JERUSALEM (AP)— The Israeli military says two soldiers have been seriously wounded in a failed attempt to free Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

The military said Friday that it killed numerous militants in the overnight operation, but was unable to rescue any hostages.

Earlier Friday, Hamas said its fighters had stopped a rescue attempt and clashed with Israeli special forces. It claimed an Israeli soldier who was being held hostage was killed by Israeli air fire meant to protect the withdrawing forces. Israel’s military had no comment on the claim.

Hamas is believed to be holding some 137 hostages who were captured in the Oct. 7 cross-border attack that triggered the war.

Meanwhile, the United States&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-un-resolution-ceasefire-humanitarian-6d3bfd31d6c25168e828274d96b85cf8">vetoed a United Nations resolution</a>&nbsp;demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza.

Friday's vote came after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the first time&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-un-secretarygeneral-humanitarian-ceasefire-69be52737db67c061280823ec3019f0d">invoked Article 99</a>&nbsp;of the U.N. Charter, which enables a U.N. chief to raise threats he sees to international peace and security. He warned of an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-12-06-2023-156afcb1626f1cb4e9e26e5430c7185c">“humanitarian catastrophe”</a>&nbsp;in Gaza.

U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood said halting military action would allow Hamas to continue to rule Gaza and “only plant the seeds for the next war.”

Around 1,200 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza</a>&nbsp;said the death toll in the territory has surpassed 17,400, with more than 46,000 wounded. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths, but said 70% of the dead were women and children.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696679013332.png" alt="File -Palestinians wave their national flag and celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis southern Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. . (AP Photo/Yousef Masoud)" />
 <figcaption>File -Palestinians wave their national flag and celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis southern Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. . (AP Photo/Yousef Masoud)</figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM (AP)— The Israeli military says two soldiers have been seriously wounded in a failed attempt to free Israeli hostages held in Gaza.The military said Friday that it killed numerous militants in the overnight operation, but was unable to rescue any hostages.Earlier Friday, Hamas said its fighters had stopped a rescue attempt and clashed with Israeli special forces. It claimed an Israeli soldier who was being held hostage was killed by Israeli air fire meant to protect the withdrawing forces. Israel’s military had no comment on the claim.Hamas is believed to be holding some 137 hostages who were captured in the Oct. 7 cross-border attack that triggered the war.Meanwhile, the United States&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-un-resolution-ceasefire-humanitarian-6d3bfd31d6c25168e828274d96b85cf8">vetoed a United Nations resolution</a>&nbsp;demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza.Friday's vote came after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the first time&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-un-secretarygeneral-humanitarian-ceasefire-69be52737db67c061280823ec3019f0d">invoked Article 99</a>&nbsp;of the U.N. Charter, which enables a U.N. chief to raise threats he sees to international peace and security. He warned of an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-12-06-2023-156afcb1626f1cb4e9e26e5430c7185c">“humanitarian catastrophe”</a>&nbsp;in Gaza.U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood said halting military action would allow Hamas to continue to rule Gaza and “only plant the seeds for the next war.”Around 1,200 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza</a>&nbsp;said the death toll in the territory has surpassed 17,400, with more than 46,000 wounded. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths, but said 70% of the dead were women and children.

Israel: Attempt to rescue hostages in Gaza turns deadly     

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A judge sentenced a Michigan teenager to life in prison Friday for killing four students and terrorizing others at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/oxford-high-school-shooting">Oxford High School</a>, after listening to hours of gripping anguish from parents and wounded survivors.

Judge Kwame Rowe rejected pleas from defense lawyers for a shorter sentence and ensured that Ethan Crumbley, 17, will not get an opportunity for parole.

“My actions were what I chose to do. I could not stop myself. ... I am a really bad person. I’ve done terrible things,” Crumbley, who was 15 when he attacked his school in 2021, said before the sentence was announced.

He said he was sorry and pledged to change while behind bars.

Life sentences for teenagers are rare in Michigan since the U.S. Supreme Court and the state’s highest court said the violent acts of minors must be viewed differently than the crimes of adults. But the Oakland County prosecutor said a no-parole term fits Crumbley's case.

Rowe’s decision followed deeply emotional remarks by families of the deceased and survivors who spoke about how the tragedy has affected them.

“Your statements,” Rowe said, “do not fall on deaf ears.”

Crumbley pleaded guilty to 24 charges, including first-degree murder and terrorism.

“We are miserable. We miss Tate,” said Buck Myre, the father of Tate Myre. “Our family has a permanent hole in it that can never be fixed — ever.”

Nicole Beausoleil recalled seeing the body of her daughter, Madisyn Baldwin, at the medical examiner's office, her hand with blue-painted fingernails sticking out from a covering.

“I looked though the glass. My scream should have shattered it,” Beausoleil said.

Jill Soave, the mother of Justin Shilling, told the shooter that he executed a boy who could have helped him navigate awkward teenage years.

“If you were that lonely, that miserable and lost, and you really needed a friend, Justin would have been your friend — if only you had asked,” Soave said.

Crumbley looked down as Soave and others spoke. He also will have an opportunity to address the judge and possibly explain why he believes he should be spared a life sentence.

Kylie Ossege explained how she had urged Hana St. Juliana a “thousand times” to keep breathing while they waited for help on a blood-soaked carpet. Her classmate died.

Ossege, now a college student, was shot and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-oxford-high-school-shooting-ossege-crumbley-450cc3cdd74058649740aa4cc3a7de8c">continues to struggle with daily pain</a>&nbsp;from spinal injuries.

“Being able to swing a leg over my horse is my therapy. It is pure joy,” she said of Blaze. “I have not been able to do it for two years.”

Defense attorney Paulette Michel Loftin has argued Crumbley deserves an opportunity for parole after his “sick brain” is fixed through counseling and rehabilitation.

But St. Juliana's father scoffed at that possibility.

"There can be no rehabilitation,” Steve St. Juliana told the judge. “There is absolutely nothing the defendant can do to earn my forgiveness. His age plays no part.”

In a journal, the shooter wrote about his desire to watch students suffer and the likelihood that he would spend his life in prison. He made a video on the eve of the shooting, declaring what he would do the next day.

More than 20 people gave victim-impact statements by early Friday afternoon. Some wore shirts honoring the fallen students. The judge briefly allowed a framed photo of Myre to be placed near him.

Speakers recalled the day and its aftermath in details large and small. One woman said she's still anxious simply pulling into Meijer, a big-box store where families reunited immediately after the shooting.

Linda Watson said her son, Aiden, who was shot in the leg, still doesn't go to school for a full day. She recalled the family staying in a hotel because a nail gun being used in her neighborhood sounded like a real gun to him.

“Aiden will be dealing with this for the rest of his life. ... This shooter — this monster — should have to feel everything hard and painful for the rest of his life," Watson said.

Like their son, Jennifer and James Crumbley are locked up in the county jail. They are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oxford-school-shooting-michigan-ethan-crumbley-654c839914eb3a36ae43a7bc8dd9bacd">awaiting trial on involuntary manslaughter charges</a>, accused of making a gun accessible at home and neglecting the shooter's mental health.

Crumbley and his parents met with school staff on the day of the shooting after a teacher noticed violent drawings. But no one checked his backpack for a gun and he was allowed to stay.

The shooting happened in Oxford Township, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) north of Detroit. Besides&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-football-michigan-77eb45f22f5d9dab802e4378608ca307">the four students</a>&nbsp;who were killed, six more students and a teacher also were wounded.

The Oxford school district hired an outside group to conduct an independent investigation.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/investigation-crumbley-oxford-high-shooting-school-899e59fdce25d92d7307dd0b1ddcea18">A report released</a>&nbsp;in October said “missteps at each level” — school board, administrators, staff — contributed to the tragedy.

Crumbley's behavior in class, including looking at a shooting video and gun ammunition on his phone, should have identified him as a “potential threat of violence,” the report said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638551635768.png" alt="Ethan Crumbley as shown in the original booking photo in 2021-photo Oakland County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Ethan Crumbley as shown in the original booking photo in 2021-photo Oakland County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A judge sentenced a Michigan teenager to life in prison Friday for killing four students and terrorizing others at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/oxford-high-school-shooting">Oxford High School</a>, after listening to hours of gripping anguish from parents and wounded survivors.Judge Kwame Rowe rejected pleas from defense lawyers for a shorter sentence and ensured that Ethan Crumbley, 17, will not get an opportunity for parole.“My actions were what I chose to do. I could not stop myself. ... I am a really bad person. I’ve done terrible things,” Crumbley, who was 15 when he attacked his school in 2021, said before the sentence was announced.He said he was sorry and pledged to change while behind bars.Life sentences for teenagers are rare in Michigan since the U.S. Supreme Court and the state’s highest court said the violent acts of minors must be viewed differently than the crimes of adults. But the Oakland County prosecutor said a no-parole term fits Crumbley's case.Rowe’s decision followed deeply emotional remarks by families of the deceased and survivors who spoke about how the tragedy has affected them.“Your statements,” Rowe said, “do not fall on deaf ears.”Crumbley pleaded guilty to 24 charges, including first-degree murder and terrorism.“We are miserable. We miss Tate,” said Buck Myre, the father of Tate Myre. “Our family has a permanent hole in it that can never be fixed — ever.”Nicole Beausoleil recalled seeing the body of her daughter, Madisyn Baldwin, at the medical examiner's office, her hand with blue-painted fingernails sticking out from a covering.“I looked though the glass. My scream should have shattered it,” Beausoleil said.Jill Soave, the mother of Justin Shilling, told the shooter that he executed a boy who could have helped him navigate awkward teenage years.“If you were that lonely, that miserable and lost, and you really needed a friend, Justin would have been your friend — if only you had asked,” Soave said.Crumbley looked down as Soave and others spoke. He also will have an opportunity to address the judge and possibly explain why he believes he should be spared a life sentence.Kylie Ossege explained how she had urged Hana St. Juliana a “thousand times” to keep breathing while they waited for help on a blood-soaked carpet. Her classmate died.Ossege, now a college student, was shot and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-oxford-high-school-shooting-ossege-crumbley-450cc3cdd74058649740aa4cc3a7de8c">continues to struggle with daily pain</a>&nbsp;from spinal injuries.“Being able to swing a leg over my horse is my therapy. It is pure joy,” she said of Blaze. “I have not been able to do it for two years.”Defense attorney Paulette Michel Loftin has argued Crumbley deserves an opportunity for parole after his “sick brain” is fixed through counseling and rehabilitation.But St. Juliana's father scoffed at that possibility."There can be no rehabilitation,” Steve St. Juliana told the judge. “There is absolutely nothing the defendant can do to earn my forgiveness. His age plays no part.”In a journal, the shooter wrote about his desire to watch students suffer and the likelihood that he would spend his life in prison. He made a video on the eve of the shooting, declaring what he would do the next day.More than 20 people gave victim-impact statements by early Friday afternoon. Some wore shirts honoring the fallen students. The judge briefly allowed a framed photo of Myre to be placed near him.Speakers recalled the day and its aftermath in details large and small. One woman said she's still anxious simply pulling into Meijer, a big-box store where families reunited immediately after the shooting.Linda Watson said her son, Aiden, who was shot in the leg, still doesn't go to school for a full day. She recalled the family staying in a hotel because a nail gun being used in her neighborhood sounded like a real gun to him.“Aiden will be dealing with this for the rest of his life. ... This shooter — this monster — should have to feel everything hard and painful for the rest of his life," Watson said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638621694054.png" alt="Jennifeer Crumbley Oakland Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Jennifeer Crumbley Oakland Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Like their son, Jennifer and James Crumbley are locked up in the county jail. They are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oxford-school-shooting-michigan-ethan-crumbley-654c839914eb3a36ae43a7bc8dd9bacd">awaiting trial on involuntary manslaughter charges</a>, accused of making a gun accessible at home and neglecting the shooter's mental health.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638621716369.png" alt="James Crumbley-photo Oakland Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>James Crumbley-photo Oakland Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Crumbley and his parents met with school staff on the day of the shooting after a teacher noticed violent drawings. But no one checked his backpack for a gun and he was allowed to stay.The shooting happened in Oxford Township, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) north of Detroit. Besides&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-football-michigan-77eb45f22f5d9dab802e4378608ca307">the four students</a>&nbsp;who were killed, six more students and a teacher also were wounded.The Oxford school district hired an outside group to conduct an independent investigation.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/investigation-crumbley-oxford-high-shooting-school-899e59fdce25d92d7307dd0b1ddcea18">A report released</a>&nbsp;in October said “missteps at each level” — school board, administrators, staff — contributed to the tragedy.Crumbley's behavior in class, including looking at a shooting video and gun ammunition on his phone, should have identified him as a “potential threat of violence,” the report said.

Teen sentenced for Michigan high school attack that left 4 dead

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska is planning a $450 million renovation of the Cornhuskers’ football stadium in Lincoln and at the same time looking to cut millions of dollars from the university system, leading critics to question whether officials care more about athletics than academics.

Faculty at Nebraska and nationally acknowledge the importance of athletics at a Big Ten university but said the divergent funding plans send a message that teaching and research take a back seat to Nebraska's football program.

“If an institution is putting zillions into athletics at the same time they are proposing cuts to academic programs and faculty, they have their priorities all wrong,” said Irene Mulvey, president of the college faculty advocacy group American Association of University Professors.

Mulvey, a mathematics professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, said it's incumbent on university and state leaders to promote a university's core academic mission to donors to ensure those programs and staff are adequately funded.

The high-priced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-basketball-nebraska-b98e095217b8cc755ef0e7769e2b2290">Memorial Stadium renovation</a>&nbsp;was given preliminary approval this fall, even as the four-campus University of Nebraska system faces a $58 million budget shortfall that threatens to cut staff and academic programs. That includes deep cuts at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where students and staff have protested the school's announced elimination of its geography and theater programs, as well as cuts to other humanities offerings and its cybersecurity program.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln — the system's flagship campus and home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers — and the University of Nebraska-Omaha also are anticipating academic program cuts to deal with shortfalls blamed on inflation, stunted revenue growth and declining enrollment. UNL has also proposed cutting its Office of Diversity and Inclusion budget by more than 70%.

The cuts mirror those seen at universities across the country that have also been targeted by Republican lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-new-college-florida-woke-d281e84b0d8ce2bdd66652074a090cd8">in a battle taking aim</a>&nbsp;at schools'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/diversity-equity-inclusion-legislation-7bd8d4d52aaaa9902dde59a257874686">college diversity initiatives</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-colleges-and-universities-florida-state-government-texas-education-4f0fe0c5c18ed227fabae3744e8ff51d">tenured professors</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-college-majors-funding-cuts-aad5a0d5c7ab013d6c5489fd41e4dc54">humanities programs</a>&nbsp;and even how colleges can&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-florida-discrimination-business-racial-injustice-a6f340a48989e67669418e85f2986ebf">teach and discuss race</a>.

The struggle facing college academia comes as a string of high-profile, high-dollar issues highlight just how much money is pouring into college athletics. That includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/contract-buyouts-jimbo-fisher-7fdd9fed9e4457bc961dbbc580b14d41">multimillion-dollar payouts</a>&nbsp;to fired college football coaches, billion-dollar athletic conference&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-nfl-entertainment-sports-basketball-4b4daca65e3359ef8ca94f893e4c46e9">media contracts</a>&nbsp;that send millions a year to member schools and yet-to-be-decided&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-college-3d98cd455c2ed1c636ce46d8dd322100">court cases</a>&nbsp;that could see some of that money going to pay college athletes.

The optics of seeking a nearly half-billion dollar stadium renovation while cutting academic programs “are awful,” said UNK political science professor William Avilés. Equally as bad are the ballooning salaries of university administrators, such as the $1 million annual pay to the outgoing NU President — a nearly 40% increase over his predecessor — as academic programs are being cut.

On the UNK campus, “there's a mixture of anger, frustration, resignation,” Avilés said. “It's just another example of misplaced priorities.”

Nebraska's stadium proposal has also drawn notice because it supports a football program that seems to have been living off its long-past glory days. Nebraska was once a national powerhouse in college football, claiming five national championship titles since the early 1970s. But the Cornhuskers’ last championship win came in 1997, and the program has steadily declined since, cycling through six head coaches and going the last seven years without a bowl game appearance.

Despite the decadeslong slump, Nebraska football remains exceptionally popular in a state with no other Division 1 college football program and no professional sports teams. Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts said in a September announcement that catering to that fan base played a large role in the stadium renovation, which will include more restrooms, more concourse connectivity to make it a true “bowl,” widened walkways and adding chairbacks for stadium seating. But it will also cut the stadium's capacity by about 15,000 seats from its current capacity of 90,000 — reversing work in the previous decade that spent millions to increase seating capacity from around 75,000.

The reduction is necessary to increase comfort and amenities and keep the stadium a draw for fans, he said.

“There's been a lot of changes in college athletics,” Alberts said. “What started out for me as a very simple modernization plan based on amenities relative to fans' expectation has very quickly changed into a business strategy for the next 25 to 50 years.”

Nebraska’s athletic department is among a handful in the country that is self-sufficient, operating without taxpayer or tuition dollars. But when asked at a recent news conference whether he could pledge public money would not be used for the stadium renovation, Gov. Jim Pillen — himself a former Nebraska football player — refrained from making that commitment.

Asked this week by The Associated Press whether he's considering state funding of the project, Pillen's office said he is not including any funding for Memorial Stadium in his proposed budget.

Alberts and other university officials say the project will not use taxpayer money, instead relying on private fundraising and the athletic department's surplus funds.

“In other words, we could stop the stadium project today, but that would not do anything to mitigate the $58 million shortfall,” said Melissa Lee, spokeswoman for the University of Nebraska. “The dollars that will fund the stadium renovation cannot otherwise be used to pay university salaries or keep the lights on or fund an academic program.”

Some in academia want to see private fundraising for academic programs and staff, much the way athletics raises money for athletic programs.

UNL sociology professor Christina Falci, who is president of the American Association of University Professors' UNL chapter, said higher education fundraising outside of athletics is concentrated mostly in boosting research centers, student services and endowed chairs, not in aiding humanities and the professors who teach them.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska is planning a $450 million renovation of the Cornhuskers’ football stadium in Lincoln and at the same time looking to cut millions of dollars from the university system, leading critics to question whether officials care more about athletics than academics.Faculty at Nebraska and nationally acknowledge the importance of athletics at a Big Ten university but said the divergent funding plans send a message that teaching and research take a back seat to Nebraska's football program.“If an institution is putting zillions into athletics at the same time they are proposing cuts to academic programs and faculty, they have their priorities all wrong,” said Irene Mulvey, president of the college faculty advocacy group American Association of University Professors.Mulvey, a mathematics professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, said it's incumbent on university and state leaders to promote a university's core academic mission to donors to ensure those programs and staff are adequately funded.The high-priced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-basketball-nebraska-b98e095217b8cc755ef0e7769e2b2290">Memorial Stadium renovation</a>&nbsp;was given preliminary approval this fall, even as the four-campus University of Nebraska system faces a $58 million budget shortfall that threatens to cut staff and academic programs. That includes deep cuts at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where students and staff have protested the school's announced elimination of its geography and theater programs, as well as cuts to other humanities offerings and its cybersecurity program.The University of Nebraska-Lincoln — the system's flagship campus and home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers — and the University of Nebraska-Omaha also are anticipating academic program cuts to deal with shortfalls blamed on inflation, stunted revenue growth and declining enrollment. UNL has also proposed cutting its Office of Diversity and Inclusion budget by more than 70%.The cuts mirror those seen at universities across the country that have also been targeted by Republican lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-new-college-florida-woke-d281e84b0d8ce2bdd66652074a090cd8">in a battle taking aim</a>&nbsp;at schools'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/diversity-equity-inclusion-legislation-7bd8d4d52aaaa9902dde59a257874686">college diversity initiatives</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-colleges-and-universities-florida-state-government-texas-education-4f0fe0c5c18ed227fabae3744e8ff51d">tenured professors</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-college-majors-funding-cuts-aad5a0d5c7ab013d6c5489fd41e4dc54">humanities programs</a>&nbsp;and even how colleges can&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-florida-discrimination-business-racial-injustice-a6f340a48989e67669418e85f2986ebf">teach and discuss race</a>.The struggle facing college academia comes as a string of high-profile, high-dollar issues highlight just how much money is pouring into college athletics. That includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/contract-buyouts-jimbo-fisher-7fdd9fed9e4457bc961dbbc580b14d41">multimillion-dollar payouts</a>&nbsp;to fired college football coaches, billion-dollar athletic conference&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-nfl-entertainment-sports-basketball-4b4daca65e3359ef8ca94f893e4c46e9">media contracts</a>&nbsp;that send millions a year to member schools and yet-to-be-decided&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-college-3d98cd455c2ed1c636ce46d8dd322100">court cases</a>&nbsp;that could see some of that money going to pay college athletes.The optics of seeking a nearly half-billion dollar stadium renovation while cutting academic programs “are awful,” said UNK political science professor William Avilés. Equally as bad are the ballooning salaries of university administrators, such as the $1 million annual pay to the outgoing NU President — a nearly 40% increase over his predecessor — as academic programs are being cut.On the UNK campus, “there's a mixture of anger, frustration, resignation,” Avilés said. “It's just another example of misplaced priorities.”Nebraska's stadium proposal has also drawn notice because it supports a football program that seems to have been living off its long-past glory days. Nebraska was once a national powerhouse in college football, claiming five national championship titles since the early 1970s. But the Cornhuskers’ last championship win came in 1997, and the program has steadily declined since, cycling through six head coaches and going the last seven years without a bowl game appearance.Despite the decadeslong slump, Nebraska football remains exceptionally popular in a state with no other Division 1 college football program and no professional sports teams. Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts said in a September announcement that catering to that fan base played a large role in the stadium renovation, which will include more restrooms, more concourse connectivity to make it a true “bowl,” widened walkways and adding chairbacks for stadium seating. But it will also cut the stadium's capacity by about 15,000 seats from its current capacity of 90,000 — reversing work in the previous decade that spent millions to increase seating capacity from around 75,000.The reduction is necessary to increase comfort and amenities and keep the stadium a draw for fans, he said.“There's been a lot of changes in college athletics,” Alberts said. “What started out for me as a very simple modernization plan based on amenities relative to fans' expectation has very quickly changed into a business strategy for the next 25 to 50 years.”Nebraska’s athletic department is among a handful in the country that is self-sufficient, operating without taxpayer or tuition dollars. But when asked at a recent news conference whether he could pledge public money would not be used for the stadium renovation, Gov. Jim Pillen — himself a former Nebraska football player — refrained from making that commitment.Asked this week by The Associated Press whether he's considering state funding of the project, Pillen's office said he is not including any funding for Memorial Stadium in his proposed budget.Alberts and other university officials say the project will not use taxpayer money, instead relying on private fundraising and the athletic department's surplus funds.“In other words, we could stop the stadium project today, but that would not do anything to mitigate the $58 million shortfall,” said Melissa Lee, spokeswoman for the University of Nebraska. “The dollars that will fund the stadium renovation cannot otherwise be used to pay university salaries or keep the lights on or fund an academic program.”Some in academia want to see private fundraising for academic programs and staff, much the way athletics raises money for athletic programs.UNL sociology professor Christina Falci, who is president of the American Association of University Professors' UNL chapter, said higher education fundraising outside of athletics is concentrated mostly in boosting research centers, student services and endowed chairs, not in aiding humanities and the professors who teach them.

Critics pan planned $450M Nebraska football stadium renovation as academic programs face cuts

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ryan O'Neal, the heartthrob actor who went from a TV soap opera to an Oscar-nominated role in "Love Story" and delivered a wry performance opposite his charismatic 9-year-old daughter Tatum in "Paper Moon," died Friday, his son said.

“My dad passed away peacefully today, with his loving team by his side supporting him and loving him as he would us,” Patrick O'Neal, a Los Angeles sportscaster, posted on Instagram.

Attempts to reach O'Neal representatives were not immediately successful.

He did not give a cause. Ryan O'Neal was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012, a decade after he was first diagnosed with chronic leukemia. He was 82.

O'Neal was among the biggest movie stars in the world in the 1970s, who worked with many of the era's most celebrated directors including Peter Bogdanovich on “Paper Moon” and Stanley Kubrick on "Barry Lyndon. He often used his boyish, blond good looks to play men who hid shadowy or sinister backgrounds behind their clean-cut images.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/0ae46f1c-5331-49eb-8366-7538e9ce5854">Portions of "Paper Moon" in and around Hays, Wilson and St. Jospeh Mo.</a>&nbsp;The movie recently celebrated 50 years since its release.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/67bee6b6-2d7a-42ac-b543-dad1b4c610e3">RELATED STORY: 'Paper Moon' extras recall filming during 50th anniversary festival in Wilson</a>

O’Neal maintained a steady television acting career into his 70s in the 2010s, appearing for stints on “Bones” and “Desperate Housewives,” but his longtime relationship with Farrah Fawcett and his tumultuous family life kept him in news.

Twice divorced, O'Neal was romantically involved with Fawcett for nearly 30 years, and they had a son, Redmond, born in 1985. The couple split in 1997, but reunited a few years later. He remained by Fawcett’s side as she battled cancer, which killed her in 2009 at age 62.

With his first wife, Joanna Moore, O'Neal fathered actors Griffin O'Neal and Tatum O'Neal, his co-star in the 1973 movie "Paper Moon," for which she won an Oscar for best supporting actress. He had son Patrick with his second wife, Leigh Taylor-Young.

Ryan O'Neal had his own best-actor Oscar nomination for the 1970 tear-jerker drama "Love Story," co-starring Ali MacGraw, about a young couple who fall in love, marry and discover she is dying of cancer. The movie includes the memorable, but often satirized line: "Love means never having to say you're sorry."

The actor had at times strained relationships with three of his children, including estrangement from his daughter, squabbles with son Griffin and a drug-related arrest sparked by a probation check of his son Redmond. The personal drama often over-shadowed his later career, although his attempts to reconcile with Tatum O’Neal were turned into a short-lived reality series.

O’Neal played bit parts and performed some stunt work before claiming a lead role on the prime-time soap opera "Peyton Place" (1964-69), which also made a star of Mia Farrow.

From there O'Neal jumped to the big screen with 1969's "The Big Bounce," which co-stared his then-wife, Leigh Taylor-Young. But it was "Love Story" that made him a movie star.

The romantic melodrama became one of Paramount Pictures' biggest hits and collected seven Oscar nominations, including one for best picture. It won for best music.

O'Neal then starred for Bogdanovich as a bumbling professor opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1972 screwball comedy "What's Up, Doc?" The filmmaker cast him the next year in the Depression-era con artist comedy "Paper Moon."

O'Neal played an unscrupulous Bible salesman preying on widows he located through obituary notices. His real-life daughter, Tatum, played a trash-talking, cigarette-smoking orphan who needs his help — and eventually helps redeem him.

Although critics praised both actors, the little girl's brash performance overshadowed her father's and made her the youngest person in history to win a regular Academy Award. She was 10 when the award was presented in 1974. (Younger performers such as Shirley Temple have won special Oscars.)

The elder O'Neal's next major film was Kubrick's 18th century epic "Barry Lyndon," in which he played a poor Irish rogue who traveled Europe trying to pass himself off as an aristocrat.

Filming the three-hour movie was tedious work, however, and Kubrick's notorious perfectionism created a rift between him and the actor that never healed.

O'Neal then reteamed with Tatum in Bogdanovich's early Hollywood comedy "Nickelodeon" (1976). But the film was a flop and they never worked together again. An attempt to capitalize on his "Love Story" character, Oliver Barrett, with the sequel "Oliver's Story" (1978) resulted in another flop.

Father and daughter drifted apart as Tatum O’Neal grew older, with the elder actor learning about his daughter’s marriage to tennis great John McEnroe by a belated telegram, Ryan O’Neal wrote in a 2012 book about his relationship with Fawcett.

“A door inside me locked the morning the telegram came, and I am still blindly searching for the key to open it,” O’Neal wrote in “Both of Us.”

O'Neal's career cooled further in the 1980s with the emerald heist drama "Green Ice" (1981) and the 1984 comedy "Irreconcilable Differences," in which he played a busy father in an unhappy marriage whose daughter, played by 9-year-old Drew Barrymore, tries to divorce her parents.

The decade was also a low-point in O'Neal's personal life. His son Griffin faced numerous brushes with the law, including a 1986 boating accident that killed Gian-Carlo Coppola, 23, son of movie director Francis Ford Coppola in Maryland. Griffin O’Neal was convicted of negligently and recklessly operating a boat, received a community service sentence and later served a brief stint in jail as a result.

With his Hollywood status diminishing, Ryan O'Neal began appearing in TV movies and eventually returned to series television opposite then-lover Fawcett with the 1991 sitcom "Good Sports," but the show ran only one season.

Both acknowledged the work put a strain on their relationship.

"We get into fights," O'Neal said in 1991. "She's tough. She expects to be treated well. On a set that can get lost when you're trying to create a moment and you're fighting the clock."

O'Neal began accepting more supporting roles with the 1989 film "Chances Are." He began a second career as a character actor, playing a husband who hires a hitman to kill his wife in "Faithful" (1996) and a mysterious tycoon in the blackmail comedy "Zero Effect" (1998).

By then his relationship with Fawcett had ended, although they remained close and eventually rekindled their romance in the 2000s. The volatile O’Neal family dynamics that had taxed their relationship before, however, remained.

In 2007 the elder O'Neal was arrested in 2007 for alleged assault and firing a weapon in an altercation with Griffin, but charges were never pursued. Their son Redmond was repeatedly arrested, jailed and spent several years in court-mandated rehab.

A probation check on Redmond O’Neal in September 2008 at his father’s Malibu home led to the actor’s arrest for methamphetamine possession. Ryan O’Neal pleaded guilty to the charge and entered a drug diversion program, but he publicly denied the drugs were his. He said he confiscated them from his son and was trying to protect him.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702073318758.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ryan O'Neal, the heartthrob actor who went from a TV soap opera to an Oscar-nominated role in "Love Story" and delivered a wry performance opposite his charismatic 9-year-old daughter Tatum in "Paper Moon," died Friday, his son said.“My dad passed away peacefully today, with his loving team by his side supporting him and loving him as he would us,” Patrick O'Neal, a Los Angeles sportscaster, posted on Instagram.Attempts to reach O'Neal representatives were not immediately successful.He did not give a cause. Ryan O'Neal was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012, a decade after he was first diagnosed with chronic leukemia. He was 82.O'Neal was among the biggest movie stars in the world in the 1970s, who worked with many of the era's most celebrated directors including Peter Bogdanovich on “Paper Moon” and Stanley Kubrick on "Barry Lyndon. He often used his boyish, blond good looks to play men who hid shadowy or sinister backgrounds behind their clean-cut images.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/0ae46f1c-5331-49eb-8366-7538e9ce5854">Portions of "Paper Moon" in and around Hays, Wilson and St. Jospeh Mo.</a>&nbsp;The movie recently celebrated 50 years since its release.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/67bee6b6-2d7a-42ac-b543-dad1b4c610e3">RELATED STORY: 'Paper Moon' extras recall filming during 50th anniversary festival in Wilson</a>O’Neal maintained a steady television acting career into his 70s in the 2010s, appearing for stints on “Bones” and “Desperate Housewives,” but his longtime relationship with Farrah Fawcett and his tumultuous family life kept him in news.Twice divorced, O'Neal was romantically involved with Fawcett for nearly 30 years, and they had a son, Redmond, born in 1985. The couple split in 1997, but reunited a few years later. He remained by Fawcett’s side as she battled cancer, which killed her in 2009 at age 62.With his first wife, Joanna Moore, O'Neal fathered actors Griffin O'Neal and Tatum O'Neal, his co-star in the 1973 movie "Paper Moon," for which she won an Oscar for best supporting actress. He had son Patrick with his second wife, Leigh Taylor-Young.Ryan O'Neal had his own best-actor Oscar nomination for the 1970 tear-jerker drama "Love Story," co-starring Ali MacGraw, about a young couple who fall in love, marry and discover she is dying of cancer. The movie includes the memorable, but often satirized line: "Love means never having to say you're sorry."The actor had at times strained relationships with three of his children, including estrangement from his daughter, squabbles with son Griffin and a drug-related arrest sparked by a probation check of his son Redmond. The personal drama often over-shadowed his later career, although his attempts to reconcile with Tatum O’Neal were turned into a short-lived reality series.O’Neal played bit parts and performed some stunt work before claiming a lead role on the prime-time soap opera "Peyton Place" (1964-69), which also made a star of Mia Farrow.From there O'Neal jumped to the big screen with 1969's "The Big Bounce," which co-stared his then-wife, Leigh Taylor-Young. But it was "Love Story" that made him a movie star.The romantic melodrama became one of Paramount Pictures' biggest hits and collected seven Oscar nominations, including one for best picture. It won for best music.O'Neal then starred for Bogdanovich as a bumbling professor opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1972 screwball comedy "What's Up, Doc?" The filmmaker cast him the next year in the Depression-era con artist comedy "Paper Moon."O'Neal played an unscrupulous Bible salesman preying on widows he located through obituary notices. His real-life daughter, Tatum, played a trash-talking, cigarette-smoking orphan who needs his help — and eventually helps redeem him.Although critics praised both actors, the little girl's brash performance overshadowed her father's and made her the youngest person in history to win a regular Academy Award. She was 10 when the award was presented in 1974. (Younger performers such as Shirley Temple have won special Oscars.)The elder O'Neal's next major film was Kubrick's 18th century epic "Barry Lyndon," in which he played a poor Irish rogue who traveled Europe trying to pass himself off as an aristocrat.Filming the three-hour movie was tedious work, however, and Kubrick's notorious perfectionism created a rift between him and the actor that never healed.O'Neal then reteamed with Tatum in Bogdanovich's early Hollywood comedy "Nickelodeon" (1976). But the film was a flop and they never worked together again. An attempt to capitalize on his "Love Story" character, Oliver Barrett, with the sequel "Oliver's Story" (1978) resulted in another flop.Father and daughter drifted apart as Tatum O’Neal grew older, with the elder actor learning about his daughter’s marriage to tennis great John McEnroe by a belated telegram, Ryan O’Neal wrote in a 2012 book about his relationship with Fawcett.“A door inside me locked the morning the telegram came, and I am still blindly searching for the key to open it,” O’Neal wrote in “Both of Us.”O'Neal's career cooled further in the 1980s with the emerald heist drama "Green Ice" (1981) and the 1984 comedy "Irreconcilable Differences," in which he played a busy father in an unhappy marriage whose daughter, played by 9-year-old Drew Barrymore, tries to divorce her parents.The decade was also a low-point in O'Neal's personal life. His son Griffin faced numerous brushes with the law, including a 1986 boating accident that killed Gian-Carlo Coppola, 23, son of movie director Francis Ford Coppola in Maryland. Griffin O’Neal was convicted of negligently and recklessly operating a boat, received a community service sentence and later served a brief stint in jail as a result.With his Hollywood status diminishing, Ryan O'Neal began appearing in TV movies and eventually returned to series television opposite then-lover Fawcett with the 1991 sitcom "Good Sports," but the show ran only one season.Both acknowledged the work put a strain on their relationship."We get into fights," O'Neal said in 1991. "She's tough. She expects to be treated well. On a set that can get lost when you're trying to create a moment and you're fighting the clock."O'Neal began accepting more supporting roles with the 1989 film "Chances Are." He began a second career as a character actor, playing a husband who hires a hitman to kill his wife in "Faithful" (1996) and a mysterious tycoon in the blackmail comedy "Zero Effect" (1998).By then his relationship with Fawcett had ended, although they remained close and eventually rekindled their romance in the 2000s. The volatile O’Neal family dynamics that had taxed their relationship before, however, remained.In 2007 the elder O'Neal was arrested in 2007 for alleged assault and firing a weapon in an altercation with Griffin, but charges were never pursued. Their son Redmond was repeatedly arrested, jailed and spent several years in court-mandated rehab.A probation check on Redmond O’Neal in September 2008 at his father’s Malibu home led to the actor’s arrest for methamphetamine possession. Ryan O’Neal pleaded guilty to the charge and entered a drug diversion program, but he publicly denied the drugs were his. He said he confiscated them from his son and was trying to protect him.

Ryan O’Neal, star of ‘Paper Moon' and ‘Love Story’ has died

DECEMBER 8, 2023 (LINCOLN, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested a Lincoln man after a pursuit that began near Beatrice and ended in Lincoln.

At approximately 10:55 p.m. Thursday, a trooper observed a motorcycle speeding on southbound Highway 77, south of Pickrell. The trooper attempted a traffic stop, but the rider refused to yield and continued southbound. As the motorcycle reached Beatrice on Highway 77, it turned and accelerated northbound. The rider continued northbound, with speeds varying from 40 miles per hour to over 120 miles per hour, and at times traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of Highway 77.

As the motorcycle reached Lincoln, the NSP AirWing took over the pursuit from the air. The NSP helicopter followed the rider as it drove through the Haymarket, then over a pedestrian bridge, and continued driving on streets and trails for some time. NSP Pilots continued to direct units on the ground to the location of the motorcycle as it drove through Lincoln.

Shortly after midnight, the motorcycle came to a stop near Antelope Park on the Billy Wolff Trail and the rider was taken into custody without further incident. Troopers discovered that the motorcycle was stolen.

The rider, Tyler Yates, 28, of Lincoln, was arrested for theft by receiving stolen property $5,000+, flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, defacing a vehicle identification number, possession of a controlled substance, driving under suspension, and several traffic violations. Yates also had an outstanding warrant. He was lodged in Lancaster County Jail.

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and Lincoln Police Department assisted during this incident.

Cody ThomasDECEMBER 8, 2023 (LINCOLN, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested a Lincoln man after a pursuit that began near Beatrice and ended in Lincoln.At approximately 10:55 p.m. Thursday, a trooper observed a motorcycle speeding on southbound Highway 77, south of Pickrell. The trooper attempted a traffic stop, but the rider refused to yield and continued southbound. As the motorcycle reached Beatrice on Highway 77, it turned and accelerated northbound. The rider continued northbound, with speeds varying from 40 miles per hour to over 120 miles per hour, and at times traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of Highway 77.As the motorcycle reached Lincoln, the NSP AirWing took over the pursuit from the air. The NSP helicopter followed the rider as it drove through the Haymarket, then over a pedestrian bridge, and continued driving on streets and trails for some time. NSP Pilots continued to direct units on the ground to the location of the motorcycle as it drove through Lincoln.Shortly after midnight, the motorcycle came to a stop near Antelope Park on the Billy Wolff Trail and the rider was taken into custody without further incident. Troopers discovered that the motorcycle was stolen.The rider, Tyler Yates, 28, of Lincoln, was arrested for theft by receiving stolen property $5,000+, flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, defacing a vehicle identification number, possession of a controlled substance, driving under suspension, and several traffic violations. Yates also had an outstanding warrant. He was lodged in Lancaster County Jail.The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and Lincoln Police Department assisted during this incident.

NSP AirWing Assist Leads to Arrest Following Pursuit

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>&nbsp;was indicted on nine tax charges in California on Thursday as a special counsel investigation into the business dealings of President Joe Biden's son intensifies against the backdrop of the looming 2024 election.

<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cacd.907805/gov.uscourts.cacd.907805.1.0_1.pdf">Click here to read</a> the indictment

The new charges — three felonies and six misdemeanors — are in addition to federal firearms charges in Delaware alleging Hunter Biden broke laws against drug users having guns in 2018. They come after the implosion of a plea deal over the summer that would have spared him jail time, putting the case on track to a possible trial as his father campaigns for reelection.

Hunter Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” special counsel David Weiss said in a statement. The charges are centered on at least $1.4 million in taxes Hunter Biden owed during between 2016 and 2019, a period where he has acknowledged struggling with addiction. The back taxes have since been paid.

If convicted, Hunter Biden, 53, could a maximum of 17 years in prison. The special counsel probe remains open, Weiss said.

In a fiery response, defense attorney Abbe Lowell accused Weiss of “bowing to Republican pressure" in the case.

“Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought," Lowell said in a statement.

The White House declined to comment on Thursday’s indictment, referring questions to the Justice Department or Hunter Biden’s personal representatives.

The charging documents filed in California, where he lives, details spending on everything from drugs and strippers to luxury hotels and exotic cars, “in short, everything but his taxes," prosecutor Leo Wise wrote.

The indictment comes as congressional Republicans pursue an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-joe-biden-impeachment-congress-subpoena-37fe9652539c2c501d8b8bd8c3cc8901">impeachment inquiry into President Biden</a>, claiming he was engaged in an influence-peddling scheme with his son. The House is expected to vote next week on formally authorizing the inquiry.

No evidence has emerged so far to prove that Joe Biden, in his current or previous office, abused his role or accepted bribes, though questions have arisen about the ethics surrounding the Biden family’s international business.

The separate, long-running criminal investigation into Hunter Biden had been expected to wind down with a plea deal where he would have gotten two years' probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax charges and avoided prosecution on the gun charge if he stayed out of trouble.

The agreement was pilloried as a “sweetheart deal” by Republicans, including former President Donald Trump. He is facing his own criminal cases, including charges that he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-immunity-9528a29b2dbebb6ee4a4ebd26780f98c">plotted to overturn</a>&nbsp;the results of the 2020 election.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, gave credit for the new charges Thursday to two IRS investigators who testified before Congress that the Justice Department had mishandled and “slow walked” the investigation into the president's son. Justice officials have denied those allegations.

The two IRS employees, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, said the indictment was “a complete vindication of our thorough investigation.”

The new charges against Hunter Biden include filing a false return and tax evasion felonies, as well as misdemeanor failure to file and failure to pay.

The defense signaled that it plans to fight the new charges, likely at least in part relying on immunity provisions from the original plea deal. Defense attorneys have argued those remain in force since that part of the agreement was signed by a prosecutor before the deal was scrapped.

Prosecutors have disagreed, pointing out the documents weren’t signed by a judge and are invalid.

Lowell said he's also planning to push for dismissal of the gun charges next week, calling them “unprecedented and unconstitutional."

The three federal gun charges filed in Delaware allege Hunter Biden had lied about his drug use to buy a gun that he kept for 11 days in 2018. Federal law bans gun possession by “habitual drug users,” though the measure is seldom seen as a stand-alone charge and has been called into question by a federal appeals court.

Hunter Biden’s longstanding struggle with substance abuse worsened after the death of his brother Beau Biden in 2015, according to court documents and his memoir “Beautiful Things," which ends with him getting clean in 2019.

His gross income nevertheless totaled some $7 million between 2016 and 2020, prosecutors said, pointing to his roles on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma and a Chinese private equity fund as well as his position at a law firm.

Hunter did eventually file his taxes in 2020, while facing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-child-support-arkansas-paternity-89fb7080985efe52c5c3bc94c37d6ac1">child-support case</a>&nbsp;in Arkansas, and the back taxes were paid by a “third party,” prosecutors have said in court documents.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695255188333.png" alt="-Hunter Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” special counsel David Weiss said in a statement-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>-Hunter Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” special counsel David Weiss said in a statement-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>&nbsp;was indicted on nine tax charges in California on Thursday as a special counsel investigation into the business dealings of President Joe Biden's son intensifies against the backdrop of the looming 2024 election.<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cacd.907805/gov.uscourts.cacd.907805.1.0_1.pdf">Click here to read</a> the indictmentThe new charges — three felonies and six misdemeanors — are in addition to federal firearms charges in Delaware alleging Hunter Biden broke laws against drug users having guns in 2018. They come after the implosion of a plea deal over the summer that would have spared him jail time, putting the case on track to a possible trial as his father campaigns for reelection.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702004663484.png" alt="The indictment includes summary of the expenditures Hunter Biden made instead of paying his taxes, per prosectors " />
 <figcaption>The indictment includes summary of the expenditures Hunter Biden made instead of paying his taxes, per prosectors </figcaption>
 </figure>Hunter Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” special counsel David Weiss said in a statement. The charges are centered on at least $1.4 million in taxes Hunter Biden owed during between 2016 and 2019, a period where he has acknowledged struggling with addiction. The back taxes have since been paid.If convicted, Hunter Biden, 53, could a maximum of 17 years in prison. The special counsel probe remains open, Weiss said.In a fiery response, defense attorney Abbe Lowell accused Weiss of “bowing to Republican pressure" in the case.“Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought," Lowell said in a statement.The White House declined to comment on Thursday’s indictment, referring questions to the Justice Department or Hunter Biden’s personal representatives.The charging documents filed in California, where he lives, details spending on everything from drugs and strippers to luxury hotels and exotic cars, “in short, everything but his taxes," prosecutor Leo Wise wrote.The indictment comes as congressional Republicans pursue an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-joe-biden-impeachment-congress-subpoena-37fe9652539c2c501d8b8bd8c3cc8901">impeachment inquiry into President Biden</a>, claiming he was engaged in an influence-peddling scheme with his son. The House is expected to vote next week on formally authorizing the inquiry.No evidence has emerged so far to prove that Joe Biden, in his current or previous office, abused his role or accepted bribes, though questions have arisen about the ethics surrounding the Biden family’s international business.The separate, long-running criminal investigation into Hunter Biden had been expected to wind down with a plea deal where he would have gotten two years' probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax charges and avoided prosecution on the gun charge if he stayed out of trouble.The agreement was pilloried as a “sweetheart deal” by Republicans, including former President Donald Trump. He is facing his own criminal cases, including charges that he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-immunity-9528a29b2dbebb6ee4a4ebd26780f98c">plotted to overturn</a>&nbsp;the results of the 2020 election.Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, gave credit for the new charges Thursday to two IRS investigators who testified before Congress that the Justice Department had mishandled and “slow walked” the investigation into the president's son. Justice officials have denied those allegations.The two IRS employees, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, said the indictment was “a complete vindication of our thorough investigation.”The new charges against Hunter Biden include filing a false return and tax evasion felonies, as well as misdemeanor failure to file and failure to pay.The defense signaled that it plans to fight the new charges, likely at least in part relying on immunity provisions from the original plea deal. Defense attorneys have argued those remain in force since that part of the agreement was signed by a prosecutor before the deal was scrapped.Prosecutors have disagreed, pointing out the documents weren’t signed by a judge and are invalid.Lowell said he's also planning to push for dismissal of the gun charges next week, calling them “unprecedented and unconstitutional."The three federal gun charges filed in Delaware allege Hunter Biden had lied about his drug use to buy a gun that he kept for 11 days in 2018. Federal law bans gun possession by “habitual drug users,” though the measure is seldom seen as a stand-alone charge and has been called into question by a federal appeals court.Hunter Biden’s longstanding struggle with substance abuse worsened after the death of his brother Beau Biden in 2015, according to court documents and his memoir “Beautiful Things," which ends with him getting clean in 2019.His gross income nevertheless totaled some $7 million between 2016 and 2020, prosecutors said, pointing to his roles on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma and a Chinese private equity fund as well as his position at a law firm.Hunter did eventually file his taxes in 2020, while facing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-child-support-arkansas-paternity-89fb7080985efe52c5c3bc94c37d6ac1">child-support case</a>&nbsp;in Arkansas, and the back taxes were paid by a “third party,” prosecutors have said in court documents.

What Hunter Biden is accused of spending money on instead of paying taxes

NEW YORK (AP) — Meta is rolling out end-to-end encryption for calls and messages across its Facebook and Messenger platforms, the company&nbsp;<a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2023/12/default-end-to-end-encryption-on-messenger/">announced Thursday</a>.

Such encryption means that no one other than the sender and the recipient — not even Meta — can decipher people’s messages. Encrypted chats, first introduced as an optional feature in Messenger in 2016, will now be the standard for all users going forward, according to Messenger head Loredana Crisan.

“This has taken years to deliver because we’ve taken our time to get this right,” Crisan wrote in a blog post. “Our engineers, cryptographers, designers, policy experts and product managers have worked tirelessly to rebuild Messenger features from the ground up.”

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised, back in 2019, to bring end-to-end encryption to its platforms after the social media company suffered a string of high profile scandals, notably when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-steve-bannon-technology-lawsuits-campaigns-9a8b7633eb11d08d0a58a45b7dab1770">Cambridge Analytica accessed user data on Facebook</a>. Privacy advocates again shined a spotlight on Meta after Nebraska investigators reviewed private Facebook messages while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-technology-health-c62b071aae11783fe0aeed99bbf8fffc">investigating an abortion</a>&nbsp;that violated a state 20-week ban.

Meta, whose WhatsApp platform already encrypts messages, said the feature can help keep users safe from hackers, fraudsters and criminals.

Meanwhile, encryption critics, law enforcement and even a Meta report released in 2022 note the risks of enhanced encryption, including users who could abuse the privacy feature to sexually exploit children, facilitate human trafficking and spread hate speech.

“What will Meta’s bosses say to children who have suffered sexual abuse, whose trauma will be compounded by their decision not to preserve their privacy? How will they justify turning a blind eye to this illegal and harmful content being spread via their platforms?" said Internet Watch Foundation chief executive Susie Hargreaves. “The company has a strong track record in detecting large amounts of child sexual abuse material before it appears on its platforms. We urge Meta to continue this vital protection."

The new features will be available immediately, but Crisan wrote that it would take some time for the privacy feature to be rolled out to all of its users.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701978195681.jpeg" alt="The META logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris in Paris, France on June 14, 2023. Meta is rolling out end-to-end encryption for calls and messages across its Facebook and Messenger platforms, the company announced Thursday.(AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)" />
 <figcaption>The META logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris in Paris, France on June 14, 2023. Meta is rolling out end-to-end encryption for calls and messages across its Facebook and Messenger platforms, the company announced Thursday.(AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Meta is rolling out end-to-end encryption for calls and messages across its Facebook and Messenger platforms, the company&nbsp;<a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2023/12/default-end-to-end-encryption-on-messenger/">announced Thursday</a>.Such encryption means that no one other than the sender and the recipient — not even Meta — can decipher people’s messages. Encrypted chats, first introduced as an optional feature in Messenger in 2016, will now be the standard for all users going forward, according to Messenger head Loredana Crisan.“This has taken years to deliver because we’ve taken our time to get this right,” Crisan wrote in a blog post. “Our engineers, cryptographers, designers, policy experts and product managers have worked tirelessly to rebuild Messenger features from the ground up.”Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised, back in 2019, to bring end-to-end encryption to its platforms after the social media company suffered a string of high profile scandals, notably when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-steve-bannon-technology-lawsuits-campaigns-9a8b7633eb11d08d0a58a45b7dab1770">Cambridge Analytica accessed user data on Facebook</a>. Privacy advocates again shined a spotlight on Meta after Nebraska investigators reviewed private Facebook messages while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-technology-health-c62b071aae11783fe0aeed99bbf8fffc">investigating an abortion</a>&nbsp;that violated a state 20-week ban.Meta, whose WhatsApp platform already encrypts messages, said the feature can help keep users safe from hackers, fraudsters and criminals.Meanwhile, encryption critics, law enforcement and even a Meta report released in 2022 note the risks of enhanced encryption, including users who could abuse the privacy feature to sexually exploit children, facilitate human trafficking and spread hate speech.“What will Meta’s bosses say to children who have suffered sexual abuse, whose trauma will be compounded by their decision not to preserve their privacy? How will they justify turning a blind eye to this illegal and harmful content being spread via their platforms?" said Internet Watch Foundation chief executive Susie Hargreaves. “The company has a strong track record in detecting large amounts of child sexual abuse material before it appears on its platforms. We urge Meta to continue this vital protection."The new features will be available immediately, but Crisan wrote that it would take some time for the privacy feature to be rolled out to all of its users.

Meta makes end-to-end encryption a default on Facebook Messenger

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A judge on Thursday gave a pregnant woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis permission to get an abortion in an unprecedented challenge over bans that more than a dozen states have enacted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-dobbs-anniversary-state-laws-51c2a83899f133556e715342abfcface">since Roe v. Wade was overturned</a>.

The lawsuit by Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two from the Dallas area,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-texas-lawsuit-dc5f97fdccf801f572bb5acffac3ad45">is believed to be the first time</a>&nbsp;since the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that a woman has asked a court to approve an immediate abortion. The order only applies to Cox and her attorneys afterward spoke cautiously about any wider impacts, calling it unfeasible that scores of other women seeking abortions would also now to turn to courts.

“This can't be the new normal,” said Marc Hearron, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights. “I don’t think you can expect to see now hundreds of cases being filed on behalf of patients. It's just not realistic.”

State District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, an elected Democrat, granted a temporary restraining order allowing Cox to have an abortion under what are narrow exceptions to Texas' ban. Her attorneys afterward said they would not disclose what Cox was planning to do next, citing concerns for her safety.

Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose office argued that Cox did not meet the criteria for a medical exception, issued a statement that did not say whether the state would appeal. But in a letter to three Houston hospitals, Paxton warned that legal consequences were still possible if Cox's physician provided the abortion.

Cox, who is 20 weeks pregnant, attended the hearing via Zoom along with her husband but did not address the court. Doctors have told Cox that if the baby’s heartbeat were to stop, inducing labor would carry a risk of a uterine rupture because of her prior cesareans sections, and that another C-section at full term would would endanger her ability to carry another child.

“The idea that Ms. Cox wants so desperately to be a parent and this law may have her lose that ability is shocking and would be a genuine miscarriage of justice," Gamble said.

The Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing Cox, has said this lawsuit is believed to be the first of its kind since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Since that landmark ruling, Texas and 12 other states rushed to ban abortion at nearly all stages of pregnancy. Opponents have sought to weaken those bans, including an ongoing Texas challenge over whether the state's law is too restrictive for women with pregnancy complications.

“I do not want to continue the pain and suffering that has plagued this pregnancy or continue to put my body or my mental health through the risks of continuing this pregnancy,” Cox wrote in an editorial&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2023/12/07/i-need-to-end-my-pregnancy-now-it-is-the-best-chance-for-my-health-and-well-being/?utm_term=344619&amp;utm_medium=%E2%80%98I%20need%20to%20end%20my%20pregnancy%20now&amp;utm_source=pushly&amp;utm_content=e152fa1d-81d2-4ccc-bfdb-67c78f7fe2b5&amp;utm_campaign=3898389">published in The Dallas Morning News</a>. “I do not want my baby to arrive in this world only to watch her suffer.”

The temporary restraining order stops Texas from enforcing the state's ban on Cox and lasts for 14 days. Under the restrictions in Texas, doctors who provide abortions could face criminal charges that carry a punishment of up to life in prison. They could also be fined. Pregnant women cannot be criminally charged for having an abortion in Texas.

Paxton told the Houston hospitals the order “will not insulate you” from civil and criminal liabilities, arguing that private citizens could still bring lawsuits and local prosecutors could still bring charges.

Seth Chandler, a law professor at the University of Houston, said he would have concerns as a physician based on both legal issues and Paxton's “apparent zeal” to enforce the state's abortion ban.

“If I were one of the doctors involved here, I would not sleep easy performing that abortion,” he said.

Although Texas allows exceptions under the ban, doctors and women have argued that the requirements are so vaguely worded that physicians still won't risk providing abortions, lest they face potential criminal charges or lawsuits.

State officials had asked Gamble to deny the request, arguing that Cox has not shown her life is in imminent danger and that she is therefore unable to qualify for an exception to the ban.

The decision was handed down just two days after Cox filed the lawsuit, which says doctors told her the baby will likely be stillborn or live for a week at most.

Cox had cesarean sections with her previous pregnancies. She learned she was pregnant for a third time in August and was told weeks later that her baby was at a high risk for a condition known as trisomy 18, which has a very high likelihood of miscarriage or stillbirth and low survival rates, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed a week after the Texas Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-texas-exceptions-lawsuit-82611bda29112775247d8e7adbc0a81b">heard arguments</a>&nbsp;about whether the ban is too restrictive for women with pregnancy complications. That case is among the biggest ongoing challenges to abortion bans in the U.S., although a ruling from the all-Republican court may not come for months.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A judge on Thursday gave a pregnant woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis permission to get an abortion in an unprecedented challenge over bans that more than a dozen states have enacted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-dobbs-anniversary-state-laws-51c2a83899f133556e715342abfcface">since Roe v. Wade was overturned</a>.The lawsuit by Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two from the Dallas area,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-texas-lawsuit-dc5f97fdccf801f572bb5acffac3ad45">is believed to be the first time</a>&nbsp;since the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that a woman has asked a court to approve an immediate abortion. The order only applies to Cox and her attorneys afterward spoke cautiously about any wider impacts, calling it unfeasible that scores of other women seeking abortions would also now to turn to courts.“This can't be the new normal,” said Marc Hearron, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights. “I don’t think you can expect to see now hundreds of cases being filed on behalf of patients. It's just not realistic.”State District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, an elected Democrat, granted a temporary restraining order allowing Cox to have an abortion under what are narrow exceptions to Texas' ban. Her attorneys afterward said they would not disclose what Cox was planning to do next, citing concerns for her safety.Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose office argued that Cox did not meet the criteria for a medical exception, issued a statement that did not say whether the state would appeal. But in a letter to three Houston hospitals, Paxton warned that legal consequences were still possible if Cox's physician provided the abortion.Cox, who is 20 weeks pregnant, attended the hearing via Zoom along with her husband but did not address the court. Doctors have told Cox that if the baby’s heartbeat were to stop, inducing labor would carry a risk of a uterine rupture because of her prior cesareans sections, and that another C-section at full term would would endanger her ability to carry another child.“The idea that Ms. Cox wants so desperately to be a parent and this law may have her lose that ability is shocking and would be a genuine miscarriage of justice," Gamble said.The Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing Cox, has said this lawsuit is believed to be the first of its kind since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Since that landmark ruling, Texas and 12 other states rushed to ban abortion at nearly all stages of pregnancy. Opponents have sought to weaken those bans, including an ongoing Texas challenge over whether the state's law is too restrictive for women with pregnancy complications.“I do not want to continue the pain and suffering that has plagued this pregnancy or continue to put my body or my mental health through the risks of continuing this pregnancy,” Cox wrote in an editorial&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2023/12/07/i-need-to-end-my-pregnancy-now-it-is-the-best-chance-for-my-health-and-well-being/?utm_term=344619&amp;utm_medium=%E2%80%98I%20need%20to%20end%20my%20pregnancy%20now&amp;utm_source=pushly&amp;utm_content=e152fa1d-81d2-4ccc-bfdb-67c78f7fe2b5&amp;utm_campaign=3898389">published in The Dallas Morning News</a>. “I do not want my baby to arrive in this world only to watch her suffer.”The temporary restraining order stops Texas from enforcing the state's ban on Cox and lasts for 14 days. Under the restrictions in Texas, doctors who provide abortions could face criminal charges that carry a punishment of up to life in prison. They could also be fined. Pregnant women cannot be criminally charged for having an abortion in Texas.Paxton told the Houston hospitals the order “will not insulate you” from civil and criminal liabilities, arguing that private citizens could still bring lawsuits and local prosecutors could still bring charges.Seth Chandler, a law professor at the University of Houston, said he would have concerns as a physician based on both legal issues and Paxton's “apparent zeal” to enforce the state's abortion ban.“If I were one of the doctors involved here, I would not sleep easy performing that abortion,” he said.Although Texas allows exceptions under the ban, doctors and women have argued that the requirements are so vaguely worded that physicians still won't risk providing abortions, lest they face potential criminal charges or lawsuits.State officials had asked Gamble to deny the request, arguing that Cox has not shown her life is in imminent danger and that she is therefore unable to qualify for an exception to the ban.The decision was handed down just two days after Cox filed the lawsuit, which says doctors told her the baby will likely be stillborn or live for a week at most.Cox had cesarean sections with her previous pregnancies. She learned she was pregnant for a third time in August and was told weeks later that her baby was at a high risk for a condition known as trisomy 18, which has a very high likelihood of miscarriage or stillbirth and low survival rates, according to the lawsuit.The lawsuit was filed a week after the Texas Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-texas-exceptions-lawsuit-82611bda29112775247d8e7adbc0a81b">heard arguments</a>&nbsp;about whether the ban is too restrictive for women with pregnancy complications. That case is among the biggest ongoing challenges to abortion bans in the U.S., although a ruling from the all-Republican court may not come for months.

Judge issues ruling in unprecedented abortion case

WASHINGTON&nbsp; (AP) —A salmonella outbreak tied to tainted cantaloupe has now killed eight people — three in the U.S. and five in Canada, health officials reported Thursday.

Dozens more illnesses were reported by both countries. In the U.S., at least 230 people have been ill in 38 states and 96 have been hospitalized since mid-November, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The tainted cantaloupe was also shipped to Canada, where 129 cases have been reported, including 44 hospitalizations, health officials reported.

.Many of the people who fell ill reported eating pre-cut cantaloupe in clamshell packages and trays sold in stores. Consumers should not buy, eat or serve cantaloupe, if they don’t know the source, the CDC said.

New recalls of whole and pre-cut fruit have been added to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/major-product-recalls/2023-recalls-food-products-associated-cantaloupes-due-potential-risk-salmonella" target="_blank">growing list,</a>&nbsp;the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. Last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/cut-fruit-express-recalls-fresh-cut-fruit-mix-containing-cantaloupe-because-possible-health-risk" target="_blank">Cut Fruit Express</a>&nbsp;initiated a recall of cantaloupe chunks and fruit mixes containing cantaloupe. On Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/tgd-cuts-llc-recalls-certain-fresh-cut-fruit-cup-clamshell-and-tray-products-due-possible-health" target="_blank">TGD Cuts, LLC</a>&nbsp;launched a recall of specific fresh fruit cup, clamshell and tray products that contained cantaloupe from the company TruFresh.

Health officials are still working to determine whether additional products are linked to the illnesses.

Salmonella can cause serious illness in young children, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701997370458.png" alt="-&nbsp; This map shows where the 230 people in this Salmonella outbreak lived. This outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses, and the true number of sick people is likely much higher than the number reported. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella. FDA Map December 7&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>-&nbsp; This map shows where the 230 people in this Salmonella outbreak lived. This outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses, and the true number of sick people is likely much higher than the number reported. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella. FDA Map December 7&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON&nbsp; (AP) —A salmonella outbreak tied to tainted cantaloupe has now killed eight people — three in the U.S. and five in Canada, health officials reported Thursday.Dozens more illnesses were reported by both countries. In the U.S., at least 230 people have been ill in 38 states and 96 have been hospitalized since mid-November, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The tainted cantaloupe was also shipped to Canada, where 129 cases have been reported, including 44 hospitalizations, health officials reported..Many of the people who fell ill reported eating pre-cut cantaloupe in clamshell packages and trays sold in stores. Consumers should not buy, eat or serve cantaloupe, if they don’t know the source, the CDC said.New recalls of whole and pre-cut fruit have been added to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/major-product-recalls/2023-recalls-food-products-associated-cantaloupes-due-potential-risk-salmonella" target="_blank">growing list,</a>&nbsp;the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. Last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/cut-fruit-express-recalls-fresh-cut-fruit-mix-containing-cantaloupe-because-possible-health-risk" target="_blank">Cut Fruit Express</a>&nbsp;initiated a recall of cantaloupe chunks and fruit mixes containing cantaloupe. On Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/tgd-cuts-llc-recalls-certain-fresh-cut-fruit-cup-clamshell-and-tray-products-due-possible-health" target="_blank">TGD Cuts, LLC</a>&nbsp;launched a recall of specific fresh fruit cup, clamshell and tray products that contained cantaloupe from the company TruFresh.Health officials are still working to determine whether additional products are linked to the illnesses.Salmonella can cause serious illness in young children, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems.

US Embassy in Baghdad attacked with rockets

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>&nbsp;was indicted on nine tax charges in California on Thursday as a special counsel investigation into the business dealings of the president's son intensifies against the backdrop of the looming 2024 election.

The new charges — three felonies and six misdemeanors — come in addition to federal firearms charges in Delaware alleging Hunter Biden broke a law against drug users having guns in 2018.

He had been previously expected to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges as part of a plea deal with prosecutors who said he failed to pay taxes on $4 million in personal income in 2017 and 2018. Defense attorneys have signaled they plan to fight any new charges.

The agreement imploded in July after a judge raised questions about it. It had also been pilloried as a “sweetheart deal” by Republicans investigating nearly every aspect of Hunter Biden's business dealings as well as the Justice Department's handling of the case.

Congressional Republicans have also pursued an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-joe-biden-impeachment-congress-subpoena-37fe9652539c2c501d8b8bd8c3cc8901">impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden</a>, claiming he was engaged in an influence-peddling scheme with his son. The House is expected to vote next week on formally authorizing the inquiry.

While questions have arisen about the ethics surrounding the Biden family’s international business, no evidence has emerged so far to prove that Joe Biden, in his current or previous office, abused his role or accepted bribes.

The criminal investigation led by Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss has been open since 2018, and was expected to wind down with the plea deal that Hunter Biden had planned to strike with prosecutors over the summer. He would have pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor tax evasion charges and would have entered a separate agreement on the gun charge. He would have served two years of probation rather than get jail time.

The agreement also contained immunity provisions, and defense attorneys have argued that they remain in force since that part of the agreement was signed by a prosecutor before the deal was scrapped.

Prosecutors disagree, pointing out the documents weren’t signed by a judge and are invalid.

After the deal fell apart, prosecutors filed three federal gun charges alleging that Hunter Biden had lied about his drug use to buy a gun that he kept for 11 days in 2018. Federal law bans gun possession by “habitual drug users,” though the measure is seldom seen as a stand-alone charge and has been called into question by a federal appeals court.

Hunter Biden’s longstanding struggle with substance abuse had worsened during that period after the death of his brother Beau Biden in 2015, prosecutors wrote in a draft plea agreement filed in court in Delaware.

He still made “substantial income” in 2017 and 2018, including $2.6 million in business and consulting fees from a company he formed with the CEOs of a Chinese business conglomerate and the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, but did not pay his taxes, prosecutors said in that filing.

He did eventually file his taxes in 2020 and the back taxes were paid by a “third party” the following year, prosecutors said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695255188333.png" alt="The new charges — three felonies and six misdemeanors — come in addition to federal firearms charges in Delaware alleging Hunter Biden broke a law against drug users having guns in 2018.-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>The new charges — three felonies and six misdemeanors — come in addition to federal firearms charges in Delaware alleging Hunter Biden broke a law against drug users having guns in 2018.-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>&nbsp;was indicted on nine tax charges in California on Thursday as a special counsel investigation into the business dealings of the president's son intensifies against the backdrop of the looming 2024 election.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702004663484.png" alt="Indictment includes summary of the expenditures Hunter Biden made instead of paying his taxes, per prosectors&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Indictment includes summary of the expenditures Hunter Biden made instead of paying his taxes, per prosectors&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>The new charges — three felonies and six misdemeanors — come in addition to federal firearms charges in Delaware alleging Hunter Biden broke a law against drug users having guns in 2018.He had been previously expected to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges as part of a plea deal with prosecutors who said he failed to pay taxes on $4 million in personal income in 2017 and 2018. Defense attorneys have signaled they plan to fight any new charges.The agreement imploded in July after a judge raised questions about it. It had also been pilloried as a “sweetheart deal” by Republicans investigating nearly every aspect of Hunter Biden's business dealings as well as the Justice Department's handling of the case.Congressional Republicans have also pursued an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-joe-biden-impeachment-congress-subpoena-37fe9652539c2c501d8b8bd8c3cc8901">impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden</a>, claiming he was engaged in an influence-peddling scheme with his son. The House is expected to vote next week on formally authorizing the inquiry.While questions have arisen about the ethics surrounding the Biden family’s international business, no evidence has emerged so far to prove that Joe Biden, in his current or previous office, abused his role or accepted bribes.The criminal investigation led by Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss has been open since 2018, and was expected to wind down with the plea deal that Hunter Biden had planned to strike with prosecutors over the summer. He would have pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor tax evasion charges and would have entered a separate agreement on the gun charge. He would have served two years of probation rather than get jail time.The agreement also contained immunity provisions, and defense attorneys have argued that they remain in force since that part of the agreement was signed by a prosecutor before the deal was scrapped.Prosecutors disagree, pointing out the documents weren’t signed by a judge and are invalid.After the deal fell apart, prosecutors filed three federal gun charges alleging that Hunter Biden had lied about his drug use to buy a gun that he kept for 11 days in 2018. Federal law bans gun possession by “habitual drug users,” though the measure is seldom seen as a stand-alone charge and has been called into question by a federal appeals court.Hunter Biden’s longstanding struggle with substance abuse had worsened during that period after the death of his brother Beau Biden in 2015, prosecutors wrote in a draft plea agreement filed in court in Delaware.He still made “substantial income” in 2017 and 2018, including $2.6 million in business and consulting fees from a company he formed with the CEOs of a Chinese business conglomerate and the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, but did not pay his taxes, prosecutors said in that filing.He did eventually file his taxes in 2020 and the back taxes were paid by a “third party” the following year, prosecutors said.