax problem. We greatly appreciate the urgency with which he is working to address the issue and applaud him for his understanding and openness in communicating the far-reaching negative impacts high property taxes have had and continue to have on all Nebraskans. Furthermore, we agree with the Governor that a hard cap on property tax collections is critical to achieve long-term property tax relief, and simultaneously appreciate his commitment to preserving local control.&nbsp; We look forward to working with the Governor and the Legislature to address this critical issue.”

The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service, and advocacy efforts. More than 55,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nefb.org/" target="_blank">www.nefb.org</a>.

Nebraska Farm Bureau&nbsp;LINCOLN, NEB. – “We thank Governor Pillen for again recognizing high property taxes as the greatest challenge facing Nebraska and reiterating his commitment to fixing our state’s property tax problem. We greatly appreciate the urgency with which he is working to address the issue and applaud him for his understanding and openness in communicating the far-reaching negative impacts high property taxes have had and continue to have on all Nebraskans. Furthermore, we agree with the Governor that a hard cap on property tax collections is critical to achieve long-term property tax relief, and simultaneously appreciate his commitment to preserving local control.&nbsp; We look forward to working with the Governor and the Legislature to address this critical issue.”The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service, and advocacy efforts. More than 55,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nefb.org/" target="_blank">www.nefb.org</a>.

Statement by Mark McHargue, NFB President, Regarding Governor’s State of the State Address

Lincoln, NE – A $5,000 MyDaY prize from August 2023 will expire on Friday, February 2.

For the August 6, 2023, MyDaY drawing, a $5,000 winning ticket was sold at Hy-Vee #1323, 5212 3rd Avenue in Kearney. The ticket matched the winning Month (08), Day (25), and Year (41) for the top prize.

Winning Nebraska Lottery Lotto tickets expire 180 days after the drawing. Players are encouraged to check their tickets and claim any prizes as soon as possible.

Prizes of $501 to $19,999 must be claimed by mail or in person at a Lottery Claim Center in Grand Island, Lincoln, Norfolk, North Platte, Omaha or Scottsbluff. Visit the Nebraska Lottery website,&nbsp;<a href="http://nelottery.com/" target="_blank">nelottery.com</a>, for more information on claiming prizes.

MyDaY is a Nebraska Lottery Lotto game with a calendar theme. Players can win up to $5,000 by choosing a six-digit date for each $1 MyDaY play. The odds of winning the $5,000 top prize in MyDaY are 1 in 36,525, while the overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 8.17.

The mission of the Nebraska Lottery is to generate proceeds for good causes while providing quality entertainment options to Nebraskans. Over $965 million has been raised for the Nebraska Lottery’s beneficiary funds since the Lottery began in 1993. All 93 counties in Nebraska have benefited from projects funded with these Nebraska Lottery proceeds.

Neil WatsonNebraska LotteryLincoln, NE – A $5,000 MyDaY prize from August 2023 will expire on Friday, February 2.For the August 6, 2023, MyDaY drawing, a $5,000 winning ticket was sold at Hy-Vee #1323, 5212 3rd Avenue in Kearney. The ticket matched the winning Month (08), Day (25), and Year (41) for the top prize.Winning Nebraska Lottery Lotto tickets expire 180 days after the drawing. Players are encouraged to check their tickets and claim any prizes as soon as possible.Prizes of $501 to $19,999 must be claimed by mail or in person at a Lottery Claim Center in Grand Island, Lincoln, Norfolk, North Platte, Omaha or Scottsbluff. Visit the Nebraska Lottery website,&nbsp;<a href="http://nelottery.com/" target="_blank">nelottery.com</a>, for more information on claiming prizes.MyDaY is a Nebraska Lottery Lotto game with a calendar theme. Players can win up to $5,000 by choosing a six-digit date for each $1 MyDaY play. The odds of winning the $5,000 top prize in MyDaY are 1 in 36,525, while the overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 8.17.The mission of the Nebraska Lottery is to generate proceeds for good causes while providing quality entertainment options to Nebraskans. Over $965 million has been raised for the Nebraska Lottery’s beneficiary funds since the Lottery began in 1993. All 93 counties in Nebraska have benefited from projects funded with these Nebraska Lottery proceeds.

MyDaY Winning Ticket Sold in Kearney Expires Soon

&nbsp;WASHINGTON —The Justice Department joined 10 states and the District of Columbia on Thursday in a civil antitrust lawsuit challenging the National Collegiate Athletics Association’s (NCAA) Transfer Eligibility Rule, according to a media release from the department of justice.

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1334371/dl?inline">Click here to read </a>the complaint

The amended complaint alleges that the NCAA unreasonably restricts college athletes’ freedom to transfer between academic institutions by limiting their eligibility to participate in intercollegiate contests if they transfer more than once during their college careers. By deterring transfers, the rule also denies athletes educational opportunities.

Last month, the states of Ohio, Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia filed this lawsuit in the Northern District of West Virginia. Shortly after filing, the court granted the states’ request for a temporary restraining order, finding the NCAA’s Transfer Eligibility Rule likely violates Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Today, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint adding the United States, the states of Minnesota, Mississippi and Virginia and the District of Columbia as co-plaintiffs.

“We are proud to stand with our state law enforcement partners on behalf of college athletes across the nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “NCAA Division I institutions compete with each other not just on the playing field or in the arena, but to recruit and retain college athletes. College athletes should be able to freely choose the institutions that best meet their academic, personal and professional development needs without anticompetitive restrictions that limit their mobility by sacrificing a year of athletic competition.”

The amended complaint alleges that the NCAA’s one-time-transfer rule unreasonably restrains competition in the markets for athletic services in men’s and women’s Division I basketball and Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football, as well as for athletic services in all other men’s and women’s Division I sports. The rule forces college athletes who transfer more than once to sit on the sidelines for an entire season before they are eligible to compete in NCAA athletic competitions at their new school. The amended complaint further alleges that the restriction limits college athletes’ bargaining power and harms both their educational and athletic experiences.

&nbsp;WASHINGTON —The Justice Department joined 10 states and the District of Columbia on Thursday in a civil antitrust lawsuit challenging the National Collegiate Athletics Association’s (NCAA) Transfer Eligibility Rule, according to a media release from the department of justice.<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1334371/dl?inline">Click here to read </a>the complaintThe amended complaint alleges that the NCAA unreasonably restricts college athletes’ freedom to transfer between academic institutions by limiting their eligibility to participate in intercollegiate contests if they transfer more than once during their college careers. By deterring transfers, the rule also denies athletes educational opportunities.Last month, the states of Ohio, Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia filed this lawsuit in the Northern District of West Virginia. Shortly after filing, the court granted the states’ request for a temporary restraining order, finding the NCAA’s Transfer Eligibility Rule likely violates Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Today, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint adding the United States, the states of Minnesota, Mississippi and Virginia and the District of Columbia as co-plaintiffs.“We are proud to stand with our state law enforcement partners on behalf of college athletes across the nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “NCAA Division I institutions compete with each other not just on the playing field or in the arena, but to recruit and retain college athletes. College athletes should be able to freely choose the institutions that best meet their academic, personal and professional development needs without anticompetitive restrictions that limit their mobility by sacrificing a year of athletic competition.”The amended complaint alleges that the NCAA’s one-time-transfer rule unreasonably restrains competition in the markets for athletic services in men’s and women’s Division I basketball and Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football, as well as for athletic services in all other men’s and women’s Division I sports. The rule forces college athletes who transfer more than once to sit on the sidelines for an entire season before they are eligible to compete in NCAA athletic competitions at their new school. The amended complaint further alleges that the restriction limits college athletes’ bargaining power and harms both their educational and athletic experiences.

Justice Dept, more states join lawsuit over NCAA athlete transfers

LINCOLN, NE —Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis, a coalition of patients, families, and other allies, are clear with their message: we are going to the 2024 ballot. Wednesday was the deadline for bill introduction in the Nebraska Legislature. This will be the first session in 10 years that no medical cannabis bill will be introduced.&nbsp;

“Patients and caregivers have&nbsp;advocated, educated and fought, trying to get our elected leaders in the Unicameral to listen, and every year we come up empty handed. Our voices have been loud and clear; you have failed to act, so we are going to the ballot to let Nebraskans vote on this,” said Crista Eggers, mom to 9-year-old Colton.&nbsp;

Nicole Hochstein’s son Jayen is 12, and has drug-resistant epilepsy, and echoes the same sentiment:

“For the past decade, the people of Nebraska have begged for help from our legislative representatives. We are no longer willing to wait on them; the ballot initiative is happening now and we are more determined than ever.”

Shelley Gillen’s son Will, who is currently hospitalized, made her feelings very clear:

“State leaders have failed us; they have failed Will and all the patients in Nebraska. We are taking the decision out of their hands and giving it to the people,” Gillen said.

Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis continues to support Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana (NMM) in their signature drive, and encourage people to get involved at&nbsp;<a href="http://nebraskamarijuana.org/" target="_blank">nebraskamarijuana.org</a>, and find a place to sign the new 2024 petitions.&nbsp; NMM&nbsp;will be required to collect approximately 87,000 valid signatures per petition and signatures are due for turn in on July 3, 2024.

NF4MC expresses their appreciation for the&nbsp;work that Senator Mike McDonnell did to create a bill for introduction, but at the end of the day recognize this is only going to happen through a vote of the people.

Crista EggersLINCOLN, NE —Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis, a coalition of patients, families, and other allies, are clear with their message: we are going to the 2024 ballot. Wednesday was the deadline for bill introduction in the Nebraska Legislature. This will be the first session in 10 years that no medical cannabis bill will be introduced.&nbsp;“Patients and caregivers have&nbsp;advocated, educated and fought, trying to get our elected leaders in the Unicameral to listen, and every year we come up empty handed. Our voices have been loud and clear; you have failed to act, so we are going to the ballot to let Nebraskans vote on this,” said Crista Eggers, mom to 9-year-old Colton.&nbsp;Nicole Hochstein’s son Jayen is 12, and has drug-resistant epilepsy, and echoes the same sentiment:“For the past decade, the people of Nebraska have begged for help from our legislative representatives. We are no longer willing to wait on them; the ballot initiative is happening now and we are more determined than ever.”Shelley Gillen’s son Will, who is currently hospitalized, made her feelings very clear:“State leaders have failed us; they have failed Will and all the patients in Nebraska. We are taking the decision out of their hands and giving it to the people,” Gillen said.Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis continues to support Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana (NMM) in their signature drive, and encourage people to get involved at&nbsp;<a href="http://nebraskamarijuana.org/" target="_blank">nebraskamarijuana.org</a>, and find a place to sign the new 2024 petitions.&nbsp; NMM&nbsp;will be required to collect approximately 87,000 valid signatures per petition and signatures are due for turn in on July 3, 2024.NF4MC expresses their appreciation for the&nbsp;work that Senator Mike McDonnell did to create a bill for introduction, but at the end of the day recognize this is only going to happen through a vote of the people.

Not Waiting On Legislature; Nebraska patients and families are clear: we will put medical cannabis before voters in November

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress sent President Joe Biden a short-term spending bill on Thursday that would avert a looming partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies into March.

The House approved the measure by a vote of 314-108, with opposition coming mostly from the more conservative members of the Republican conference. Shortly before the vote, the House Freedom Caucus announced it “strongly opposes" the measure because it would facilitate more spending than they support.&nbsp;

Nevertheless, about half of Republicans joined with Democrats in passing the third stopgap funding measure in recent months. The action came a few hours after the Senate had voted overwhelmingly to pass the bill by a vote of 77-18.&nbsp; 

Nebraska congressman Don Bacon was the only member of the delegation to vote against the resolution.

The measure extends current spending levels and buys time for the two chambers to work out their differences over full-year spending bills for the fiscal year that began in October.

The temporary measure will run to March 1 for some federal agencies. Their funds were set to run out Friday. It extends the remainder of government operations to March 8.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705615858646.png" alt="The U.S Capitol is seen on a sunny day in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)" />
 <figcaption>The U.S Capitol is seen on a sunny day in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress sent President Joe Biden a short-term spending bill on Thursday that would avert a looming partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies into March.The House approved the measure by a vote of 314-108, with opposition coming mostly from the more conservative members of the Republican conference. Shortly before the vote, the House Freedom Caucus announced it “strongly opposes" the measure because it would facilitate more spending than they support.&nbsp;Nevertheless, about half of Republicans joined with Democrats in passing the third stopgap funding measure in recent months. The action came a few hours after the Senate had voted overwhelmingly to pass the bill by a vote of 77-18.&nbsp; Nebraska congressman Don Bacon was the only member of the delegation to vote against the resolution.The measure extends current spending levels and buys time for the two chambers to work out their differences over full-year spending bills for the fiscal year that began in October.The temporary measure will run to March 1 for some federal agencies. Their funds were set to run out Friday. It extends the remainder of government operations to March 8.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president would sign the resolution and urged Republicans to quit wasting time on partisan spending bills.“House Republicans must finally do their job and work across the aisle to pass full-year funding bills that deliver for the American people and address urgent domestic and national security priorities by passing the President’s supplemental request,” Jean-Pierre said.Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has been under pressure from his right flank to scrap a $1.66 trillion budget price tag he reached with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier this month for the spending bills. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said the continuing resolution passed Thursday will facilitate that agreement, and urged colleagues to vote against it.“It's Groundhog Day in the House chamber all the time, every day, yet again spending money we don't have,” Roy said.Johnson has insisted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-shutdown-speaker-johnson-freedom-caucus-a9683a7381563499e0ba10987e93fb92">he will stick with the deal</a>, and centrists in the party have stood behind him. They say that changing course now would be going back on his word and would weaken the speaker in future negotiations.Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Americans expect Congress to govern and work in a bipartisan fashion.“Some of my colleagues would see that this government would shut down and don't care how hurtful that would be,” DeLauro said.House Republicans have fought bitterly over budget levels and policy since taking the majority at the start of 2023. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">ousted by his caucus</a>&nbsp;in October after striking an agreement with Democrats to extend current spending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-congress-republicans-732baaa19c91f981e492fd0e6a76aba8">the first time</a>. Johnson has also come under criticism as he has wrestled with how to appease his members and avoid a government shutdown in an election year.“We just needed a little more time on the calendar to do it and now that’s where we are,” Johnson said Tuesday about the decision to extend federal funding yet again. “We’re not going to get everything we want.”Most House Republicans have so far refrained from saying that Johnson’s job is in danger. But a revolt of even a handful of Republicans could endanger his position in the narrowly divided House.Virginia Rep. Bob Good, one of eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, has been pushing Johnson to reconsider the deal with Schumer.“If your opponent in negotiation knows that you fear the consequence of not reaching an agreement more than they fear the consequence of not reaching an agreement, you will lose every time,” Good said this week.Other Republicans acknowledge Johnson is in a tough spot. “The speaker was dealt with the hand he was dealt,” said Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr, noting the constraints imposed by the party's slim majority.In Thursday afternoon's vote, 107 House Republicans voted to keep federal agencies funded and 106 voted against the measure. To almost lose the majority of his conference underscores the challenges facing the new speaker and signals the difficulty he will have in striking a deal that will not alienate many of his GOP colleagues. They are clamoring for deeper non-defense spending cuts and myriad conservative policy mandates.Meanwhile, 207 Democrats voted for the resolution and only two voted against.The short-term measure comes amid negotiations on a separate spending package that would provide wartime dollars to Ukraine and Israel and strengthen security at the U.S.-Mexico border. Johnson is also under pressure from the right not to accept a deal that is any weaker than a House-passed border measure that has no Democratic support.Johnson, Schumer and other congressional leaders and committee heads&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-speaker-johnson-border-security-ukraine-government-shutdown-fa505e84f1ffd1767eb01a250a161393">visited the White House</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday to discuss that spending legislation. Johnson used the meeting to push for stronger border security measures while Biden and Democrats detailed Ukraine’s security needs as it continues to fight Russia.Biden has requested a $110 billion package for the wartime spending and border security.___Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri, Lisa Mascaro and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.