WASHINGTON (AP) — Shortfalls in required monitoring by American officials mean the U.S. cannot track more than $1 billion in weapons and military equipment provided to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-zelenskyy-lithuania-estonia-latvia-22ee93052cc1a6f21ea5ab586f42a3de" target="_blank">Ukraine to fight invading Russian forces</a>, according to a Pentagon audit released Thursday.

The findings mean that 59% of $1.7 billion in defense gear that the U.S. has provided Ukraine and was directed to guard against misuse or theft remained “delinquent,” the report by the Defense Department’s office of the inspector-general, the watchdog body for the Pentagon, said.

While Biden administration officials stressed Thursday that there was no evidence the weapons had been stolen, the audit undermines two years of lavish assurances from the administration that rigorous monitoring would keep U.S. military aid given to Ukraine from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-congress-funding-accountability-billions-015462075b37bd90bdcedda5286d2e93" target="_blank">being misused</a>. That’s despite the country’s longstanding reputation for corruption.

“There remains no credible evidence of illicit diversion of U.S.-provided advanced conventional weapons from Ukraine,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters. Citing what he said was Russian disinformation to the contrary, Ryder added, “The fact is, we observed the Ukrainians employing these capabilities on the battlefield. We’re seeing them use them effectively.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden" target="_blank">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;is already struggling to win congressional approval for more U.S. military and financial aid to Ukrainian government forces, which are struggling to drive out Russian forces that pushed deeper into the country in February 2022. The audit findings are likely to make Biden’s task even harder.

House Republican opposition for months has stalled Biden’s request to Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb" target="_blank">for $105 billion more</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine, Israel and other national security objectives. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that there was no funding left for additional military aid packages to Ukraine.

The U.S. has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine, including big systems such as air defense. The end-use monitoring was required for gear that had sensitive technology and was smaller, making it more vulnerable to arms trafficking.

The Pentagon inspector general’s report said that the Defense Department had failed to maintain an accurate serial-number inventory of those defense articles for Ukraine as required.

Reasons for the shortfall in monitoring included limited staffing; the fact that procedures for carrying out end-use monitoring in a war zone weren’t put in place until December 2022; restrictions on movement for monitors within Ukraine; and a lack of internal controls on inventory, the report said.

While the U.S. had improved monitoring since the first year of the war, “significant personnel limitations and accountability challenges remain,” auditors said; full accounting of the gear was impossible as long as those shortfalls remained, they said.

Kirby said administration officials “has for many months now been interested in improving accountability over the end use of material that is provided to Ukraine.”

The audit didn’t attempt to determine whether any of the assistance had been diverted. It noted the Defense Department inspector-general’s office now had people stationed in Ukraine, and that its criminal investigators were still looking into allegations of criminal misuse of the security assistance.

Defense Department officials told auditors they expected to have systems for improved oversight in place this year and next.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650881393752.png" alt="U.S. Airmen prepare supply crates containing Stinger anti-aircraft systems, Javelin anti-armor systems, and other equipment bound for Ukraine at Dover Air Force Base in April 2022 -photo U.S.Defense Department" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Airmen prepare supply crates containing Stinger anti-aircraft systems, Javelin anti-armor systems, and other equipment bound for Ukraine at Dover Air Force Base in April 2022 -photo U.S.Defense Department</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Shortfalls in required monitoring by American officials mean the U.S. cannot track more than $1 billion in weapons and military equipment provided to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-zelenskyy-lithuania-estonia-latvia-22ee93052cc1a6f21ea5ab586f42a3de" target="_blank">Ukraine to fight invading Russian forces</a>, according to a Pentagon audit released Thursday.The findings mean that 59% of $1.7 billion in defense gear that the U.S. has provided Ukraine and was directed to guard against misuse or theft remained “delinquent,” the report by the Defense Department’s office of the inspector-general, the watchdog body for the Pentagon, said.While Biden administration officials stressed Thursday that there was no evidence the weapons had been stolen, the audit undermines two years of lavish assurances from the administration that rigorous monitoring would keep U.S. military aid given to Ukraine from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-congress-funding-accountability-billions-015462075b37bd90bdcedda5286d2e93" target="_blank">being misused</a>. That’s despite the country’s longstanding reputation for corruption.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695389171060.png" alt="In September Ukraine President Zelensykk met with Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III -Photo Department of Defense" />
 <figcaption>In September Ukraine President Zelensykk met with Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III -Photo Department of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>“There remains no credible evidence of illicit diversion of U.S.-provided advanced conventional weapons from Ukraine,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters. Citing what he said was Russian disinformation to the contrary, Ryder added, “The fact is, we observed the Ukrainians employing these capabilities on the battlefield. We’re seeing them use them effectively.”<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden" target="_blank">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;is already struggling to win congressional approval for more U.S. military and financial aid to Ukrainian government forces, which are struggling to drive out Russian forces that pushed deeper into the country in February 2022. The audit findings are likely to make Biden’s task even harder.House Republican opposition for months has stalled Biden’s request to Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb" target="_blank">for $105 billion more</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine, Israel and other national security objectives. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that there was no funding left for additional military aid packages to Ukraine.The U.S. has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine, including big systems such as air defense. The end-use monitoring was required for gear that had sensitive technology and was smaller, making it more vulnerable to arms trafficking.The Pentagon inspector general’s report said that the Defense Department had failed to maintain an accurate serial-number inventory of those defense articles for Ukraine as required.Reasons for the shortfall in monitoring included limited staffing; the fact that procedures for carrying out end-use monitoring in a war zone weren’t put in place until December 2022; restrictions on movement for monitors within Ukraine; and a lack of internal controls on inventory, the report said.While the U.S. had improved monitoring since the first year of the war, “significant personnel limitations and accountability challenges remain,” auditors said; full accounting of the gear was impossible as long as those shortfalls remained, they said.Kirby said administration officials “has for many months now been interested in improving accountability over the end use of material that is provided to Ukraine.”The audit didn’t attempt to determine whether any of the assistance had been diverted. It noted the Defense Department inspector-general’s office now had people stationed in Ukraine, and that its criminal investigators were still looking into allegations of criminal misuse of the security assistance.Defense Department officials told auditors they expected to have systems for improved oversight in place this year and next.

Report: US failed to track about $1 billion in arms sent to Ukraine

LINCOLN, NE&nbsp;– Governor Jim Pillen announced the retirement of Chief Information Officer Ed Toner. His last day with the OCIO will be February 16.

Mark Neemann, a deputy with the OCIO, will serve as interim CIO during the transition and until Gov. Pillen appoints a new chief information officer.

Gov. Pillen thanked Toner for his years of service to the people of the State of Nebraska and wished him well in future endeavors.

A national search, undertaken by the executive search firm Ford Webb Associates, will begin immediately for a new CIO.&nbsp;

LINCOLN, NE&nbsp;– Governor Jim Pillen announced the retirement of Chief Information Officer Ed Toner. His last day with the OCIO will be February 16.Mark Neemann, a deputy with the OCIO, will serve as interim CIO during the transition and until Gov. Pillen appoints a new chief information officer.Gov. Pillen thanked Toner for his years of service to the people of the State of Nebraska and wished him well in future endeavors.A national search, undertaken by the executive search firm Ford Webb Associates, will begin immediately for a new CIO.&nbsp;

Gov. Pillen Announces Retirement of State Chief Information Officer

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/12/state-senator-seeks-to-rein-in-attorney-generals-office-power-to-issue-advisory-opinions/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — A Lincoln senator has fired a legislative dart across the bow of powers held by the Nebraska Attorney General’S Office.

State Sen. Danielle Conrad introduced a bill Friday to diminish the AG’s authority when it comes to advisory legal opinions to the Legislature.

Conrad said Attorney General Mike Hilgers “abused his authority” and “weaponized” his current powers, which are granted by the Legislature, to issue legal opinions that helped&nbsp;the executive branch defy state law.

Legislative Bill 1191 was inspired by a nonbinding advisory opinion&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/08/16/attorney-generals-opinion-casts-doubt-on-powers-of-legislatures-inspectors-general/">issued by Hilgers in August</a>, which concluded that two inspectors general offices created by the Legislature were violating the separation of power clause of the State Constitution via broad access to agency records and facilities.

The opinion led to blocking the IGs — created to investigate cases of death and serious abuse in state prisons and the child welfare system —&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/13/state-ombudsmans-office-says-health-agency-is-blocking-it-from-law-required-inspections/">as well as the State Ombudsman’s Office,</a>&nbsp;from visiting state prisons and other institutions, and from records they had routinely received.

That, Conrad said Friday, “has&nbsp;frustrated important oversight of our most troubled state agencies.”

The Ombudsman’s Office, which includes the IGs, has had the authority to investigate and resolve complaints from the public, inmates and state wards for over 50 years, the senator said.

Latest salvo in separation of powers fight

The Attorney General’s Office declined to comment, but the bill represents the latest salvo in the controversy over whether the inspectors general can continue to fulfill their roles.

Under LB 1169, the AG could still issue advisory opinions, but if the AG or a state agency seeks to declare a state statute unconstitutional, it would have to go to court to do so, Conrad said.

“If they don’t want to comply with the law, they should go to court,” she said. “Not run to the Attorney General.”&nbsp;

Hilgers,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/20/inspector-general-controversy-aired-at-nebraska-college-of-law-discussion/">during a panel discussion in November</a>, said that the State Constitution is clear and that the IGs have more access to information than senators themselves.

The speaker of the Legislature, Sen. John Arch, has said he would introduce legislation this session to seek to clarify the role of the IGs in hopes of<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/07/speaker-says-legislature-pursuing-bill-not-lawsuit-to-resolve-separation-of-powers-dispute/">&nbsp;avoiding a legal fight over constitutional powers.</a>

Conrad announced plans Friday to also introduce a bill to restore the investigative powers of the&nbsp;Inspectors General for Child Welfare and the Department of Correctional Services.&nbsp;

She said her bill is designed to “not concede too much” to the other branches of government. Conrad said that the State Constitution has granted the Legislature “oversight” authority over state agencies and that it must be protected.

In addition, Conrad introduced a bill Friday to allow legal claims against the state in cases of serious bodily injury or death of a state prison inmate or state ward.

The state enjoys “sovereign immunity” against most legal claims based on a centuries-old, common-law doctrine that “the king” cannot be sued.

But a couple of recent Nebraska Supreme Court rulings have served to expand sovereign immunity unreasonably, according to some lawyers, and grant protection even in cases where state decisions negligently led to deaths and injuries.

One case involved Terry Berry, a 22-year-old prison inmate who was choked to death in 2017 by his cellmate. Berry’s family sued, maintaining that prison officials should have foreseen the fatal assault because the cellmate, who was serving life for murder, had said he would assault Berry if he was forced to share a cell with him.

Among other bills introduced Friday,&nbsp;Lincoln Sen. Anna Wishart and five other senators want to establish an incentive program for “intergenerational care facilities,” that offer nursing care for seniors as well as day care for children.

LB 1178 would set up a grant program, with $300,000 in funding, to help nursing homes develop child care facilities.

Wishart said such facilities can help workforce issues by allowing employees to have on-site child care; can reduce depression and isolation of seniors; and can more efficiently address two problems at once — the need for child care and senior care.

“What drew me to it were the social opportunities — senior citizens are becoming lonelier,” she said. “There’s such a mutual benefit for both the seniors and the kids.”

The senator said pilot projects across the state, particularly in Adams, have shown success in such intergenerational care.

Nebraskans could get an income tax credit for installing a reverse osmosis system at their home under LB 1184, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar and Sumner Sen. Teresa Ibach.

Such filtration systems remove nitrates from drinking water. A person would have to show that the nitrate level in their water was above 10 parts per million, which is the level deemed hazardous to human health.

The state has recently been&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/deadline-extended-for-grant-program-to-remove-nitrates-from-private-wells/">offering the filtration systems free</a>.

A person videotaping or recording the work of a law enforcement officer would be guilty of obstructing an officer unless they were more than 10 feet away from the officer under LB 1185, introduced by Kearney Sen. John Lowe.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705148785406.jpeg" alt="The Sower atop the Nebraska State Capitol (Rebecca S. Gratz for Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The Sower atop the Nebraska State Capitol (Rebecca S. Gratz for Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Paul Hammel<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/12/state-senator-seeks-to-rein-in-attorney-generals-office-power-to-issue-advisory-opinions/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — A Lincoln senator has fired a legislative dart across the bow of powers held by the Nebraska Attorney General’S Office.State Sen. Danielle Conrad introduced a bill Friday to diminish the AG’s authority when it comes to advisory legal opinions to the Legislature.Conrad said Attorney General Mike Hilgers “abused his authority” and “weaponized” his current powers, which are granted by the Legislature, to issue legal opinions that helped&nbsp;the executive branch defy state law.<h2>Battle over inspectors general</h2>Legislative Bill 1191 was inspired by a nonbinding advisory opinion&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/08/16/attorney-generals-opinion-casts-doubt-on-powers-of-legislatures-inspectors-general/">issued by Hilgers in August</a>, which concluded that two inspectors general offices created by the Legislature were violating the separation of power clause of the State Constitution via broad access to agency records and facilities.The opinion led to blocking the IGs — created to investigate cases of death and serious abuse in state prisons and the child welfare system —&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/13/state-ombudsmans-office-says-health-agency-is-blocking-it-from-law-required-inspections/">as well as the State Ombudsman’s Office,</a>&nbsp;from visiting state prisons and other institutions, and from records they had routinely received.That, Conrad said Friday, “has&nbsp;frustrated important oversight of our most troubled state agencies.”The Ombudsman’s Office, which includes the IGs, has had the authority to investigate and resolve complaints from the public, inmates and state wards for over 50 years, the senator said.<h2>Latest salvo in separation of powers fight</h2>The Attorney General’s Office declined to comment, but the bill represents the latest salvo in the controversy over whether the inspectors general can continue to fulfill their roles.Under LB 1169, the AG could still issue advisory opinions, but if the AG or a state agency seeks to declare a state statute unconstitutional, it would have to go to court to do so, Conrad said.“If they don’t want to comply with the law, they should go to court,” she said. “Not run to the Attorney General.”&nbsp;Hilgers,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/20/inspector-general-controversy-aired-at-nebraska-college-of-law-discussion/">during a panel discussion in November</a>, said that the State Constitution is clear and that the IGs have more access to information than senators themselves.The speaker of the Legislature, Sen. John Arch, has said he would introduce legislation this session to seek to clarify the role of the IGs in hopes of<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/07/speaker-says-legislature-pursuing-bill-not-lawsuit-to-resolve-separation-of-powers-dispute/">&nbsp;avoiding a legal fight over constitutional powers.</a>Conrad announced plans Friday to also introduce a bill to restore the investigative powers of the&nbsp;Inspectors General for Child Welfare and the Department of Correctional Services.&nbsp;She said her bill is designed to “not concede too much” to the other branches of government. Conrad said that the State Constitution has granted the Legislature “oversight” authority over state agencies and that it must be protected.<h2>Sovereign immunity</h2>In addition, Conrad introduced a bill Friday to allow legal claims against the state in cases of serious bodily injury or death of a state prison inmate or state ward.The state enjoys “sovereign immunity” against most legal claims based on a centuries-old, common-law doctrine that “the king” cannot be sued.But a couple of recent Nebraska Supreme Court rulings have served to expand sovereign immunity unreasonably, according to some lawyers, and grant protection even in cases where state decisions negligently led to deaths and injuries.One case involved Terry Berry, a 22-year-old prison inmate who was choked to death in 2017 by his cellmate. Berry’s family sued, maintaining that prison officials should have foreseen the fatal assault because the cellmate, who was serving life for murder, had said he would assault Berry if he was forced to share a cell with him.<h2>Senior care, day care</h2>Among other bills introduced Friday,&nbsp;Lincoln Sen. Anna Wishart and five other senators want to establish an incentive program for “intergenerational care facilities,” that offer nursing care for seniors as well as day care for children.LB 1178 would set up a grant program, with $300,000 in funding, to help nursing homes develop child care facilities.Wishart said such facilities can help workforce issues by allowing employees to have on-site child care; can reduce depression and isolation of seniors; and can more efficiently address two problems at once — the need for child care and senior care.“What drew me to it were the social opportunities — senior citizens are becoming lonelier,” she said. “There’s such a mutual benefit for both the seniors and the kids.”The senator said pilot projects across the state, particularly in Adams, have shown success in such intergenerational care.<h2>Reverse osmosis tax credit</h2>Nebraskans could get an income tax credit for installing a reverse osmosis system at their home under LB 1184, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar and Sumner Sen. Teresa Ibach.Such filtration systems remove nitrates from drinking water. A person would have to show that the nitrate level in their water was above 10 parts per million, which is the level deemed hazardous to human health.The state has recently been&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/deadline-extended-for-grant-program-to-remove-nitrates-from-private-wells/">offering the filtration systems free</a>.<h2>Recording law enforcement</h2>A person videotaping or recording the work of a law enforcement officer would be guilty of obstructing an officer unless they were more than 10 feet away from the officer under LB 1185, introduced by Kearney Sen. John Lowe.

State senator seeks to rein in Attorney General’s Office power to issue advisory opinions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LINCOLN, NE&nbsp;– Governor Jim Pillen issued Executive Order 24-1 to provide an emergency waiver of federal hours of service requirements for fuel truck drivers, to prevent shortages. Nebraska is experiencing extreme cold temperatures, increasing electricity demand, which in turn increases pressure on power districts’ reserve fuel supplies. The order temporarily allows drivers to work extended hours to haul residential heating fuels and oils or fuel used to generate power for residential heat.

The Governor’s order will help reduce delays to ensure power districts have the fuel reserves needed to keep up with surging demand. It is effective immediately and will remain in effect through February 11, 2024, at 11:59 pm.

The complete text of the executive order is attached.

<a href="https://governor.nebraska.gov/sites/governor.nebraska.gov/files/doc/press/EO-24-1.pdf">Executive Order 24-1</a>

LINCOLN, NE&nbsp;– Governor Jim Pillen issued Executive Order 24-1 to provide an emergency waiver of federal hours of service requirements for fuel truck drivers, to prevent shortages. Nebraska is experiencing extreme cold temperatures, increasing electricity demand, which in turn increases pressure on power districts’ reserve fuel supplies. The order temporarily allows drivers to work extended hours to haul residential heating fuels and oils or fuel used to generate power for residential heat.The Governor’s order will help reduce delays to ensure power districts have the fuel reserves needed to keep up with surging demand. It is effective immediately and will remain in effect through February 11, 2024, at 11:59 pm.The complete text of the executive order is attached.<figure>
 <img src="https://governor.nebraska.gov/modules/file/icons/application-pdf.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://governor.nebraska.gov/sites/governor.nebraska.gov/files/doc/press/EO-24-1.pdf">Executive Order 24-1</a>

Gov. Pillen Temporarily Waves Regulations for Truckers Hauling Critically Needed Fuel Due to Extreme Cold Temperatures

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military early Saturday struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that it had determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk, a day after the U.S. and Britain launched&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels</a>.

Associated Press journalists in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, heard one loud explosion.

U.S. Central Command said the "follow-on action" early Saturday local time against a Houthi radar site was conducted by the Navy destroyer USS Carney using Tomahawk land attack missiles.

The first day of strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets. President Joe Biden had warned Friday that the Iranian-backed Houthis could face further strikes.

Biden was asked on Saturday, as he left the White House to spend the weekend at Camp David, about the message sent to Iran from the U.S. strikes against the Houthis: "We delivered it privately and we’re confident we’re well prepared,” he told reporters.

The latest strike came after the U.S. Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours after the initial airstrikes. The warning came as Yemen’s Houthis vowed retaliation, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel's war in Gaza.

U.S. military and White House officials said they expected the Houthis to try to strike back.

The U.S.-led bombardment came in response to a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">campaign of drone and missile attacks</a>&nbsp;on commercial ships in the vital Red Sea. It killed at least five people and wounded six, the Houthis said. The U.S. said the strikes, in two waves, took aim at targets in 28 different locations across Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

“We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior along with our allies," Biden told reporters Friday. Biden also pushed back against some lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, who said he should have sought congressional authorization before carrying out the strikes.

“They’re wrong, and I sent up this morning when the strikes occurred exactly what happened," Biden said.

The Pentagon said&nbsp;<a href="https://pronto.associatedpress.com/web/stories/details/cc06d9186a00d1f22bea6b9c14dda12a.16.19.json?type=edit">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin</a>&nbsp;ordered the military action from the hospital where he is recovering from complications following prostate cancer surgery.

The White House said in November that it was considering redesignating the Houthis as a terrorist organization after they began their targeting of civilian vessels. The administration formally delisted the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organization” and “specially designated global terrorists” in 2021, undoing a move by President Donald Trump

Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Friday's U.S. strikes were largely in low-populated areas, and the number of those killed would not be high. He said the strikes hit weapons, radar and targeting sites, including in remote mountain areas.

As the bombing lit the predawn sky over multiple sites held by the rebels, it forced the world to again focus on Yemen's yearslong war, which began when the Houthis seized the country's capital.

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

The Houthis’ military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said in a recorded address that the U.S. strikes would “not go unanswered or unpunished.”

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

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

It remained unclear how extensive the damage was from Friday's strikes, though the Houthis said at least five sites, including airfields, had been attacked.

U.S. Air Forces Central Command said the strikes focused on the Houthi's command and control nodes, munition depots, launching systems, production facilities and air defense radar systems. The strikes involved more than 150 precision-guided munitions and Tomahawk missiles.

The United Kingdom said strikes hit a site in Bani allegedly used by the Houthis to launch drones and an airfield in Abbs used to launch cruise missiles and drones.

In a separate development, Iran released footage of its seizure of an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that once had been at the center of a dispute between Tehran and Washington.

In the footage, a helicopter hovers over the deck of the St. Nikolas. Iran’s navy seized the vessel Thursday. The vessel had been known earlier as the Suez Rajan. The U.S. seized 1 million barrels of sanctioned Iranian oil off the vessel last year.

In Yemen, Hussein al-Ezzi, a Houthi official in their Foreign Ministry, said, “America and Britain will undoubtedly have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression.”

The Red Sea route is a crucial waterway, and attacks there have caused severe disruptions to global trade. Benchmark Brent crude oil traded up some 4% Friday at over $80 a barrel. Tesla, meanwhile, said it would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tesla-germany-factory-production-halt-red-sea-2a13fa207ac3d4670264e47bba427e10">temporarily halt</a>&nbsp;most production at its German factory because of attacks in the Red Sea.

In Saada, the Houthis' stronghold in northwest Yemen, hundreds gathered for a rally Friday, denouncing the U.S. and Israel. Another drew thousands in Sanaa, the capital.

Houthis now control territory that is home to some two-thirds of Yemen’s population of 34 million. War and misgovernment have made Yemen one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, and the World Food Program considers the vast majority of Yemen’s people as food-insecure.

Yemen has been targeted by U.S. military action over the last four American presidencies. A campaign of drone strikes began under President George W. Bush to target the local affiliate of al-Qaida, attacks that have continued under the Biden administration. Meanwhile, the U.S. has launched raids and other military operations amid the war in Yemen.

That war began when the Houthis swept into Sanaa in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition including the United Arab Emirates launched a war to back Yemen's exiled government in 2015, quickly morphing the conflict into a regional confrontation as Iran backed the Houthis with weapons and other support.

The conflict, however, has slowed as the Houthis maintain their grip on the territory they hold. In March, Saudi Arabia reached a Chinese-mediated deal to restart relations with Iran in hopes of ultimately withdrawing from the war.

Iran condemned Friday's attack in a statement from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani. “Arbitrary attacks will have no result other than fueling insecurity and instability in the region," he said.

At an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council late Friday, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the U.S., U.K. and allies of “blatant armed aggression” against Yemen and warned “if the escalation continues, the entire Middle East could encounter a catastrophe.”

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and U.K. Ambassador Barbara Woodward insisted the attacks were in self-defense. “So de-escalation needs to happen," Thomas-Greenfield said. "It needs to happen from the Houthis who are putting all of our shipping lines in jeopardy.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705165678473.png" alt="President Biden during a stop at Nowhere Coffee Co. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Allentown, on Friday-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>President Biden during a stop at Nowhere Coffee Co. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Allentown, on Friday-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military early Saturday struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that it had determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk, a day after the U.S. and Britain launched&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels</a>.Associated Press journalists in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, heard one loud explosion.U.S. Central Command said the "follow-on action" early Saturday local time against a Houthi radar site was conducted by the Navy destroyer USS Carney using Tomahawk land attack missiles.The first day of strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets. President Joe Biden had warned Friday that the Iranian-backed Houthis could face further strikes.Biden was asked on Saturday, as he left the White House to spend the weekend at Camp David, about the message sent to Iran from the U.S. strikes against the Houthis: "We delivered it privately and we’re confident we’re well prepared,” he told reporters.The latest strike came after the U.S. Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours after the initial airstrikes. The warning came as Yemen’s Houthis vowed retaliation, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel's war in Gaza.U.S. military and White House officials said they expected the Houthis to try to strike back.The U.S.-led bombardment came in response to a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">campaign of drone and missile attacks</a>&nbsp;on commercial ships in the vital Red Sea. It killed at least five people and wounded six, the Houthis said. The U.S. said the strikes, in two waves, took aim at targets in 28 different locations across Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.“We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior along with our allies," Biden told reporters Friday. Biden also pushed back against some lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, who said he should have sought congressional authorization before carrying out the strikes.“They’re wrong, and I sent up this morning when the strikes occurred exactly what happened," Biden said.The Pentagon said&nbsp;<a href="https://pronto.associatedpress.com/web/stories/details/cc06d9186a00d1f22bea6b9c14dda12a.16.19.json?type=edit">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin</a>&nbsp;ordered the military action from the hospital where he is recovering from complications following prostate cancer surgery.The White House said in November that it was considering redesignating the Houthis as a terrorist organization after they began their targeting of civilian vessels. The administration formally delisted the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organization” and “specially designated global terrorists” in 2021, undoing a move by President Donald TrumpLt. Gen. Douglas Sims, director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Friday's U.S. strikes were largely in low-populated areas, and the number of those killed would not be high. He said the strikes hit weapons, radar and targeting sites, including in remote mountain areas.As the bombing lit the predawn sky over multiple sites held by the rebels, it forced the world to again focus on Yemen's yearslong war, which began when the Houthis seized the country's capital.Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's offensive in Gaza against Hamas</a>. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade and energy shipments.The Houthis’ military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said in a recorded address that the U.S. strikes would “not go unanswered or unpunished.”Though the Biden administration and its allies have tried to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-iran-hezbollah-yemen-0373be2e21b5a832d71f5bf828f67959">calm tensions in the Middle East</a>&nbsp;for weeks and prevent any wider conflict, the strikes threatened to ignite one.Saudi Arabia, which supports the government-in-exile that the Houthis are fighting, sought to distance itself from the attacks as it tries to maintain a delicate détente with Iran and a cease-fire it has in Yemen. The Saudi-led, U.S.-backed war in Yemen has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.It remained unclear how extensive the damage was from Friday's strikes, though the Houthis said at least five sites, including airfields, had been attacked.U.S. Air Forces Central Command said the strikes focused on the Houthi's command and control nodes, munition depots, launching systems, production facilities and air defense radar systems. The strikes involved more than 150 precision-guided munitions and Tomahawk missiles.The United Kingdom said strikes hit a site in Bani allegedly used by the Houthis to launch drones and an airfield in Abbs used to launch cruise missiles and drones.In a separate development, Iran released footage of its seizure of an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that once had been at the center of a dispute between Tehran and Washington.In the footage, a helicopter hovers over the deck of the St. Nikolas. Iran’s navy seized the vessel Thursday. The vessel had been known earlier as the Suez Rajan. The U.S. seized 1 million barrels of sanctioned Iranian oil off the vessel last year.In Yemen, Hussein al-Ezzi, a Houthi official in their Foreign Ministry, said, “America and Britain will undoubtedly have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression.”The Red Sea route is a crucial waterway, and attacks there have caused severe disruptions to global trade. Benchmark Brent crude oil traded up some 4% Friday at over $80 a barrel. Tesla, meanwhile, said it would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tesla-germany-factory-production-halt-red-sea-2a13fa207ac3d4670264e47bba427e10">temporarily halt</a>&nbsp;most production at its German factory because of attacks in the Red Sea.In Saada, the Houthis' stronghold in northwest Yemen, hundreds gathered for a rally Friday, denouncing the U.S. and Israel. Another drew thousands in Sanaa, the capital.Houthis now control territory that is home to some two-thirds of Yemen’s population of 34 million. War and misgovernment have made Yemen one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, and the World Food Program considers the vast majority of Yemen’s people as food-insecure.Yemen has been targeted by U.S. military action over the last four American presidencies. A campaign of drone strikes began under President George W. Bush to target the local affiliate of al-Qaida, attacks that have continued under the Biden administration. Meanwhile, the U.S. has launched raids and other military operations amid the war in Yemen.That war began when the Houthis swept into Sanaa in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition including the United Arab Emirates launched a war to back Yemen's exiled government in 2015, quickly morphing the conflict into a regional confrontation as Iran backed the Houthis with weapons and other support.The conflict, however, has slowed as the Houthis maintain their grip on the territory they hold. In March, Saudi Arabia reached a Chinese-mediated deal to restart relations with Iran in hopes of ultimately withdrawing from the war.Iran condemned Friday's attack in a statement from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani. “Arbitrary attacks will have no result other than fueling insecurity and instability in the region," he said.At an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council late Friday, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the U.S., U.K. and allies of “blatant armed aggression” against Yemen and warned “if the escalation continues, the entire Middle East could encounter a catastrophe.”U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and U.K. Ambassador Barbara Woodward insisted the attacks were in self-defense. “So de-escalation needs to happen," Thomas-Greenfield said. "It needs to happen from the Houthis who are putting all of our shipping lines in jeopardy.”

Biden: US sent ‘private’ message to Iran about terrorist attacks

WASHINGTON (AP)—The Quaker Oats Company has added&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/update-quaker-issues-revised-recall-notice-additional-products-due-possible-health-risk" target="_blank">two dozen additional</a>&nbsp;types of granola bars, cereals and snack foods to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/quaker-oats-granola-recall-salmonella-b4b821bf6c038e2815c788a092279aff" target="_blank">a December recall</a>&nbsp;over possible salmonella contamination.

The company, which is owned by PepsiCo., announced the additional recall in the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/quaker-brand-granola-bars-and-cereals-and-cap-n-crunch-brand-treat-bars-berry-bar" target="_blank">and Canada</a>&nbsp;on Thursday.

The expanded recall includes Quaker Chewy Granola Bars and Cereals, Cap’n Crunch Bars and select cereals, Gamesa Marias Cereal, Gatorade Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Bars, Munchies Munch Mix and snack boxes that contain those products.<a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/175442/download?attachment"> Click here to see</a> the full list of products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received at least 24 reports of adverse events related to the products initially recalled, but no illnesses have been confirmed to be linked to the foods, an agency spokesperson said Friday. Adverse events can include medical problems, but also complaints about off taste or color of a product, defective packaging or other non-medical issues, the official said. FDA will continue to investigate the reports.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-salmonella-cantaloupes-outbreak-9a32fba45d330f89fd0f7565d1fcbc10" target="_blank">Salmonella infections</a>&nbsp;can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. In rare cases, the bacterial infections can be fatal.

Consumers should check their pantries for any of the products listed and throw them away.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.quakerrecallusa.com/" target="_blank">The company’s recall website</a>&nbsp;has additional information and details on reimbursement. ___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702823846753.png" alt="Photo Quaker oats" />
 <figcaption>Photo Quaker oats</figcaption>
 </figure>BY&nbsp;JONEL ALECCIAWASHINGTON (AP)—The Quaker Oats Company has added&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/update-quaker-issues-revised-recall-notice-additional-products-due-possible-health-risk" target="_blank">two dozen additional</a>&nbsp;types of granola bars, cereals and snack foods to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/quaker-oats-granola-recall-salmonella-b4b821bf6c038e2815c788a092279aff" target="_blank">a December recall</a>&nbsp;over possible salmonella contamination.The company, which is owned by PepsiCo., announced the additional recall in the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/quaker-brand-granola-bars-and-cereals-and-cap-n-crunch-brand-treat-bars-berry-bar" target="_blank">and Canada</a>&nbsp;on Thursday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705106811420.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The expanded recall includes Quaker Chewy Granola Bars and Cereals, Cap’n Crunch Bars and select cereals, Gamesa Marias Cereal, Gatorade Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Bars, Munchies Munch Mix and snack boxes that contain those products.<a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/175442/download?attachment"> Click here to see</a> the full list of products.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received at least 24 reports of adverse events related to the products initially recalled, but no illnesses have been confirmed to be linked to the foods, an agency spokesperson said Friday. Adverse events can include medical problems, but also complaints about off taste or color of a product, defective packaging or other non-medical issues, the official said. FDA will continue to investigate the reports.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-salmonella-cantaloupes-outbreak-9a32fba45d330f89fd0f7565d1fcbc10" target="_blank">Salmonella infections</a>&nbsp;can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. In rare cases, the bacterial infections can be fatal.Consumers should check their pantries for any of the products listed and throw them away.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.quakerrecallusa.com/" target="_blank">The company’s recall website</a>&nbsp;has additional information and details on reimbursement. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Quaker Oats expands salmonella recall to additional products

The first day of strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets. President Joe Biden had warned Friday that the Houthis could face further strikes.

The latest strike came after the U.S. Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours after the initial airstrikes. The warning came as Yemen’s Houthis vowed fierce retaliation, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel's war in Gaza.

The U.S.-led bombardment — launched in response to a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">campaign of drone and missile attacks</a>&nbsp;on commercial ships in the vital Red Sea — killed at least five people and wounded six, the Houthis said. The U.S. said the strikes, in two waves, took aim at targets in 28 different locations across Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

“We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior along with our allies," Biden told reporters during a stop in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.

Asked if he believes the Houthis are a terrorist group, Biden responded, “I think they are.” The president in a later exchange with reporters during a stop in Allentown, Pennsylvania, said whether the Houthis are redesignated as such was “irrelevant.”

Biden also pushed back against some lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, who said he should have sought congressional authorization before carrying out the strikes.

As the bombing lit the predawn sky over multiple sites held by the Iranian-backed rebels, it forced the world to again focus on Yemen's yearslong war, which began when the Houthis seized the country's capital.

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

It remained unclear how extensive the damage was from Friday's strikes, though the Houthis said at least five sites, including airfields, had been attacked. The White House said the U.S. military was still assessing the extent the militants' capabilities might have been degraded.

U.S. Air Forces Central Command said the strikes focused on the Houthi's command and control nodes, munition depots, launching systems, production facilities and air defense radar systems. The strikes involved more than 150 precision-guided munitions including air-launched missiles by F/A-18 Super Hornets based on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Tomahawk missiles from the Navy destroyers USS Gravely and USS Mason, the Navy cruiser USS Philippine Sea, and a U.S. submarine.

Yemen has been targeted by U.S. military action over the last four American presidencies. A campaign of drone strikes began under President George W. Bush to target the local affiliate of al-Qaida, attacks that have continued under the Biden administration. Meanwhile, the U.S. has launched raids and other military operations amid the ongoing war in Yemen.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military early Saturday struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that it had determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk, two U.S. officials said.

The first day of strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets. However, the U.S. determined the additional location, a radar site, still presented a threat to maritime traffic, one official said.

The officials spoke anonymously to the AP to discuss an operation that hadn’t yet been publicly announced.

President Joe Biden had warned Friday that the Houthis could face further strikes.

The latest strike came after the U.S. Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours after the U.S. and Britain launched multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels.

The warning came as Yemen’s Houthis vowed fierce retaliation for the U.S.-led&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">strikes</a>, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel's war in Gaza.

Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Friday's U.S. strikes were largely in low-populated areas, and the number of those killed would not be high. He said the strikes hit weapons, radar and targeting sites, including in remote mountain areas.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat and former U.S. intelligence official, welcomed the U.S. strikes but expressed concern Iran was aiming to draw the U.S. deeper into conflict.

“We should be worried about regional escalation,” Slotkin wrote on X. “Iran uses groups like the Houthis to fight their battles, maintain plausible deniability and prevent a direct conflict with the U.S. or others. ... It needs to stop, and my hope is they’ve gotten the message.”

Biden told reporters that Iran has received a clear message. “I already delivered the message to Iran. They know not to do anything," he said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department on Friday announced it imposed sanctions on two firms in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates for allegedly shipping Iranian commodities on behalf of Iran-based Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal. Four vessels owned by the firms were also identified as blocked property.

In Yemen, Hussein al-Ezzi, a Houthi official in their Foreign Ministry, said that “America and Britain will undoubtedly have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression.”

Iran condemned Friday's attack in a statement from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani.

“Arbitrary attacks will have no result other than fueling insecurity and instability in the region," he said.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called on nations not to escalate tensions in the Red Sea. And Russia on Friday condemned the strikes as “illegitimate from the point of view of international law.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705112808392.png" alt="View of aircraft launch for the attack Jan. 11 -image U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>View of aircraft launch for the attack Jan. 11 -image U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military early Saturday struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that it had determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk, a day after the U.S. and Britain launched&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels</a>.Associated Press journalists in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, heard one loud explosion.U.S. Central Command said the "follow-on action" early Saturday local time against a Houthi radar site was conducted by the Navy destroyer USS Carney using Tomahawk land attack missiles.The first day of strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets. President Joe Biden had warned Friday that the Houthis could face further strikes.The latest strike came after the U.S. Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours after the initial airstrikes. The warning came as Yemen’s Houthis vowed fierce retaliation, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel's war in Gaza.U.S. military and White House officials said they expected the Houthis to try to strike back.The U.S.-led bombardment — launched in response to a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">campaign of drone and missile attacks</a>&nbsp;on commercial ships in the vital Red Sea — killed at least five people and wounded six, the Houthis said. The U.S. said the strikes, in two waves, took aim at targets in 28 different locations across Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.“We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior along with our allies," Biden told reporters during a stop in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.Asked if he believes the Houthis are a terrorist group, Biden responded, “I think they are.” The president in a later exchange with reporters during a stop in Allentown, Pennsylvania, said whether the Houthis are redesignated as such was “irrelevant.”Biden also pushed back against some lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, who said he should have sought congressional authorization before carrying out the strikes.“They’re wrong, and I sent up this morning when the strikes occurred exactly what happened," Biden said.The Pentagon said&nbsp;<a href="https://pronto.associatedpress.com/web/stories/details/cc06d9186a00d1f22bea6b9c14dda12a.16.19.json?type=edit">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin</a>&nbsp;ordered the military action from the hospital where he is recovering from complications following prostate cancer surgery.The White House said in November that it was considering redesignating the Houthis as a terrorist organization after they began their targeting of civilian vessels. The administration formally delisted the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organization” and “specially designated global terrorists” in 2021, undoing a move by President Donald TrumpLt. Gen. Douglas Sims, director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Friday's U.S. strikes were largely in low-populated areas, and the number of those killed would not be high. He said the strikes hit weapons, radar and targeting sites, including in remote mountain areas.As the bombing lit the predawn sky over multiple sites held by the Iranian-backed rebels, it forced the world to again focus on Yemen's yearslong war, which began when the Houthis seized the country's capital.Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's offensive in Gaza against Hamas</a>. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade and energy shipments.The Houthis’ military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said in a recorded address that the U.S. strikes would “not go unanswered or unpunished.”Though the Biden administration and its allies have tried to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-iran-hezbollah-yemen-0373be2e21b5a832d71f5bf828f67959">calm tensions in the Middle East</a>&nbsp;for weeks and prevent any wider conflict, the strikes threatened to ignite one.Saudi Arabia — which supports the government-in-exile that the Houthis are fighting — quickly sought to distance itself from the attacks as it seeks to maintain a delicate détente with Iran and a cease-fire it has in Yemen. The Saudi-led, U.S.-backed war in Yemen has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.It remained unclear how extensive the damage was from Friday's strikes, though the Houthis said at least five sites, including airfields, had been attacked. The White House said the U.S. military was still assessing the extent the militants' capabilities might have been degraded.U.S. Air Forces Central Command said the strikes focused on the Houthi's command and control nodes, munition depots, launching systems, production facilities and air defense radar systems. The strikes involved more than 150 precision-guided munitions including air-launched missiles by F/A-18 Super Hornets based on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Tomahawk missiles from the Navy destroyers USS Gravely and USS Mason, the Navy cruiser USS Philippine Sea, and a U.S. submarine.The United Kingdom said strikes hit a site in Bani allegedly used by the Houthis to launch drones and an airfield in Abbs used to launch cruise missiles and drones.In a separate development, Iran released footage of its seizure of an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that once had been at the center of a dispute between Tehran and Washington.In the footage, a helicopter hovers over the deck of the St. Nikolas. Iran’s navy seized the vessel Thursday. The vessel had been known earlier as the Suez Rajan. The U.S. seized 1 million barrels of sanctioned Iranian oil off the vessel last year.In Yemen, Hussein al-Ezzi, a Houthi official in their Foreign Ministry, said, “America and Britain will undoubtedly have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression.”The Red Sea route is a crucial waterway, and attacks there have caused severe disruptions to global trade. Benchmark Brent crude oil traded up some 4% Friday at over $80 a barrel. Tesla, meanwhile, said it would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tesla-germany-factory-production-halt-red-sea-2a13fa207ac3d4670264e47bba427e10">temporarily halt</a>&nbsp;most production at its German factory because of attacks in the Red Sea.In Saada, the Houthis' stronghold in northwest Yemen, hundreds gathered for a rally Friday, denouncing the U.S. and Israel. Another drew thousands in Sanaa, the capital.Houthis now control territory that is home to some two-thirds of Yemen’s population of 34 million. War and misgovernment have made Yemen one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, and the World Food Program considers the vast majority of Yemen’s people as food-insecure.Yemen has been targeted by U.S. military action over the last four American presidencies. A campaign of drone strikes began under President George W. Bush to target the local affiliate of al-Qaida, attacks that have continued under the Biden administration. Meanwhile, the U.S. has launched raids and other military operations amid the ongoing war in Yemen.That war began when the Houthis swept into Sanaa in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition including the United Arab Emirates launched a war to back Yemen's exiled government in 2015, quickly morphing the conflict into a regional confrontation as Iran backed the Houthis with weapons and other support.The conflict, however, has slowed as the Houthis maintain their grip on the territory they hold. In March, Saudi Arabia reached a Chinese-mediated deal to restart relations with Iran in hopes of ultimately withdrawing from the war.Iran condemned Friday's attack in a statement from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani. “Arbitrary attacks will have no result other than fueling insecurity and instability in the region," he said.At an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council late Friday, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the U.S., U.K. and allies of “blatant armed aggression” against Yemen and warned “if the escalation continues, the entire Middle East could encounter a catastrophe.”WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military early Saturday struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that it had determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk, two U.S. officials said.Associated Press journalists in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, heard one loud explosion.The first day of strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets. However, the U.S. determined the additional location, a radar site, still presented a threat to maritime traffic, one official said.The officials spoke anonymously to the AP to discuss an operation that hadn’t yet been publicly announced.President Joe Biden had warned Friday that the Houthis could face further strikes.The latest strike came after the U.S. Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours after the U.S. and Britain launched multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels.The warning came as Yemen’s Houthis vowed fierce retaliation for the U.S.-led&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">strikes</a>, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel's war in Gaza.U.S. military and White House officials said they expected the Houthis to try to strike back.The U.S.-led bombardment — launched in response to a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">campaign of drone and missile attacks</a>&nbsp;on commercial ships in the vital Red Sea — killed at least five people and wounded six, the Houthis said. The U.S. said the strikes, in two waves, took aim at targets in 28 different locations across Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.“We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior along with our allies," Biden told reporters during a stop in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.Asked if he believes the Houthis are a terrorist group, Biden responded, “I think they are.” The president in a later exchange with reporters during a stop in Allentown, Pennsylvania, said whether the Houthis are redesignated as such was “irrelevant.”Biden also pushed back against some lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, who said he should have sought congressional authorization before carrying out the strikes.“They’re wrong, and I sent up this morning when the strikes occurred exactly what happened," Biden said.The Pentagon said&nbsp;<a href="https://pronto.associatedpress.com/web/stories/details/cc06d9186a00d1f22bea6b9c14dda12a.16.19.json?type=edit">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin</a>&nbsp;ordered the military action from the hospital where he is recovering from complications following prostate cancer surgery.The White House said in November that it was considering redesignating the Houthis as a terrorist organization after they began their targeting of civilian vessels. The administration formally delisted the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organization” and “specially designated global terrorists” in 2021, undoing a move by President Donald TrumpLt. Gen. Douglas Sims, director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Friday's U.S. strikes were largely in low-populated areas, and the number of those killed would not be high. He said the strikes hit weapons, radar and targeting sites, including in remote mountain areas.As the bombing lit the predawn sky over multiple sites held by the Iranian-backed rebels, it forced the world to again focus on Yemen's yearslong war, which began when the Houthis seized the country's capital.Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's offensive in Gaza against Hamas</a>. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade and energy shipments.The Houthis’ military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said in a recorded address that the U.S. strikes would “not go unanswered or unpunished.”Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat and former U.S. intelligence official, welcomed the U.S. strikes but expressed concern Iran was aiming to draw the U.S. deeper into conflict.“We should be worried about regional escalation,” Slotkin wrote on X. “Iran uses groups like the Houthis to fight their battles, maintain plausible deniability and prevent a direct conflict with the U.S. or others. ... It needs to stop, and my hope is they’ve gotten the message.”Biden told reporters that Iran has received a clear message. “I already delivered the message to Iran. They know not to do anything," he said.Though the Biden administration and its allies have tried to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-iran-hezbollah-yemen-0373be2e21b5a832d71f5bf828f67959">calm tensions in the Middle East</a>&nbsp;for weeks and prevent any wider conflict, the strikes threatened to ignite one.Saudi Arabia — which supports the government-in-exile that the Houthis are fighting — quickly sought to distance itself from the attacks as it seeks to maintain a delicate détente with Iran and a cease-fire it has in Yemen. The Saudi-led, U.S.-backed war in Yemen has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.It remained unclear how extensive the damage was from Friday's strikes, though the Houthis said at least five sites, including airfields, had been attacked. The White House said the U.S. military was still assessing the extent the militants' capabilities might have been degraded.U.S. Air Forces Central Command said the strikes focused on the Houthi's command and control nodes, munition depots, launching systems, production facilities and air defense radar systems. The strikes involved more than 150 precision-guided munitions including air-launched missiles by F/A-18 Super Hornets based on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Tomahawk missiles from the Navy destroyers USS Gravely and USS Mason, the Navy cruiser USS Philippine Sea, and a U.S. submarine.The United Kingdom said strikes hit a site in Bani allegedly used by the Houthis to launch drones and an airfield in Abbs used to launch cruise missiles and drones.Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department on Friday announced it imposed sanctions on two firms in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates for allegedly shipping Iranian commodities on behalf of Iran-based Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal. Four vessels owned by the firms were also identified as blocked property.In a separate development, Iran released footage of its seizure of an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that once had been at the center of a dispute between Tehran and Washington.In the footage, a helicopter hovers over the deck of the St. Nikolas. Iran’s navy seized the vessel Thursday. The vessel had been known earlier as the Suez Rajan. The U.S. seized 1 million barrels of sanctioned Iranian oil off the vessel last year.In Yemen, Hussein al-Ezzi, a Houthi official in their Foreign Ministry, said that “America and Britain will undoubtedly have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression.”The Red Sea route is a crucial waterway, and attacks there have caused severe disruptions to global trade. Benchmark Brent crude oil traded up some 4% Friday at over $80 a barrel. Tesla, meanwhile, said it would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tesla-germany-factory-production-halt-red-sea-2a13fa207ac3d4670264e47bba427e10">temporarily halt</a>&nbsp;most production at its German factory because of attacks in the Red Sea.In Saada, the Houthis' stronghold in northwest Yemen, hundreds gathered for a rally Friday, denouncing the U.S. and Israel. Another drew thousands in Sanaa, the capital.Houthis now control territory that is home to some two-thirds of Yemen’s population of 34 million. War and misgovernment have made Yemen one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, and the World Food Program considers the vast majority of Yemen’s people as food-insecure.Yemen has been targeted by U.S. military action over the last four American presidencies. A campaign of drone strikes began under President George W. Bush to target the local affiliate of al-Qaida, attacks that have continued under the Biden administration. Meanwhile, the U.S. has launched raids and other military operations amid the ongoing war in Yemen.That war began when the Houthis swept into Sanaa in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition including the United Arab Emirates launched a war to back Yemen's exiled government in 2015, quickly morphing the conflict into a regional confrontation as Iran backed the Houthis with weapons and other support.The conflict, however, has slowed as the Houthis maintain their grip on the territory they hold. In March, Saudi Arabia reached a Chinese-mediated deal to restart relations with Iran in hopes of ultimately withdrawing from the war.Iran condemned Friday's attack in a statement from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani.“Arbitrary attacks will have no result other than fueling insecurity and instability in the region," he said.In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called on nations not to escalate tensions in the Red Sea. And Russia on Friday condemned the strikes as “illegitimate from the point of view of international law.”

US strikes more terrorist sites after warning ships to avoid parts of Red Sea

Republican-led state legislatures are considering a new round of bills restricting medical care for transgender youths — and in some cases, adults — returning to the issue the year after a wave of high-profile bills became law and sparked lawsuits.

As legislatures begin their work for the year, lawmakers in several states have proposed enacting or strengthening restrictions on puberty-blocking drugs and hormone treatments for minors. Bills to govern the pronouns kids can use at school, which sports teams students can play on, and the bathrooms they can use are back, as well, along with efforts to restrict drag performances and some books and school curriculums.

LGBTQ+ advocates say that most of the states inclined to pass bans on gender-affirming care have done so, and that they now expect them to build on those restrictions and expand them to include adults. With legislatures in most states up for election this year, transgender youths and their families worry about again being targeted by conservatives using them as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-texas-pennsylvania-campaigns-elections-5bb0f7fb8c162d9f4da5c935271bc255">wedge issue.</a>

They include Mandy Wong, a mother in Santa Barbara, California, who said she's tired of conservative politicians using transgender children as “campaign fuel.” While she doesn’t expect such a policy to pass in her Democrat-led state, Wong said, her child and his friends feel emotionally drained.

“It was just heartbreaking to tell him ... I don’t think this is going away anytime soon,” she said. “All the negative attention trans kids, even us as parents, have gotten because of these proposals doesn’t seem to be dying down.”

In Ohio,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-dewine-transgender-surgery-minors-41c1f50cd115264625fd9d88cb1b78ce">House Republicans voted Wednesday</a>&nbsp;to override Republican Gov. Mike DeWine's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-ohio-minors-veto-c615cafed4fc81d32010d47d8853efaf">veto</a>&nbsp;of legislation banning all forms of gender-affirming care for minors. The Senate is expected to follow suit this month. Despite his veto, DeWine signed an order banning the rare occurrence of gender-transition surgeries before adulthood. He also proposed rules mandating a care team for children and adults that critics say could severely restrict access for all patients.

In South Carolina, one of the few Southern states without a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-carolina-republican-transgender-health-children-ec81678773a8ea92320f94c7a7501907">House committee voted Wednesday</a>&nbsp;to send a ban to the House floor. The bill, sponsored by the state’s Republican House speaker, would also prevent Medicaid from covering such treatments for anyone under age 26. And last week in New Hampshire, the House voted to ban gender-transition surgeries for minors.

At least 22 states have enacted bans on gender-affirming care for children, with most of them approved in the past year. Those who support the bans say they want to protect children and have concerns about the treatments themselves. Major medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-genderaffirming-care-pediatricians-176134f1b6ee1f2c146fef9a40cf351e">American Academy of Pediatrics</a>, oppose the bans and have endorsed such care, saying it’s safe when administered properly.

Last year's limits included a Florida law that has made it nearly impossible for many&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-transgender-health-care-adults-e7ae55eec634923e6593a4c0685969b2">transgender adults</a>&nbsp;in the state to receive gender-affirming care. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has promoted that ban as one of his accomplishments as he seeks the Republican presidential nomination.

“They’ll stop at nothing, so we don’t know what exactly to anticipate (in 2024),” said Katy Erker-Lynch, executive director of PROMO, an advocacy group in Missouri, where lawmakers have proposed more than 20 bills targeting LGBTQ+ people.

Bills filed in Missouri include efforts to remove two provisions that were key in overcoming a Democratic filibuster to that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-missouri-republican-govenrnor-sports-d0d3ef01544dc7c22592d8ca2464138b">state's ban</a>&nbsp;on gender-affirming care for youths. The new Missouri Freedom Caucus is prioritizing a bill that would make the ban on gender-affirming care for minors permanent, removing a provision that allows it to expire in 2027. Legislation would also remove a clause that allows minors who began the care before the law went into effect to continue with it.

Republican state Sen. Mike Moon, who is sponsoring bills both to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/pdf-bill/intro/SB776.pdf">repeal the expiration date</a>&nbsp;on the medical restrictions and to require schools to tell parents if a student wants to go by a name or pronoun other than the one the parent used to register the child for school, compared transgender medical restrictions for minors to age thresholds in laws for smoking, drinking and driving.

“Children, especially younger children, don’t make good decisions, and they’re not certain exactly what reality is sometimes,” Moon said.

LGBTQ+ activists call laws that require schools to tell parents about a student's desire to change names or pronouns&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-students-pronouns-names-ec0b2c5de329d82c563ffb95262935f3">“forced outing,”</a>&nbsp;saying schools might be the only safe place for a transgender or nonbinary student to express their gender identify.

Missouri's large number of filed bills has drawn attention from activists, but Republican legislative leaders say they don’t think there’s much of an appetite for revisiting the restrictions and don't want to prioritize them.

“We passed what I thought was a strong and fairly broad bill last year,” said Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, referring to the medical ban.

In Oklahoma, at least two bills remain active from last year that target gender-affirming care for adults. One proposal would prohibit insurance coverage for the procedures for adults, while another would prohibit public funds from going to any entity that provides such care.

Both measures stalled in the Republican-controlled Legislature last year but could be reconsidered during the legislative session starting in February.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-dewine-transgender-surgery-minors-41c1f50cd115264625fd9d88cb1b78ce">rules proposed in Ohio by DeWine</a>&nbsp;last week place new limits on adults that advocates say would make treatment difficult, if not impossible, for some people. They include mandating a team for individuals that would consist of at least an endocrinologist, a bioethicist and a psychiatrist. The rules also would require departments to collect data submitted by medical providers on gender dysphoria and subsequent treatment.

Several bills have been filed in Florida, including a measure to require employees at state agencies or at any entity that receives state funding to use the pronouns consistent with their assigned sex at birth.

Legislation introduced Wednesday in West Virginia would ban gender-affirming care up to age 21 and prohibit mental health professionals from supporting what lawmakers call a transgender patient’s “delusion” about their gender identity.

In California, which has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-gender-affirming-care-health-texas-630f0a8ff873c33b7258cf0c3f6a2859">offered refuge to transgender youths</a>&nbsp;and their families from states with medical bans, conservatives are mounting a longshot effort to put a measure on next year's ballot targeting the rights of transgender minors.

Nebraska state Sen. Kathleen Kauth, who last year sponsored the state’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-abortion-ban-nebraska-1a88067bf403559116df7c09e004e472">gender-affirming care ban</a>&nbsp;for those under 19, said partisan politics are not behind her push for bills aimed at LGBTQ+ people. This year she is again pushing a bill she introduced last year that would restrict transgender students’ participation in sports and limit their access to bathrooms and locker rooms.

Kauth’s medical ban led progressive lawmakers to filibuster nearly every bill of last year’s session.

“I don’t think it’s something that is designed to get reelected because, you know, my district is actually half and half — slightly more are conservative than liberal,” Kauth said. “I am about pushing back on federal government overreach, whatever it looks like, and protecting kids."

Nationwide, challenges to laws already in place are moving closer to the U.S. Supreme Court. The American Civil Liberties Union has asked the court to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-transgender-gender-affirming-care-ban-f58714b70298e2eb65ce833c2d4ae3b9">block restrictions</a>&nbsp;on care for youths in Kentucky and Tennessee.

The full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is also considering Arkansas' request to reverse a ruling that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/us-news/arkansas-gender-general-news-2a0d032f4e4f3195c180d879239e6521">struck down</a>&nbsp;the state's first-in-the-nation ban on gender-affirming care for youths.

Federal rulings against the bans so far have come from judges appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents.

Associated PressRepublican-led state legislatures are considering a new round of bills restricting medical care for transgender youths — and in some cases, adults — returning to the issue the year after a wave of high-profile bills became law and sparked lawsuits.As legislatures begin their work for the year, lawmakers in several states have proposed enacting or strengthening restrictions on puberty-blocking drugs and hormone treatments for minors. Bills to govern the pronouns kids can use at school, which sports teams students can play on, and the bathrooms they can use are back, as well, along with efforts to restrict drag performances and some books and school curriculums.LGBTQ+ advocates say that most of the states inclined to pass bans on gender-affirming care have done so, and that they now expect them to build on those restrictions and expand them to include adults. With legislatures in most states up for election this year, transgender youths and their families worry about again being targeted by conservatives using them as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-texas-pennsylvania-campaigns-elections-5bb0f7fb8c162d9f4da5c935271bc255">wedge issue.</a>They include Mandy Wong, a mother in Santa Barbara, California, who said she's tired of conservative politicians using transgender children as “campaign fuel.” While she doesn’t expect such a policy to pass in her Democrat-led state, Wong said, her child and his friends feel emotionally drained.“It was just heartbreaking to tell him ... I don’t think this is going away anytime soon,” she said. “All the negative attention trans kids, even us as parents, have gotten because of these proposals doesn’t seem to be dying down.”In Ohio,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-dewine-transgender-surgery-minors-41c1f50cd115264625fd9d88cb1b78ce">House Republicans voted Wednesday</a>&nbsp;to override Republican Gov. Mike DeWine's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-ohio-minors-veto-c615cafed4fc81d32010d47d8853efaf">veto</a>&nbsp;of legislation banning all forms of gender-affirming care for minors. The Senate is expected to follow suit this month. Despite his veto, DeWine signed an order banning the rare occurrence of gender-transition surgeries before adulthood. He also proposed rules mandating a care team for children and adults that critics say could severely restrict access for all patients.In South Carolina, one of the few Southern states without a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-carolina-republican-transgender-health-children-ec81678773a8ea92320f94c7a7501907">House committee voted Wednesday</a>&nbsp;to send a ban to the House floor. The bill, sponsored by the state’s Republican House speaker, would also prevent Medicaid from covering such treatments for anyone under age 26. And last week in New Hampshire, the House voted to ban gender-transition surgeries for minors.At least 22 states have enacted bans on gender-affirming care for children, with most of them approved in the past year. Those who support the bans say they want to protect children and have concerns about the treatments themselves. Major medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-genderaffirming-care-pediatricians-176134f1b6ee1f2c146fef9a40cf351e">American Academy of Pediatrics</a>, oppose the bans and have endorsed such care, saying it’s safe when administered properly.Last year's limits included a Florida law that has made it nearly impossible for many&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-transgender-health-care-adults-e7ae55eec634923e6593a4c0685969b2">transgender adults</a>&nbsp;in the state to receive gender-affirming care. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has promoted that ban as one of his accomplishments as he seeks the Republican presidential nomination.“They’ll stop at nothing, so we don’t know what exactly to anticipate (in 2024),” said Katy Erker-Lynch, executive director of PROMO, an advocacy group in Missouri, where lawmakers have proposed more than 20 bills targeting LGBTQ+ people.Bills filed in Missouri include efforts to remove two provisions that were key in overcoming a Democratic filibuster to that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-missouri-republican-govenrnor-sports-d0d3ef01544dc7c22592d8ca2464138b">state's ban</a>&nbsp;on gender-affirming care for youths. The new Missouri Freedom Caucus is prioritizing a bill that would make the ban on gender-affirming care for minors permanent, removing a provision that allows it to expire in 2027. Legislation would also remove a clause that allows minors who began the care before the law went into effect to continue with it.Republican state Sen. Mike Moon, who is sponsoring bills both to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/pdf-bill/intro/SB776.pdf">repeal the expiration date</a>&nbsp;on the medical restrictions and to require schools to tell parents if a student wants to go by a name or pronoun other than the one the parent used to register the child for school, compared transgender medical restrictions for minors to age thresholds in laws for smoking, drinking and driving.“Children, especially younger children, don’t make good decisions, and they’re not certain exactly what reality is sometimes,” Moon said.LGBTQ+ activists call laws that require schools to tell parents about a student's desire to change names or pronouns&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-students-pronouns-names-ec0b2c5de329d82c563ffb95262935f3">“forced outing,”</a>&nbsp;saying schools might be the only safe place for a transgender or nonbinary student to express their gender identify.Missouri's large number of filed bills has drawn attention from activists, but Republican legislative leaders say they don’t think there’s much of an appetite for revisiting the restrictions and don't want to prioritize them.“We passed what I thought was a strong and fairly broad bill last year,” said Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, referring to the medical ban.In Oklahoma, at least two bills remain active from last year that target gender-affirming care for adults. One proposal would prohibit insurance coverage for the procedures for adults, while another would prohibit public funds from going to any entity that provides such care.Both measures stalled in the Republican-controlled Legislature last year but could be reconsidered during the legislative session starting in February.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-dewine-transgender-surgery-minors-41c1f50cd115264625fd9d88cb1b78ce">rules proposed in Ohio by DeWine</a>&nbsp;last week place new limits on adults that advocates say would make treatment difficult, if not impossible, for some people. They include mandating a team for individuals that would consist of at least an endocrinologist, a bioethicist and a psychiatrist. The rules also would require departments to collect data submitted by medical providers on gender dysphoria and subsequent treatment.Several bills have been filed in Florida, including a measure to require employees at state agencies or at any entity that receives state funding to use the pronouns consistent with their assigned sex at birth.Legislation introduced Wednesday in West Virginia would ban gender-affirming care up to age 21 and prohibit mental health professionals from supporting what lawmakers call a transgender patient’s “delusion” about their gender identity.In California, which has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-gender-affirming-care-health-texas-630f0a8ff873c33b7258cf0c3f6a2859">offered refuge to transgender youths</a>&nbsp;and their families from states with medical bans, conservatives are mounting a longshot effort to put a measure on next year's ballot targeting the rights of transgender minors.Nebraska state Sen. Kathleen Kauth, who last year sponsored the state’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-abortion-ban-nebraska-1a88067bf403559116df7c09e004e472">gender-affirming care ban</a>&nbsp;for those under 19, said partisan politics are not behind her push for bills aimed at LGBTQ+ people. This year she is again pushing a bill she introduced last year that would restrict transgender students’ participation in sports and limit their access to bathrooms and locker rooms.Kauth’s medical ban led progressive lawmakers to filibuster nearly every bill of last year’s session.“I don’t think it’s something that is designed to get reelected because, you know, my district is actually half and half — slightly more are conservative than liberal,” Kauth said. “I am about pushing back on federal government overreach, whatever it looks like, and protecting kids."Nationwide, challenges to laws already in place are moving closer to the U.S. Supreme Court. The American Civil Liberties Union has asked the court to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-transgender-gender-affirming-care-ban-f58714b70298e2eb65ce833c2d4ae3b9">block restrictions</a>&nbsp;on care for youths in Kentucky and Tennessee.The full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is also considering Arkansas' request to reverse a ruling that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/us-news/arkansas-gender-general-news-2a0d032f4e4f3195c180d879239e6521">struck down</a>&nbsp;the state's first-in-the-nation ban on gender-affirming care for youths.Federal rulings against the bans so far have come from judges appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents.

Efforts to restrict transgender health care endure in 2024, with more adults targeted

&nbsp;By&nbsp;Joseph Clark, Department of Defense&nbsp;

U.S. and partners' forces conducted defensive strikes against military targets in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen yesterday following a series of attacks launched by the armed rebel group against commercial ships operating in the Red Sea. &nbsp;

The joint strikes were carried out by the U.S. and United Kingdom with nonoperational support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands. They targeted Houthi missile, radar and unmanned areal vehicle capabilities used to carry out attacks against vessels operating in international waters.&nbsp;

President Joe Biden said the strikes serve as a "a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world's most critical commercial routes."&nbsp;

"I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce, as necessary," he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/01/11/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-coalition-strikes-in-houthi-controlled-areas-in-yemen/" target="_blank">said in a statement</a>&nbsp;following the strikes. &nbsp;

The U.S. and U.K. forces launched the strikes from air, surface and subsurface platforms and used precision-guided munitions to minimize collateral damage, a Pentagon official said during a press briefing following the strikes. &nbsp;

The strike package included a variety of aircraft flown by U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and U.K. pilots. &nbsp;

"This action is intended to disrupt and degrade the Houthis' capabilities to endanger mariners and threaten global trade in one of world's most critical waterways," Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III&nbsp;<a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3643830/statement-by-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iii-on-coalition-strikes-in-ho/">said in a statement</a>&nbsp;following the strikes. "Today's coalition action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will bear further costs if they do not end their illegal attacks."&nbsp;

Austin added that the U.S. "maintains its right to self-defense and, if necessary, will take follow-on actions to protect U.S. forces."&nbsp;

Since mid-November, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched more than two dozen attacks against merchant vessels operating in the Red Sea. Such attacks against the vital international shipping lane posed a vital concern and impacted international commerce across the globe.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In response, Austin announced the Dec. 18 launch of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an international maritime task force designed to defend against the attacks.&nbsp;

The operation brought together forces from 22 nations to address the challenges in the region and ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The forces operate under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and the leadership of Task Force 153, a U.S. Navy-led initiative focused on maritime security in the Red Sea. Earlier this week, the rebel group launched nearly 20 drones and several missiles targeting U.S. ships underway in the region. That attack was defeated by U.S. and U.K. forces operating in the region as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Yesterday's strikes launched against the rebel stronghold in Yemen were not associated with, and are separate from, Operation Prosperity Guardian, the Pentagon official said.&nbsp;

The defensive strikes followed sustained diplomatic efforts and broad international condemnation of the Houthi attacks that have threatened global commerce. &nbsp;

Last week, the governments of the U.S., Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement condemning the attacks and warning the rebel group against further escalation.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

In the statement, the nations warned that the Houthis "will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy and [the] free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways."&nbsp;&nbsp;

Earlier this week, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution demanding that the rebel group cease all attacks against ships in the Red Sea. &nbsp;

In a statement following yesterday's strike, the goverments of the U.S., Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement further condemning the Houthis' actions and warning against further escalation. &nbsp;

The nations' statement read that the strikes "demonstrated a shared commitment to freedom of navigation, international commerce and defending the lives of mariners from illegal and unjustifiable attacks. Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but let our message be clear: We will not hesitate to defend lives and protect the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways in the face of continued threats."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705097183726.png" alt="The USS Carney defeats a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea, Oct. 19, 2023.&nbsp;Photo By:Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Aaron Lau" />
 <figcaption>The USS Carney defeats a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea, Oct. 19, 2023.&nbsp;Photo By:Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Aaron Lau</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;By&nbsp;Joseph Clark, Department of Defense&nbsp;U.S. and partners' forces conducted defensive strikes against military targets in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen yesterday following a series of attacks launched by the armed rebel group against commercial ships operating in the Red Sea. &nbsp;The joint strikes were carried out by the U.S. and United Kingdom with nonoperational support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands. They targeted Houthi missile, radar and unmanned areal vehicle capabilities used to carry out attacks against vessels operating in international waters.&nbsp;President Joe Biden said the strikes serve as a "a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world's most critical commercial routes."&nbsp;"I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce, as necessary," he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/01/11/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-coalition-strikes-in-houthi-controlled-areas-in-yemen/" target="_blank">said in a statement</a>&nbsp;following the strikes. &nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705097309537.png" alt="Image from a video of the attack launch Jan. 11-U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Image from a video of the attack launch Jan. 11-U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>The U.S. and U.K. forces launched the strikes from air, surface and subsurface platforms and used precision-guided munitions to minimize collateral damage, a Pentagon official said during a press briefing following the strikes. &nbsp;The strike package included a variety of aircraft flown by U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and U.K. pilots. &nbsp;"This action is intended to disrupt and degrade the Houthis' capabilities to endanger mariners and threaten global trade in one of world's most critical waterways," Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III&nbsp;<a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3643830/statement-by-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iii-on-coalition-strikes-in-ho/">said in a statement</a>&nbsp;following the strikes. "Today's coalition action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will bear further costs if they do not end their illegal attacks."&nbsp;Austin added that the U.S. "maintains its right to self-defense and, if necessary, will take follow-on actions to protect U.S. forces."&nbsp;Since mid-November, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched more than two dozen attacks against merchant vessels operating in the Red Sea. Such attacks against the vital international shipping lane posed a vital concern and impacted international commerce across the globe.&nbsp;&nbsp;In response, Austin announced the Dec. 18 launch of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an international maritime task force designed to defend against the attacks.&nbsp;The operation brought together forces from 22 nations to address the challenges in the region and ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. &nbsp;&nbsp;The forces operate under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and the leadership of Task Force 153, a U.S. Navy-led initiative focused on maritime security in the Red Sea. Earlier this week, the rebel group launched nearly 20 drones and several missiles targeting U.S. ships underway in the region. That attack was defeated by U.S. and U.K. forces operating in the region as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian.&nbsp;&nbsp;Yesterday's strikes launched against the rebel stronghold in Yemen were not associated with, and are separate from, Operation Prosperity Guardian, the Pentagon official said.&nbsp;The defensive strikes followed sustained diplomatic efforts and broad international condemnation of the Houthi attacks that have threatened global commerce. &nbsp;Last week, the governments of the U.S., Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement condemning the attacks and warning the rebel group against further escalation.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the statement, the nations warned that the Houthis "will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy and [the] free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways."&nbsp;&nbsp;Earlier this week, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution demanding that the rebel group cease all attacks against ships in the Red Sea. &nbsp;In a statement following yesterday's strike, the goverments of the U.S., Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement further condemning the Houthis' actions and warning against further escalation. &nbsp;The nations' statement read that the strikes "demonstrated a shared commitment to freedom of navigation, international commerce and defending the lives of mariners from illegal and unjustifiable attacks. Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but let our message be clear: We will not hesitate to defend lives and protect the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways in the face of continued threats."

U.S. reveals additional details on strikes against Iran-backed rebels

BY:&nbsp;ARIANA FIGUEROA&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/01/12/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-early-student-debt-cancellation-for-borrowers-enrolled-in-save/">announced Friday </a>that some federal student loan borrowers will have their loans cancelled under the Department of Education’s new repayment plan.

BY:&nbsp;ARIANA FIGUEROA&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/01/12/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-early-student-debt-cancellation-for-borrowers-enrolled-in-save/">announced Friday </a>that some federal student loan borrowers will have their loans cancelled under the Department of Education’s new repayment plan.Starting next month, people who took out under $12,000 in federal student loans and have been repaying those loans for 10 years will get their remaining student loan balance cancelled&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://studentaid.gov/">once they enroll</a>&nbsp;in the Saving on a Valuable Education Plan, known as SAVE.“This action will particularly help community college borrowers, low-income borrowers, and those struggling to repay their loans,” Biden said in a statement.“And, it’s part of our ongoing efforts to act as quickly as possible to give more borrowers breathing room so they can get out from under the burden of student loan debt, move on with their lives and pursue their dreams.”This initiative builds on the Biden administration’s effort to cancel federal student loan debt following last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down the White House’s plan for a one-time cancellation of up to $10,000 for federal borrowers. Student loan borrowers who had received Pell Grants — federal aid to help low-income students pay for higher education — could have qualified for an additional $10,000 in forgiveness.<a target="_blank" href="https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2023/06/30/us-supreme-court-rules-against-biden-administration-student-loan-debt-relief-plan/">Hours after the Supreme Court struck down the plan</a>, the White House announced its SAVE plan, along with a one-year off-ramp program that would not report borrowers to creditors if they failed to make loan payments once repayment started back up in October.“And, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision on our student debt relief plan, we are continuing to pursue an alternative path to deliver student debt relief to as many borrowers as possible as quickly as possible,” Biden said. “I won’t back down from using every tool at our disposal to get student loan borrowers the relief they need to reach their dreams.”So far, 6.9 million borrowers have enrolled in SAVE, and of those borrowers, 3.9 million have a $0 monthly payment.Under the new plan, SAVE calculates payments based on a borrower’s income and family size and forgives balances after a set number of years. The Department of Education has estimated that most borrowers will save about $1,000 per year under the new plan.Borrowers who are in the former payment plan — known as the Revised Pay as You Earn plan — will automatically be enrolled in the SAVE program.The states with the highest number of borrowers enrolled in the program include Texas, with 591,700, California with 597,300, Florida with 475,800, New York with 374,300 and Pennsylvania with 289,800.