DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Powerball jackpot has increased to an estimated $1.23 billion after another drawing without a big winner Wednesday night.

The numbers selected were: 11, 38, 41, 62, 65 and the Powerball 15.

The jackpot, which now ranks as the eighth-largest in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lottery-jackpots-mega-millions-powerball-80fcb836622ba8e18883ce778786c1cc">U.S. lottery history</a>, has been growing for more than three months,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">reflecting the long odds</a>&nbsp;of 1 in 292.2 million of winning the top prize. Since the last player won the jackpot Jan. 1, there have been 40 consecutive drawings without anyone matching all six numbers and hitting it rich.

Lottery officials note that thousands of people have won smaller prizes, which range from $2 to $2 million.

The $1.23 billion prize is for a sole winner who chooses to be paid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">through an annuity</a>&nbsp;with 30 annual payments. Winners almost always prefer the cash option, which for the next drawing Saturday night would be an estimated $595.1 million.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Powerball jackpot has increased to an estimated $1.23 billion after another drawing without a big winner Wednesday night.The numbers selected were: 11, 38, 41, 62, 65 and the Powerball 15.The jackpot, which now ranks as the eighth-largest in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lottery-jackpots-mega-millions-powerball-80fcb836622ba8e18883ce778786c1cc">U.S. lottery history</a>, has been growing for more than three months,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">reflecting the long odds</a>&nbsp;of 1 in 292.2 million of winning the top prize. Since the last player won the jackpot Jan. 1, there have been 40 consecutive drawings without anyone matching all six numbers and hitting it rich.Lottery officials note that thousands of people have won smaller prizes, which range from $2 to $2 million.The $1.23 billion prize is for a sole winner who chooses to be paid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">through an annuity</a>&nbsp;with 30 annual payments. Winners almost always prefer the cash option, which for the next drawing Saturday night would be an estimated $595.1 million.

Powerball jackpot jumps to $1.23 billion, 8th largest in U.S. lottery history

WASHINGTON (AP) — Shortly after an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-syria-airstrike-iranian-embassy-edca34c52d38c8bc57281e4ebf33b240">airstrike widely attributed to Israel destroyed an Iranian consulate building in Syria</a>, the United States had an urgent message for Iran: We had nothing to do with it.

But that may not be enough for the U.S. to avoid retaliation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-syria-airstrike-iranian-embassy-edca34c52d38c8bc57281e4ebf33b240">targeting its forces in the region.</a>&nbsp;A top U.S. commander warned on Wednesday of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/houthi-attacks-ships-red-sea-7b86941c985a934281c68d6624baff1b">danger to American troops.</a>

And if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent broadening of targeted strikes on adversaries around the region to include Iranian security operatives and leaders deepens regional hostilities, analysts say, it's not clear the United States can avoid being pulled into deeper regional conflict as well.

The Biden administration insists it had no advance knowledge of the airstrike Monday. But the United States is closely tied to Israel's military regardless. The U.S. remains Israel’s indispensable ally and unstinting supplier of weapons, responsible for some 70% of Israeli weapon imports and an estimated 15% of Israel's defense budget. That includes providing the kind of advanced aircraft and munitions that appear to have been employed in the attack.

Israel hasn’t acknowledged a role in the airstrike, but Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Tuesday that the U.S. has assessed Israel was responsible.

Multiple arms of Iran's government served notice that they would hold the United States accountable for the fiery attack. The strike, in the Syrian capital of Damascus, killed senior commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for Syria and Lebanon, an officer of the powerful Iran-allied Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, and others.

American forces in Syria and Iraq already are frequent targets when Iran and its regional allies seek retaliation for strikes by Israelis, notes Charles Lister, the Syria program director for the Middle East Institute.

“What the Iranians have always done for years when they have felt most aggressively targeted by Israel is not to hit back at Israelis, but Americans,” seeing them as soft targets in the region, Lister said.

On Wednesday in Washington, the top U.S. Air Force commander for the Middle East, Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, said Iran’s assertion that the U.S. bears responsibility for Israeli actions could bring an end to a pause in militia attacks on U.S. forces that has lasted since early February.

He said he sees no specific threat to U.S. troops right now, but “I am concerned because of the Iranian rhetoric talking about the U.S., that there could be a risk to our forces."

U.S. officials have recorded more than 150 attacks by Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria on U.S. forces at bases in those countries since war between Hamas and Israel began on Oct. 7.

One, in late January, killed three U.S. service members and injured dozens more at a base in Jordan.

In retaliation, the U.S. launched a massive air assault, hitting more than 85 targets at seven locations in Iraq and Syria, including command and control headquarters, drone and ammunition storage sites and other facilities connected to the militias or the IRGC’s Quds Force, the Guard’s expeditionary unit that handles Tehran’s relationship with and arming of regional militias. There have been no publicly reported attacks on U.S. troops in the region since that response.

Grynkewich told reporters the U.S. is watching and listening carefully to what Iran is saying and doing to evaluate how Tehran might respond.

Analysts and diplomats cite a range of ways Iran could retaliate.

Since Oct. 7, Iran and the regional militias allied to it in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen have followed a strategy of calibrated attacks that stop short of triggering an all-out conflict that could subject Iran’s homeland forces or Hezbollah to full-blown war with Israel or the United States.

Beyond strikes on U.S. troops, possibilities for Iranian retaliation could include a limited missile strike directly from Iranian soil to Israel, Lister said. That would reciprocate for Israel's strike on what under international law was sovereign Iranian soil, at the Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus.

A concentrated attack on a U.S. position abroad on the scale of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-marines-bombing-beirut-1983-hezbollah-israel-hamas-iran-34f61ac47909c52de800dd35b375e782">1983 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut</a>&nbsp;is possible, but seems unlikely given the scale of U.S. retaliation that would draw, analysts say. Iran also could escalate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-sanctions-treasury-terrorism-bolton-soleimani-rushdie-a3b96b9008b0f4d64c8279717d1f4dea">an existing effort to kill Trump-era officials</a>&nbsp;behind the United States' 2020 drone killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

How far any other retaliation and potential escalation goes may depend on two things out of U.S. control: Whether Iran wants to keep regional hostilities at their current level or escalate, and whether Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's far-right government does.

Sina Toossi, a fellow at the Center for International Policy, said analysts in Iran are among those trying to read Netanyahu's mind since the attack, struggling to choose between two competing narratives for Israel's objective.

“One perceives Israel’s actions as a deliberate provocation of war that Iran should respond to with restraint,” Toossi wrote in the U.S.-based think tank's journal. “The other suggests that Israel is capitalizing on Iran’s typically restrained responses,” and that failing to respond in kind will only embolden Israel.

Ultimately, Iran’s sense that it is already winning its strategic goals as the Hamas-Israel war continues — elevating the Palestinian cause and costing Israel friends globally — may go the furthest in persuading Iranian leaders not to risk open warfare with Israel or U.S. in whatever response they make to Monday’s airstrike, some analysts and diplomats say.

Shira Efron, a director of policy research at the U.S.-based Israel Policy Forum, rejected suggestions that Netanyahu was actively trying with attacks like the one in Damascus to draw the U.S. into a potentially decisive conflict alongside Israel against their common rivals, at least for now.

“First, the risk of escalation has increased. No doubt,” Efron said.

“I don't think Netanyahu is interested in full-blown war though,” she said. “And whereas in the past Israel was thought to be interested in drawing the U.S. into a greater conflict, even if the desire still exists in some circles, it is not more than wishful thinking at the moment.”

U.S. President Joe Biden is facing pressure from the other direction.

So far he's resisting calls from growing numbers of Democratic lawmakers and voters to limit the flow of American arms to Israel as a way to press Netanyahu to ease Israeli military killing of civilians in Gaza and to heed other U.S. appeals.

As criticism has grown of U.S. military support of Israel’s war in Gaza, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller has increasingly pointed to Israel’s longer-term need for weapons — to defend itself against Iran and Iranian-allied Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The U.S. is ″always concerned about anything that would be escalatory,” Miller said after the attack in Damascus. “It has been one of the goals of this administration since October 7th to keep the conflict from spreading, recognizing that Israel has the right to defend itself from adversaries that are sworn to its destruction.''

Israel for years has hit at Iranian proxies and their sites in the region, knocking back their ability to build strength and cause trouble for Israelis.

Since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, one of a network of Iran-aligned militias in the region, that shattered Israel’s sense of security, Netanyahu’s government has increasingly added Iranian security operatives and leaders to target lists in the region, Lister notes.

The U.S. military already has deepened engagement from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea since the Hamas-Israel war opened — deploying aircraft carriers to the region to discourage rear-guard attacks against Israel, opening airstrikes to quell attacks on shipping by Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen.

It is also moving to build a pier off Gaza to try to get more aid to Palestinian civilians despite obstacles that include Israel’s restrictions and attacks on aid deliveries.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705969629635.png" alt="File photo from U.S. strikes in the Middle East in February-U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>File photo from U.S. strikes in the Middle East in February-U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and LOLITA C. BALDORWASHINGTON (AP) — Shortly after an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-syria-airstrike-iranian-embassy-edca34c52d38c8bc57281e4ebf33b240">airstrike widely attributed to Israel destroyed an Iranian consulate building in Syria</a>, the United States had an urgent message for Iran: We had nothing to do with it.But that may not be enough for the U.S. to avoid retaliation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-syria-airstrike-iranian-embassy-edca34c52d38c8bc57281e4ebf33b240">targeting its forces in the region.</a>&nbsp;A top U.S. commander warned on Wednesday of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/houthi-attacks-ships-red-sea-7b86941c985a934281c68d6624baff1b">danger to American troops.</a>And if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent broadening of targeted strikes on adversaries around the region to include Iranian security operatives and leaders deepens regional hostilities, analysts say, it's not clear the United States can avoid being pulled into deeper regional conflict as well.The Biden administration insists it had no advance knowledge of the airstrike Monday. But the United States is closely tied to Israel's military regardless. The U.S. remains Israel’s indispensable ally and unstinting supplier of weapons, responsible for some 70% of Israeli weapon imports and an estimated 15% of Israel's defense budget. That includes providing the kind of advanced aircraft and munitions that appear to have been employed in the attack.Israel hasn’t acknowledged a role in the airstrike, but Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Tuesday that the U.S. has assessed Israel was responsible.Multiple arms of Iran's government served notice that they would hold the United States accountable for the fiery attack. The strike, in the Syrian capital of Damascus, killed senior commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for Syria and Lebanon, an officer of the powerful Iran-allied Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, and others.American forces in Syria and Iraq already are frequent targets when Iran and its regional allies seek retaliation for strikes by Israelis, notes Charles Lister, the Syria program director for the Middle East Institute.“What the Iranians have always done for years when they have felt most aggressively targeted by Israel is not to hit back at Israelis, but Americans,” seeing them as soft targets in the region, Lister said.On Wednesday in Washington, the top U.S. Air Force commander for the Middle East, Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, said Iran’s assertion that the U.S. bears responsibility for Israeli actions could bring an end to a pause in militia attacks on U.S. forces that has lasted since early February.He said he sees no specific threat to U.S. troops right now, but “I am concerned because of the Iranian rhetoric talking about the U.S., that there could be a risk to our forces."U.S. officials have recorded more than 150 attacks by Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria on U.S. forces at bases in those countries since war between Hamas and Israel began on Oct. 7.One, in late January, killed three U.S. service members and injured dozens more at a base in Jordan.In retaliation, the U.S. launched a massive air assault, hitting more than 85 targets at seven locations in Iraq and Syria, including command and control headquarters, drone and ammunition storage sites and other facilities connected to the militias or the IRGC’s Quds Force, the Guard’s expeditionary unit that handles Tehran’s relationship with and arming of regional militias. There have been no publicly reported attacks on U.S. troops in the region since that response.Grynkewich told reporters the U.S. is watching and listening carefully to what Iran is saying and doing to evaluate how Tehran might respond.Analysts and diplomats cite a range of ways Iran could retaliate.Since Oct. 7, Iran and the regional militias allied to it in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen have followed a strategy of calibrated attacks that stop short of triggering an all-out conflict that could subject Iran’s homeland forces or Hezbollah to full-blown war with Israel or the United States.Beyond strikes on U.S. troops, possibilities for Iranian retaliation could include a limited missile strike directly from Iranian soil to Israel, Lister said. That would reciprocate for Israel's strike on what under international law was sovereign Iranian soil, at the Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus.A concentrated attack on a U.S. position abroad on the scale of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-marines-bombing-beirut-1983-hezbollah-israel-hamas-iran-34f61ac47909c52de800dd35b375e782">1983 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut</a>&nbsp;is possible, but seems unlikely given the scale of U.S. retaliation that would draw, analysts say. Iran also could escalate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-sanctions-treasury-terrorism-bolton-soleimani-rushdie-a3b96b9008b0f4d64c8279717d1f4dea">an existing effort to kill Trump-era officials</a>&nbsp;behind the United States' 2020 drone killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.How far any other retaliation and potential escalation goes may depend on two things out of U.S. control: Whether Iran wants to keep regional hostilities at their current level or escalate, and whether Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's far-right government does.Sina Toossi, a fellow at the Center for International Policy, said analysts in Iran are among those trying to read Netanyahu's mind since the attack, struggling to choose between two competing narratives for Israel's objective.“One perceives Israel’s actions as a deliberate provocation of war that Iran should respond to with restraint,” Toossi wrote in the U.S.-based think tank's journal. “The other suggests that Israel is capitalizing on Iran’s typically restrained responses,” and that failing to respond in kind will only embolden Israel.Ultimately, Iran’s sense that it is already winning its strategic goals as the Hamas-Israel war continues — elevating the Palestinian cause and costing Israel friends globally — may go the furthest in persuading Iranian leaders not to risk open warfare with Israel or U.S. in whatever response they make to Monday’s airstrike, some analysts and diplomats say.Shira Efron, a director of policy research at the U.S.-based Israel Policy Forum, rejected suggestions that Netanyahu was actively trying with attacks like the one in Damascus to draw the U.S. into a potentially decisive conflict alongside Israel against their common rivals, at least for now.“First, the risk of escalation has increased. No doubt,” Efron said.“I don't think Netanyahu is interested in full-blown war though,” she said. “And whereas in the past Israel was thought to be interested in drawing the U.S. into a greater conflict, even if the desire still exists in some circles, it is not more than wishful thinking at the moment.”U.S. President Joe Biden is facing pressure from the other direction.So far he's resisting calls from growing numbers of Democratic lawmakers and voters to limit the flow of American arms to Israel as a way to press Netanyahu to ease Israeli military killing of civilians in Gaza and to heed other U.S. appeals.As criticism has grown of U.S. military support of Israel’s war in Gaza, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller has increasingly pointed to Israel’s longer-term need for weapons — to defend itself against Iran and Iranian-allied Hezbollah in Lebanon.The U.S. is ″always concerned about anything that would be escalatory,” Miller said after the attack in Damascus. “It has been one of the goals of this administration since October 7th to keep the conflict from spreading, recognizing that Israel has the right to defend itself from adversaries that are sworn to its destruction.''Israel for years has hit at Iranian proxies and their sites in the region, knocking back their ability to build strength and cause trouble for Israelis.Since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, one of a network of Iran-aligned militias in the region, that shattered Israel’s sense of security, Netanyahu’s government has increasingly added Iranian security operatives and leaders to target lists in the region, Lister notes.The U.S. military already has deepened engagement from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea since the Hamas-Israel war opened — deploying aircraft carriers to the region to discourage rear-guard attacks against Israel, opening airstrikes to quell attacks on shipping by Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen.It is also moving to build a pier off Gaza to try to get more aid to Palestinian civilians despite obstacles that include Israel’s restrictions and attacks on aid deliveries.

US braces for retaliation after attack on Iran consulate

Lincoln, April 3, 2024- Statement from Commission Chair Dan Watermeier on the surrendering of Grain Warehouse License GW-340.

“The PSC Grain Department has worked closely with Union Grain Company (GW-340),regarding its grain warehouse license,” said Commission Chair Dan Watermeier. “With Union Grain voluntarily surrendering its license, the Commission will now work directly with producers who have grain stored at the facility.”

The Order&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/grain/2024-04-03%20GW-340%20Order%20Opening%20Docket,%20Closing%20Warehouse%20NO%20GW-340%20and%20Taking%20Title%20to%20all%20Grain.pdf" target="_blank">GW-340</a>&nbsp;speaks for itself.

Deb CollinsLincoln, April 3, 2024- Statement from Commission Chair Dan Watermeier on the surrendering of Grain Warehouse License GW-340.“The PSC Grain Department has worked closely with Union Grain Company (GW-340),regarding its grain warehouse license,” said Commission Chair Dan Watermeier. “With Union Grain voluntarily surrendering its license, the Commission will now work directly with producers who have grain stored at the facility.”The Order&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/grain/2024-04-03%20GW-340%20Order%20Opening%20Docket,%20Closing%20Warehouse%20NO%20GW-340%20and%20Taking%20Title%20to%20all%20Grain.pdf" target="_blank">GW-340</a>&nbsp;speaks for itself.

PSC Statement on Surrender of Grain Warehouse License GW-340

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — With only months to go before what is shaping up to be a hotly contested presidential election, Nebraska's Republican governor is calling on state lawmakers to move forward with a “winner-take-all” system of awarding Electoral College votes.

“It would bring Nebraska into line with 48 of our fellow states, better reflect the founders’ intent, and ensure our state speaks with one unified voice in presidential elections,” Gov. Jim Pillen said in a written statement Tuesday. "I call upon fellow Republicans in the Legislature to pass this bill to my desk so I can sign it into law.”

Nebraska and Maine are the only states that split their electoral votes by congressional district, and both have done so in recent presidential elections. Both states' lawmakers have also made moves to switch to a winner-take-all system and have found themselves frustrated in that effort.

In Nebraska, the system has confounded Republicans, who have been unable to force the state into a winner-take-all system since Barack Obama became the first presidential contender to shave off one of the state's five electoral votes in 2008. It happened again in 2020, when President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-lincoln-omaha-93fdcb5a05fc62878b4fe70c2f7f6e5a">captured Nebraska’s 2nd District electoral vote</a>.

In the 2016 presidential election, one of Maine's four electoral votes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-e8bf3d80bb82e6128906ed5792cbbc24">went to former President Donald Trump</a>. Now, Maine Republicans stand opposed to an effort that would ditch its split system and instead join a multistate compact that would allocate all its electoral votes to whoever wins the national popular vote for president — even if that conflicts with Maine's popular vote for president.

A spokesperson for Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills said the governor has not said whether she’ll sign the bill, which received final approval Wednesday in the Maine Senate. But even if it's signed, it would be on hold until the other states approve the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.

Nebraska Republicans, too, have continuously faced hurdles in changing the current system, largely because the state's unique one-chamber Legislature requires 33 votes to get any contested bill to passage. Republicans in the officially nonpartisan Legislature currently hold 32 seats, but one Democrat — Omaha Sen. Mike McDonnell — announced Wednesday that he is switching his party affiliation to Republican. McDonnell cited his censure by the Nebraska Democratic Party for supporting abortion restrictions last year.

The party blasted Pillen's attempt to tank the split electoral vote system and urged residents to sign a petition supporting it.

“Nebraskans want to keep our fair electoral system in place which is why previous attempts by some Republicans over the last thirty years have failed to undo our split electoral votes," party chair Jane Kleeb said in a written statement. “We are proud of our unique electoral vote system and know all too well the economic benefits it generates with a national focus on our state.”

Despite Pillen's call to pass a winner-take-all change, it seems unlikely that Nebraska lawmakers would have time to get the bill out of committee, much less advance it through three rounds of debate, with only six days left in the current session. Some Nebraska lawmakers acknowledged as much.

“Reporting live from the trenches — don’t worry, we aren’t getting rid of our unique electoral system in Nebraska,” Sen. Megan Hunt posted on X late Tuesday. “Legislatively there’s just no time. Nothing to worry about this year.”

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — With only months to go before what is shaping up to be a hotly contested presidential election, Nebraska's Republican governor is calling on state lawmakers to move forward with a “winner-take-all” system of awarding Electoral College votes.“It would bring Nebraska into line with 48 of our fellow states, better reflect the founders’ intent, and ensure our state speaks with one unified voice in presidential elections,” Gov. Jim Pillen said in a written statement Tuesday. "I call upon fellow Republicans in the Legislature to pass this bill to my desk so I can sign it into law.”Nebraska and Maine are the only states that split their electoral votes by congressional district, and both have done so in recent presidential elections. Both states' lawmakers have also made moves to switch to a winner-take-all system and have found themselves frustrated in that effort.In Nebraska, the system has confounded Republicans, who have been unable to force the state into a winner-take-all system since Barack Obama became the first presidential contender to shave off one of the state's five electoral votes in 2008. It happened again in 2020, when President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-lincoln-omaha-93fdcb5a05fc62878b4fe70c2f7f6e5a">captured Nebraska’s 2nd District electoral vote</a>.In the 2016 presidential election, one of Maine's four electoral votes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-e8bf3d80bb82e6128906ed5792cbbc24">went to former President Donald Trump</a>. Now, Maine Republicans stand opposed to an effort that would ditch its split system and instead join a multistate compact that would allocate all its electoral votes to whoever wins the national popular vote for president — even if that conflicts with Maine's popular vote for president.A spokesperson for Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills said the governor has not said whether she’ll sign the bill, which received final approval Wednesday in the Maine Senate. But even if it's signed, it would be on hold until the other states approve the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.Nebraska Republicans, too, have continuously faced hurdles in changing the current system, largely because the state's unique one-chamber Legislature requires 33 votes to get any contested bill to passage. Republicans in the officially nonpartisan Legislature currently hold 32 seats, but one Democrat — Omaha Sen. Mike McDonnell — announced Wednesday that he is switching his party affiliation to Republican. McDonnell cited his censure by the Nebraska Democratic Party for supporting abortion restrictions last year.The party blasted Pillen's attempt to tank the split electoral vote system and urged residents to sign a petition supporting it.“Nebraskans want to keep our fair electoral system in place which is why previous attempts by some Republicans over the last thirty years have failed to undo our split electoral votes," party chair Jane Kleeb said in a written statement. “We are proud of our unique electoral vote system and know all too well the economic benefits it generates with a national focus on our state.”Despite Pillen's call to pass a winner-take-all change, it seems unlikely that Nebraska lawmakers would have time to get the bill out of committee, much less advance it through three rounds of debate, with only six days left in the current session. Some Nebraska lawmakers acknowledged as much.“Reporting live from the trenches — don’t worry, we aren’t getting rid of our unique electoral system in Nebraska,” Sen. Megan Hunt posted on X late Tuesday. “Legislatively there’s just no time. Nothing to worry about this year.”

Months ahead of the presidential election, Nebraska's GOP governor wants a winner-take-all system

KANSAS CITY (AP) —The largest producer of fresh eggs in the U.S. said Tuesday it had temporarily halted production at a Texas plant after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bird-flu">bird flu</a>&nbsp;was found in chickens, and officials said the virus had also been detected at a poultry facility in Michigan.

Ridgeland, Mississippi-based Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. said in a statement that approximately 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 pullets, about 3.6% of its total flock, were destroyed after the infection, avian influenza, was found at a facility in Parmer County, Texas.

The plant is on the Texas-New Mexico border in the Texas Panhandle about 85 miles (137 kilometers) southwest of Amarillo and about 370 miles (595 kilometers) northwest of Dallas. Cal-Maine said it sells most of its eggs in the Southwestern, Southeastern, Midwestern and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.

“The Company continues to work closely with federal, state and local government officials and focused industry groups to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks and effectively manage the response,” the statement said.

"Cal-Maine Foods is working to secure production from other facilities to minimize disruption to its customers," the statement said.

The company said there is no known bird flu risk associated with eggs that are currently in the market and no eggs have been recalled.

Eggs that are properly handled and cooked are safe to eat,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/avian-influenza-food-safety-qa.pdf">according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.</a>

The announcement by Cal-Maine comes a day after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/355f1e288e72df8b81b0e2efd8b3ae2f">state health officials said</a>&nbsp;a person had been diagnosed with bird flu after being in contact with cows presumed to be infected, and that the risk to the public remains low. The human case in Texas marks the first known instance globally of a person catching this version of bird flu from a mammal, federal health officials said.

In Michigan, Michigan State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory has detected bird flu in a commercial poultry facility in Ionia County, according to the Michigan’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The county is about 100 miles (161 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.

The department said it received confirmation of the disease Monday from the lab and that it is the fourth time since 2022 that the disease was detected at a commercial facility in Michigan.

Department spokesperson Jennifer Holton said Tuesday that state law prohibits the department from disclosing the type of poultry at the facility. The facility has been placed under quarantine and the department does not anticipate any disruptions to supply chains across the state, Holton said.

Dairy cows in Texas and Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-dairy-cattle-usda-kansas-texas-c3040bb31a9a8293717d47362f006902">were reported</a>&nbsp;to be infected with bird flu last week — and federal agriculture officials later confirmed infections in a Michigan dairy herd that had recently received cows from Texas. A dairy herd in Idaho has been added to the list after federal agriculture officials confirmed the detection of bird flu in them, according to a Tuesday press release from the USDA.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707323317575.jpeg" alt="Photo Mo.gov" />
 <figcaption>Photo Mo.gov</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —The largest producer of fresh eggs in the U.S. said Tuesday it had temporarily halted production at a Texas plant after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bird-flu">bird flu</a>&nbsp;was found in chickens, and officials said the virus had also been detected at a poultry facility in Michigan.Ridgeland, Mississippi-based Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. said in a statement that approximately 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 pullets, about 3.6% of its total flock, were destroyed after the infection, avian influenza, was found at a facility in Parmer County, Texas.The plant is on the Texas-New Mexico border in the Texas Panhandle about 85 miles (137 kilometers) southwest of Amarillo and about 370 miles (595 kilometers) northwest of Dallas. Cal-Maine said it sells most of its eggs in the Southwestern, Southeastern, Midwestern and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.“The Company continues to work closely with federal, state and local government officials and focused industry groups to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks and effectively manage the response,” the statement said."Cal-Maine Foods is working to secure production from other facilities to minimize disruption to its customers," the statement said.The company said there is no known bird flu risk associated with eggs that are currently in the market and no eggs have been recalled.Eggs that are properly handled and cooked are safe to eat,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/avian-influenza-food-safety-qa.pdf">according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.</a>The announcement by Cal-Maine comes a day after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/355f1e288e72df8b81b0e2efd8b3ae2f">state health officials said</a>&nbsp;a person had been diagnosed with bird flu after being in contact with cows presumed to be infected, and that the risk to the public remains low. The human case in Texas marks the first known instance globally of a person catching this version of bird flu from a mammal, federal health officials said.In Michigan, Michigan State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory has detected bird flu in a commercial poultry facility in Ionia County, according to the Michigan’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.The county is about 100 miles (161 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.The department said it received confirmation of the disease Monday from the lab and that it is the fourth time since 2022 that the disease was detected at a commercial facility in Michigan.Department spokesperson Jennifer Holton said Tuesday that state law prohibits the department from disclosing the type of poultry at the facility. The facility has been placed under quarantine and the department does not anticipate any disruptions to supply chains across the state, Holton said.Dairy cows in Texas and Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-dairy-cattle-usda-kansas-texas-c3040bb31a9a8293717d47362f006902">were reported</a>&nbsp;to be infected with bird flu last week — and federal agriculture officials later confirmed infections in a Michigan dairy herd that had recently received cows from Texas. A dairy herd in Idaho has been added to the list after federal agriculture officials confirmed the detection of bird flu in them, according to a Tuesday press release from the USDA.

Largest fresh egg producer in the US has found bird flu in chickens

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — With no votes to spare, Nebraska lawmakers advanced a bill that would raise the state’s sales tax by 1 cent to 6.5% on every taxable dollar spent — which would make it among the highest in the country.

The bill is key to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-governor-state-address-fccfa23e3b12fe8a508484e369a2e9c4">Republican Gov. Jim Pillen’s plan</a>&nbsp;to slash soaring property taxes, which reached a high of $5.3 billion in 2023 as housing prices have soared in recent years. Because local assessors are required to assess residential property at around 100% of market value, some people — particularly the elderly who are on fixed incomes — are being priced out homes they’ve owned for years because they can’t afford the tax bill, Pillen and others have said.

The bill garnered the 33 votes needed Tuesday to end a filibuster and advance to the second of three rounds of debate in Nebraska’s unique one-chamber legislature. In addition to raising the state's current 5.5% sales tax and expanding it to include more services — such as digital advertising costs — it would add new taxes to candy and soda pop and would tax hemp and CBD products at 100%.

California currently has the highest state sales tax in the nation, at 7.25%. If the Nebraska bill passes as is, it would match the 6.5% state sales taxes of Arkansas, Kansas and Washington, which all currently tie for 9th highest in the nation.

Because most cities and counties in Nebraska have an additional local sales tax from 1/2-cent to 2 cents on the dollar, the legislation advanced Tuesday would take the total sales tax in some Nebraska cities to 8.5%.

But the bill would also cut sales tax currently added to utility bills — a proposal made to address complaints that a sales tax increase would disproportionately affect lower income people.

Supporters of the bill pushed back on that argument, noting that grocery food items would still be exempt from sales tax in Nebraska. The bill is aimed at higher income residents with more disposable income, not those living in poverty, said Omaha Sen. Lou Ann Linehan.

For those struggling to get by, “are you spending a lot of money on handbags?” Linehan asked. “Are you spending $200 on new shoes? This bill affects people who have money to spend on those things.”

Linehan has struggled to find enough votes to advance the bill, and paused debate on it last week in an effort to scrounge up more support. It appeared to be headed for failure Tuesday after initially getting only 32 votes — one short — to end debate. It got the 33rd vote from Republican Sen. Steve Erdman, one of the bill’s biggest critics, who switched from not voting to a yes vote in the last second. Erdman supports a sales tax structure that taxes virtually all purchases while eliminating property, income and corporate tax.

Critics of the measure included an unusual mix of both left-leaning opponents, who say a sales tax inherently puts more burden on lower income populations, and conservative ones who oppose any increase in taxes.

State Sen. Jane Raybould — a Democrat in the officially nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature — said that while food may not be subject to sales tax, other necessities like toiletries and cleaning products and more expensive needs like kitchen appliances and vehicles will hurt lower income Nebraska residents. Others also objected to the 100% sales tax on CBD and hemp products, which would drive many businesses that sell them out of business, Omaha state Sen. Jen Day said.

“Fair taxation is always an effort to balance with raising revenue,” she said.

The bill is a tax shift, not a new investment in public education as supporters maintain, taxation watchdog group Open Sky Policy Institute said.

“On average, the 5% of Nebraskans with incomes over $252,600 will pay less as a result of the changes, while for 8 in 10 Nebraskans, the sales tax increase will on average be greater than any property tax cut they may receive,” Open Sky said, citing a study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

The bill must survive two more rounds of debate by the end of the legislative session on April 18 in order to pass. Pillen has promised to call lawmakers back for a special session if property tax relief efforts fail to pass.

Opponents across the political spectrum insist they support finding a way to reduce property taxes — but not with a sales tax increase. And some Republican lawmakers now find themselves at odds with the Republican governor over it.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — With no votes to spare, Nebraska lawmakers advanced a bill that would raise the state’s sales tax by 1 cent to 6.5% on every taxable dollar spent — which would make it among the highest in the country.The bill is key to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-governor-state-address-fccfa23e3b12fe8a508484e369a2e9c4">Republican Gov. Jim Pillen’s plan</a>&nbsp;to slash soaring property taxes, which reached a high of $5.3 billion in 2023 as housing prices have soared in recent years. Because local assessors are required to assess residential property at around 100% of market value, some people — particularly the elderly who are on fixed incomes — are being priced out homes they’ve owned for years because they can’t afford the tax bill, Pillen and others have said.The bill garnered the 33 votes needed Tuesday to end a filibuster and advance to the second of three rounds of debate in Nebraska’s unique one-chamber legislature. In addition to raising the state's current 5.5% sales tax and expanding it to include more services — such as digital advertising costs — it would add new taxes to candy and soda pop and would tax hemp and CBD products at 100%.California currently has the highest state sales tax in the nation, at 7.25%. If the Nebraska bill passes as is, it would match the 6.5% state sales taxes of Arkansas, Kansas and Washington, which all currently tie for 9th highest in the nation.Because most cities and counties in Nebraska have an additional local sales tax from 1/2-cent to 2 cents on the dollar, the legislation advanced Tuesday would take the total sales tax in some Nebraska cities to 8.5%.But the bill would also cut sales tax currently added to utility bills — a proposal made to address complaints that a sales tax increase would disproportionately affect lower income people.Supporters of the bill pushed back on that argument, noting that grocery food items would still be exempt from sales tax in Nebraska. The bill is aimed at higher income residents with more disposable income, not those living in poverty, said Omaha Sen. Lou Ann Linehan.For those struggling to get by, “are you spending a lot of money on handbags?” Linehan asked. “Are you spending $200 on new shoes? This bill affects people who have money to spend on those things.”Linehan has struggled to find enough votes to advance the bill, and paused debate on it last week in an effort to scrounge up more support. It appeared to be headed for failure Tuesday after initially getting only 32 votes — one short — to end debate. It got the 33rd vote from Republican Sen. Steve Erdman, one of the bill’s biggest critics, who switched from not voting to a yes vote in the last second. Erdman supports a sales tax structure that taxes virtually all purchases while eliminating property, income and corporate tax.Critics of the measure included an unusual mix of both left-leaning opponents, who say a sales tax inherently puts more burden on lower income populations, and conservative ones who oppose any increase in taxes.State Sen. Jane Raybould — a Democrat in the officially nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature — said that while food may not be subject to sales tax, other necessities like toiletries and cleaning products and more expensive needs like kitchen appliances and vehicles will hurt lower income Nebraska residents. Others also objected to the 100% sales tax on CBD and hemp products, which would drive many businesses that sell them out of business, Omaha state Sen. Jen Day said.“Fair taxation is always an effort to balance with raising revenue,” she said.The bill is a tax shift, not a new investment in public education as supporters maintain, taxation watchdog group Open Sky Policy Institute said.“On average, the 5% of Nebraskans with incomes over $252,600 will pay less as a result of the changes, while for 8 in 10 Nebraskans, the sales tax increase will on average be greater than any property tax cut they may receive,” Open Sky said, citing a study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.The bill must survive two more rounds of debate by the end of the legislative session on April 18 in order to pass. Pillen has promised to call lawmakers back for a special session if property tax relief efforts fail to pass.Opponents across the political spectrum insist they support finding a way to reduce property taxes — but not with a sales tax increase. And some Republican lawmakers now find themselves at odds with the Republican governor over it.

Lawmakers in GOP-led Nebraska advance bill to raise sales tax

(LINCOLN, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol, with assistance from multiple other law enforcement agencies, arrested a Lincoln man following a pursuit that crossed three counties overnight.

At approximately 11:30 p.m., Monday, NSP was notified that Butler County Sheriff’s Deputies were in pursuit of a Toyota Rav4 that had fled when a deputy attempted to check on it as it was stopped on the side of the road. A trooper was able to locate the pursuit as it was traveling westbound on Highway 92.

The pursuit traveled through Polk County and into Merrick County, where NSP took over the primary position in the pursuit. In Merrick County, the Central City Police Department was able to successfully deploy stop sticks to slow the vehicle. The Toyota then came to a stop west of the Highway 14/Highway 92 intersection.

Troopers provided verbal commands to the driver to exit the vehicle, but the driver did not comply. After a few minutes, the driver accelerated and continued fleeing westbound. The trooper then performed a tactical vehicle intervention to bring the vehicle to a stop. The driver then complied with commands and was taken into custody without further incident.

The driver, Matthew Ross, 36, of Lincoln, was arrested for flight to avoid arrest and willful reckless driving. He was lodged in Butler County Jail.

The sheriff’s offices of Butler, Polk, Howard, and Merrick Counties, as well as the Central City Police Department, assisted in this incident.

Cody ThomasNebraska State Patrol(LINCOLN, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol, with assistance from multiple other law enforcement agencies, arrested a Lincoln man following a pursuit that crossed three counties overnight.At approximately 11:30 p.m., Monday, NSP was notified that Butler County Sheriff’s Deputies were in pursuit of a Toyota Rav4 that had fled when a deputy attempted to check on it as it was stopped on the side of the road. A trooper was able to locate the pursuit as it was traveling westbound on Highway 92.The pursuit traveled through Polk County and into Merrick County, where NSP took over the primary position in the pursuit. In Merrick County, the Central City Police Department was able to successfully deploy stop sticks to slow the vehicle. The Toyota then came to a stop west of the Highway 14/Highway 92 intersection.Troopers provided verbal commands to the driver to exit the vehicle, but the driver did not comply. After a few minutes, the driver accelerated and continued fleeing westbound. The trooper then performed a tactical vehicle intervention to bring the vehicle to a stop. The driver then complied with commands and was taken into custody without further incident.The driver, Matthew Ross, 36, of Lincoln, was arrested for flight to avoid arrest and willful reckless driving. He was lodged in Butler County Jail.The sheriff’s offices of Butler, Polk, Howard, and Merrick Counties, as well as the Central City Police Department, assisted in this incident.

Troopers Arrest One After Multi-County Pursuit Ends Near Central City

&nbsp;OMAHA, NE — As the Nebraska Legislature advances a shell bill to adjust the state's tax structure, the Platte Institute acknowledges the movement toward removing the sales tax hike as a positive development that aligns with good tax policy. &nbsp;

Jim Vokal, Chief Executive Officer of the Platte Institute, offered a reflection on the legislative progress, stating, "We are encouraged by the recent legislative efforts to reconsider aspects of the proposed tax reform. It is critical that any tax reform package ensures the entire tax burden on Nebraskans is lessened. This means avoiding tax shifts, increasing any tax rates, or pausing any past income tax reforms. This perspective underscores the Institute's advocacy for comprehensive reforms that benefit the state's economic environment and its people.”&nbsp;

The Platte Institute urges the Nebraska Legislature to maintain a course that prioritizes the structural reforms that offset valuation hikes, control local spending and implement caps that limit property tax collection Further, the Legislature should continue to explore front loading credits with the assurance of mandated lower school property taxes.

&nbsp;As discussions around the proposed tax measures continue, we remain committed to working alongside lawmakers, stakeholders, and the community to advocate for policies that enhance Nebraska's fiscal responsibility and economic freedom. &nbsp;

For further information, to request an interview, or to discuss the broader implications of the legislative proposal, please contact Ryan Kopsa at (402) 366-4432 or via email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:rkopsa@platteinstitute.org" target="_blank">rkopsa@platteinstitute.org</a>.&nbsp;The Platte Institute continues to champion policies that promote economic freedom and prosperity across Nebraska. For more insights, visit PlatteInstitute.org.&nbsp;

Platte Institute&nbsp;OMAHA, NE — As the Nebraska Legislature advances a shell bill to adjust the state's tax structure, the Platte Institute acknowledges the movement toward removing the sales tax hike as a positive development that aligns with good tax policy. &nbsp;Jim Vokal, Chief Executive Officer of the Platte Institute, offered a reflection on the legislative progress, stating, "We are encouraged by the recent legislative efforts to reconsider aspects of the proposed tax reform. It is critical that any tax reform package ensures the entire tax burden on Nebraskans is lessened. This means avoiding tax shifts, increasing any tax rates, or pausing any past income tax reforms. This perspective underscores the Institute's advocacy for comprehensive reforms that benefit the state's economic environment and its people.”&nbsp;The Platte Institute urges the Nebraska Legislature to maintain a course that prioritizes the structural reforms that offset valuation hikes, control local spending and implement caps that limit property tax collection Further, the Legislature should continue to explore front loading credits with the assurance of mandated lower school property taxes.&nbsp;As discussions around the proposed tax measures continue, we remain committed to working alongside lawmakers, stakeholders, and the community to advocate for policies that enhance Nebraska's fiscal responsibility and economic freedom. &nbsp;For further information, to request an interview, or to discuss the broader implications of the legislative proposal, please contact Ryan Kopsa at (402) 366-4432 or via email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:rkopsa@platteinstitute.org" target="_blank">rkopsa@platteinstitute.org</a>.&nbsp;The Platte Institute continues to champion policies that promote economic freedom and prosperity across Nebraska. For more insights, visit PlatteInstitute.org.&nbsp;

Platte Institute Responds to Legislative Movement on Tax Proposal, Calls for Balanced Reform 

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Some of Israel's closest allies, including the United States, on Tuesday condemned the deaths of seven aid workers who were killed by airstrikes in Gaza — a loss that prompted multiple charities to suspend food deliveries to Palestinians&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-18-2024-eefc526aec97821fe5f1e845801a6640">on the brink of starvation</a>.

The deaths of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/victims-aid-workers-gaza-world-central-kitchen-f79eccaf93e34e36d39ae16c848dde92">World Central Kitchen workers</a>&nbsp;threatened to set back efforts by the U.S. and other countries to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-peir-plan-aid-world-central-kitchen-97e53ccaa9b54b436b2e6ede7dd9aa2d">open a maritime corridor</a>&nbsp;for aid from Cyprus to help ease the desperate conditions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-11-2024-c6835d50f91dff0443e0f7fdf5e3229f">in northern Gaza</a>.

President Joe Biden issued an unusually blunt criticism of Israel by its closest ally, suggesting that the incident demonstrated that Israel was not doing enough to protect civilians.

“Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians,” he said, adding he was “outraged and heartbroken" by their killings.

“Incidents like yesterday’s simply should not happen,” he added. "The United States has repeatedly urged Israel to deconflict their military operations against Hamas with humanitarian operations, in order to avoid civilian casualties.”

Ships still laden with some 240 tons of aid from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-central-kitchen-jose-andres-gaza-israel-a21b62edbfa1150d0eb78ed5597a03c8">the charitable group</a>&nbsp;turned back from Gaza just a day after arriving, according to Cyprus. Other humanitarian aid organizations also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-central-kitchen-gaza-humanitarian-aid-suspension-4a2d5bfa131ccd9984fe47076880b6b9">suspended operations</a>&nbsp;in Gaza, saying it was too dangerous to offer help. Israel has allowed only a trickle of food and supplies into Gaza's devastated north, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-18-2024-eefc526aec97821fe5f1e845801a6640">experts say famine is imminent</a>.

The dead from Monday night's strikes included three British citizens, Polish and Australia nationals, a Canadian-American dual national and a Palestinian. Those countries have been key backers of Israel's nearly 6-month-old offensive in Gaza, and several of them denounced the killings.

Israel already faces growing isolation as international criticism of the Gaza assault has mounted. On the same day as the deadly airstrikes, Israel stirred more fears by apparently striking Iran’s consulate in Damascus and killing two Iranian generals. The government also moved to shut down a foreign media outlet — Qatari-owned Al Jazeera television.

The hit on the charity’s convoy also highlighted what critics have called Israel’s indiscriminate bombing and lack of regard for civilian casualties in Gaza.

Israel's military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, announced the results of a preliminary investigation early Wednesday.

“It was a mistake that followed a misidentification – at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldn’t have happened,” he said. He gave no further details. He said an independent body would conduct a “thorough investigation” that would be completed in the coming days.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier acknowledged the “unintended strike ... on innocent people” and said officials would work to ensure it does not happen again.

World Central Kitchen said it had coordinated with the Israeli military over the movement of its cars. Three vehicles moving at large distances apart were hit in succession. They were left incinerated and mangled, indicating multiple targeted strikes.

At least one of the vehicles had the charity’s logo printed across its roof to make it identifiable from the air, and the ordnance punched a large hole through the roof. Footage showed the bodies at a hospital in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah, several of them wearing protective gear with the charity’s logo.

Israeli TV said the initial military investigation found that the army identified the cars carrying World Central Kitchen’s workers arriving at its warehouse in Deir al-Balah and observed suspected militants nearby. Half an hour later, the vehicles were struck by the air force as they headed south. The reports said it was not clear who ordered the strikes or why.

Throughout the war, Israel has said it seeks to avoid civilian casualties and uses sophisticated intelligence to target Hamas and other militants. Israeli authorities blame them for civilian deaths because they operate in populated areas.

At the same time, Israel has also insisted that no target is off-limits. Israeli forces have repeatedly struck ambulances and vehicles carrying aid, as well as relief organization offices and U.N. shelters, claiming that armed fighters were in them.

Israeli forces have also shown a readiness to inflict widespread destruction on suspicion of a militant presence or out of tactical need. Homes with Palestinian families sheltering inside are leveled by strikes almost daily with no explanation of the intended target. Videos of strikes released by the military often show them hitting individuals without visible weapons, while identifying them as militants.

More than 32,900 Palestinians have been killed in the war, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Gaza’s Health Ministry</a>, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count.

Celebrity chef José Andrés, who founded the World Central Kitchen charity, said he was “heartbroken” by the deaths of the staffers.

“The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The U.S., Britain, Poland, Australia and Canada all called on Israel to give answers on the deaths. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant launched an investigation and ordered the opening of a joint situation room enabling coordination between the military and aid groups.

But anger among its allies could put new pressure on Israel.

The British government summoned Israel’s ambassador for a rebuke and called for an immediate humanitarian pause to allow more aid in and the release of hostages.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Netanyahu that he was “appalled” by the workers' deaths and described the situation in Gaza as “increasingly intolerable.”

A senior Canadian government official said there will be a joint formal diplomatic rebuke at the foreign ministry in Israel on Wednesday. The official also said a top official with Canada’s Global Affairs department made a formal representation to Israel ambassador’s to Canada on Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The deaths sent a further chill through U.N. agencies and other aid groups that have said for months that sending truck convoys around Gaza — particularly in the north — has been extremely difficult because of the military’s failure to either grant permission or ensure safe passage. Israel has barred UNRWA, the main U.N. agency in Gaza, from making deliveries to the north.

The U.S. and other countries have been working to set up the sea passage from Cyprus to get around the difficulties.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-aid-workers-killed-world-central-kitchen-andres-explainer-04d1f8ad0ea7f1fe4c09769b75467fa1">World Central Kitchen</a>&nbsp;was key to the new route. It and the United Arab Emirates sent a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-15-2024-d4e2f9ed525914233e4cf16c217f5248">pilot shipment</a>&nbsp;last month. Their second delivery of around 400 tons of food and supplies arrived in three ships to Gaza hours before the strikes on the convoy.

Around 100 tons were unloaded before the charity suspended operations, and the rest was being taken back to Cyprus, Cypriot Foreign Ministry spokesman Theodoros Gotsis said.

Still, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said Tuesday that ship deliveries would continue.

Anera, a Washington-based aid group that has been operating in the Palestinian territories for decades, said that in the wake of the strikes it was taking the “unprecedented” step of pausing its own operations in Gaza, where it had been helping to provide around 150,000 meals daily.

“The escalating risks associated with aid delivery leave us with no choice,” it said in a statement.

Jamie McGoldrick, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said the strikes were “not an isolated incident.” The U.N. says more than 180 humanitarian workers have been killed in the war.

“This is nearly three times the death toll recorded in any single conflict in a year,” he said.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel in a surprise attack on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage. Israel responded with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-bombs-destruction-death-toll-scope-419488c511f83c85baea22458472a796">one of the deadliest and most destructive offensives</a>&nbsp;in recent history.

Two other Israeli strikes late Monday killed at least 16 Palestinians, including eight children, in Rafah, where Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rafah-hamas-gaza-israel-war-541e91c0f09196944a4dabeded94596f">has vowed to expand its ground operation</a>. The city on the Egyptian border is now home to some 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom have sought refuge from fighting elsewhere.

One strike hit a family home, killing 10 people, including five children, according to hospital records. Another hit a gathering near a mosque, killing at least six people, including three children.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712102552938.png" alt="Jacob Flickinger photo WCK" />
 <figcaption>Jacob Flickinger photo WCK</figcaption>
 </figure>DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Some of Israel's closest allies, including the United States, on Tuesday condemned the deaths of seven aid workers who were killed by airstrikes in Gaza — a loss that prompted multiple charities to suspend food deliveries to Palestinians&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-18-2024-eefc526aec97821fe5f1e845801a6640">on the brink of starvation</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712102615852.png" alt="World Central Kitchen" />
 <figcaption>World Central Kitchen</figcaption>
 </figure>The deaths of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/victims-aid-workers-gaza-world-central-kitchen-f79eccaf93e34e36d39ae16c848dde92">World Central Kitchen workers</a>&nbsp;threatened to set back efforts by the U.S. and other countries to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-peir-plan-aid-world-central-kitchen-97e53ccaa9b54b436b2e6ede7dd9aa2d">open a maritime corridor</a>&nbsp;for aid from Cyprus to help ease the desperate conditions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-11-2024-c6835d50f91dff0443e0f7fdf5e3229f">in northern Gaza</a>.President Joe Biden issued an unusually blunt criticism of Israel by its closest ally, suggesting that the incident demonstrated that Israel was not doing enough to protect civilians.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I am outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, including one American, in Gaza yesterday. Incidents like yesterday’s simply should not happen. Here is my full statement. <a href="https://t.co/Nl2jq8wqTt">pic.twitter.com/Nl2jq8wqTt</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1775316042367094888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians,” he said, adding he was “outraged and heartbroken" by their killings.“Incidents like yesterday’s simply should not happen,” he added. "The United States has repeatedly urged Israel to deconflict their military operations against Hamas with humanitarian operations, in order to avoid civilian casualties.”Ships still laden with some 240 tons of aid from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-central-kitchen-jose-andres-gaza-israel-a21b62edbfa1150d0eb78ed5597a03c8">the charitable group</a>&nbsp;turned back from Gaza just a day after arriving, according to Cyprus. Other humanitarian aid organizations also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-central-kitchen-gaza-humanitarian-aid-suspension-4a2d5bfa131ccd9984fe47076880b6b9">suspended operations</a>&nbsp;in Gaza, saying it was too dangerous to offer help. Israel has allowed only a trickle of food and supplies into Gaza's devastated north, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-18-2024-eefc526aec97821fe5f1e845801a6640">experts say famine is imminent</a>.The dead from Monday night's strikes included three British citizens, Polish and Australia nationals, a Canadian-American dual national and a Palestinian. Those countries have been key backers of Israel's nearly 6-month-old offensive in Gaza, and several of them denounced the killings.Israel already faces growing isolation as international criticism of the Gaza assault has mounted. On the same day as the deadly airstrikes, Israel stirred more fears by apparently striking Iran’s consulate in Damascus and killing two Iranian generals. The government also moved to shut down a foreign media outlet — Qatari-owned Al Jazeera television.The hit on the charity’s convoy also highlighted what critics have called Israel’s indiscriminate bombing and lack of regard for civilian casualties in Gaza.Israel's military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, announced the results of a preliminary investigation early Wednesday.“It was a mistake that followed a misidentification – at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldn’t have happened,” he said. He gave no further details. He said an independent body would conduct a “thorough investigation” that would be completed in the coming days.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier acknowledged the “unintended strike ... on innocent people” and said officials would work to ensure it does not happen again.World Central Kitchen said it had coordinated with the Israeli military over the movement of its cars. Three vehicles moving at large distances apart were hit in succession. They were left incinerated and mangled, indicating multiple targeted strikes.At least one of the vehicles had the charity’s logo printed across its roof to make it identifiable from the air, and the ordnance punched a large hole through the roof. Footage showed the bodies at a hospital in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah, several of them wearing protective gear with the charity’s logo.Israeli TV said the initial military investigation found that the army identified the cars carrying World Central Kitchen’s workers arriving at its warehouse in Deir al-Balah and observed suspected militants nearby. Half an hour later, the vehicles were struck by the air force as they headed south. The reports said it was not clear who ordered the strikes or why.Throughout the war, Israel has said it seeks to avoid civilian casualties and uses sophisticated intelligence to target Hamas and other militants. Israeli authorities blame them for civilian deaths because they operate in populated areas.At the same time, Israel has also insisted that no target is off-limits. Israeli forces have repeatedly struck ambulances and vehicles carrying aid, as well as relief organization offices and U.N. shelters, claiming that armed fighters were in them.Israeli forces have also shown a readiness to inflict widespread destruction on suspicion of a militant presence or out of tactical need. Homes with Palestinian families sheltering inside are leveled by strikes almost daily with no explanation of the intended target. Videos of strikes released by the military often show them hitting individuals without visible weapons, while identifying them as militants.More than 32,900 Palestinians have been killed in the war, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Gaza’s Health Ministry</a>, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count.Celebrity chef José Andrés, who founded the World Central Kitchen charity, said he was “heartbroken” by the deaths of the staffers.“The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.The U.S., Britain, Poland, Australia and Canada all called on Israel to give answers on the deaths. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant launched an investigation and ordered the opening of a joint situation room enabling coordination between the military and aid groups.But anger among its allies could put new pressure on Israel.The British government summoned Israel’s ambassador for a rebuke and called for an immediate humanitarian pause to allow more aid in and the release of hostages.British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Netanyahu that he was “appalled” by the workers' deaths and described the situation in Gaza as “increasingly intolerable.”A senior Canadian government official said there will be a joint formal diplomatic rebuke at the foreign ministry in Israel on Wednesday. The official also said a top official with Canada’s Global Affairs department made a formal representation to Israel ambassador’s to Canada on Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.The deaths sent a further chill through U.N. agencies and other aid groups that have said for months that sending truck convoys around Gaza — particularly in the north — has been extremely difficult because of the military’s failure to either grant permission or ensure safe passage. Israel has barred UNRWA, the main U.N. agency in Gaza, from making deliveries to the north.The U.S. and other countries have been working to set up the sea passage from Cyprus to get around the difficulties.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-aid-workers-killed-world-central-kitchen-andres-explainer-04d1f8ad0ea7f1fe4c09769b75467fa1">World Central Kitchen</a>&nbsp;was key to the new route. It and the United Arab Emirates sent a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-15-2024-d4e2f9ed525914233e4cf16c217f5248">pilot shipment</a>&nbsp;last month. Their second delivery of around 400 tons of food and supplies arrived in three ships to Gaza hours before the strikes on the convoy.Around 100 tons were unloaded before the charity suspended operations, and the rest was being taken back to Cyprus, Cypriot Foreign Ministry spokesman Theodoros Gotsis said.Still, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said Tuesday that ship deliveries would continue.Anera, a Washington-based aid group that has been operating in the Palestinian territories for decades, said that in the wake of the strikes it was taking the “unprecedented” step of pausing its own operations in Gaza, where it had been helping to provide around 150,000 meals daily.“The escalating risks associated with aid delivery leave us with no choice,” it said in a statement.Jamie McGoldrick, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said the strikes were “not an isolated incident.” The U.N. says more than 180 humanitarian workers have been killed in the war.“This is nearly three times the death toll recorded in any single conflict in a year,” he said.The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel in a surprise attack on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage. Israel responded with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-bombs-destruction-death-toll-scope-419488c511f83c85baea22458472a796">one of the deadliest and most destructive offensives</a>&nbsp;in recent history.Two other Israeli strikes late Monday killed at least 16 Palestinians, including eight children, in Rafah, where Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rafah-hamas-gaza-israel-war-541e91c0f09196944a4dabeded94596f">has vowed to expand its ground operation</a>. The city on the Egyptian border is now home to some 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom have sought refuge from fighting elsewhere.One strike hit a family home, killing 10 people, including five children, according to hospital records. Another hit a gathering near a mosque, killing at least six people, including three children.___

Officials ID American among 7 aid workers killed in Gaza

Editors note: Story has been updated with a statement from Sarah Pillen, Co-CEO of Pillen Family Farms.

&nbsp;Boone County Sheriff Denny Johnson

(St. Edward, Neb.) - A 17-year-old was found dead Monday morning at Beaver Valley Pork Company near St. Edwards according to officials.&nbsp;The Beaver Valley Pork Company is a part of the Pillen Family Farms.

At approximately 11:30 a.m., April 1, 2024 the Boone County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call regarding an unresponsive 17 yr. old juvenile at a hog unit at Beaver Valley Pork Company.&nbsp;

Sarah Pillen, Co-CEO of Pillen Family Farms identified the teenager as Zach Panther.

"The loss of Zach Panther has left us profoundly saddened.&nbsp; Though his employment with our Team was very brief, he positively impacted those he worked with.&nbsp; Nebraska State Patrol and Boone County Sheriff's Office are still investigating what happened and the cause of his death remains unknown." Pillen wrote in a statement to the POST.

"We deeply mourn Zach's passing and extend our prayers to his loved ones during this very difficult time." Pillen added.

At this time an autopsy was requested by the Boone County Attorney. This is an ongoing investigation, but during the initial investigation there doesn't appear to be foul play. The Boone County Sheriff's Office was assisted in the investigation by the Nebraska State Patrol.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Editors note: Story has been updated with a statement from Sarah Pillen, Co-CEO of Pillen Family Farms.&nbsp;Boone County Sheriff Denny Johnson (St. Edward, Neb.) - A 17-year-old was found dead Monday morning at Beaver Valley Pork Company near St. Edwards according to officials.&nbsp;The Beaver Valley Pork Company is a part of the Pillen Family Farms.At approximately 11:30 a.m., April 1, 2024 the Boone County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call regarding an unresponsive 17 yr. old juvenile at a hog unit at Beaver Valley Pork Company.&nbsp;Sarah Pillen, Co-CEO of Pillen Family Farms identified the teenager as Zach Panther."The loss of Zach Panther has left us profoundly saddened.&nbsp; Though his employment with our Team was very brief, he positively impacted those he worked with.&nbsp; Nebraska State Patrol and Boone County Sheriff's Office are still investigating what happened and the cause of his death remains unknown." Pillen wrote in a statement to the POST."We deeply mourn Zach's passing and extend our prayers to his loved ones during this very difficult time." Pillen added.At this time an autopsy was requested by the Boone County Attorney. This is an ongoing investigation, but during the initial investigation there doesn't appear to be foul play. The Boone County Sheriff's Office was assisted in the investigation by the Nebraska State Patrol.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Central Nebraska teenager found dead at Beaver Valley Pork Company near St. Edwards

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen, leading the charity to suspend delivery Tuesday of vital food aid to Gaza, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel’s offensive</a>&nbsp;has pushed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to the brink of starvation.

Ships still laden with some 240 tons of aid from the charity that arrived just a day earlier turned back from Gaza, according to Cyprus, which has played a key role in trying to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-30-2024-c0ab29bb92b859e22c927ae82637192b">establish a sea route</a>&nbsp;to bring food to territory. Israel has allowed only a trickle of aid into devastated northern Gaza, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-18-2024-eefc526aec97821fe5f1e845801a6640">experts say famine is imminent</a>.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that the country’s forces had carried out the “unintended strike ... on innocent people.” He said officials were looking into the strike and would work to ensure it did not happen again.

World Central Kitchen said it had coordinated with the Israeli military over the movement of the cars carrying the workers as they left northern Gaza late Monday. Footage of the aftermath showed a vehicle with the charity’s logo printed across its roof to make it identifiable from the air. The projectile punched a large hole through the roof. Two other vehicles in the convoy were incinerated and mangled, indicating multiple hits.

Other footage showed the bodies, several wearing protective gear with the charity’s logo, at a hospital in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah. Those killed include three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian, according to hospital records.

The killings threatened to have repercussions on multiple levels. The dead were citizens of some of Israel’s closest allies, antagonizing them at a time when the country has few friends amid mounting international criticism of its nearly 6-month-old offensive in Gaza.

The strike could also set back efforts by the U.S. and other countries to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-peir-plan-aid-world-central-kitchen-97e53ccaa9b54b436b2e6ede7dd9aa2d">open a maritime corridor</a>&nbsp;for aid from Cyprus that would help ease the growing humanitarian&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-11-2024-c6835d50f91dff0443e0f7fdf5e3229f">disaster in Gaza’s north</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-aid-workers-killed-world-central-kitchen-andres-explainer-04d1f8ad0ea7f1fe4c09769b75467fa1">World Central Kitchen</a>, a food charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, was key to the new route.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said Tuesday that ship deliveries would continue. Israel has barred UNRWA, the main U.N. agency in Gaza, from making deliveries to the north, and other aid groups say sending truck convoys north has been extremely difficult because of the military’s failure to either grant permission or ensure safe passage.

The strike also underscored what critics have called the Israeli military's disregard for civilian casualties in its Gaza campaign, which it says is aimed at destroying Hamas after its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.

Throughout the war, Israeli forces have shown readiness to inflict widespread destruction when they believe a suspected militant is present or when ground troops see a tactical need to strike.

Homes with families sheltering inside are leveled by strikes almost daily. The military has struck ambulances and aid vehicles, saying that armed fighters were in them.

In February, troops and a tank opened fire when they felt threatened as thousands of Palestinians crowded to take aid off trucks, and more than 100 people were killed. The military said it did not fire at the convoy and that some victims died in stampeding.

More than 32,900 Palestinians have been killed in the war, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Gaza’s Health Ministry</a>, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. Israel blames Hamas for civilian deaths, saying it operates in populated areas.

The U.S., Britain, Poland and Australia called for an investigation or an explanation from Israel over the aid workers’ deaths. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered the forming of a “profession team” to investigate the strike and the opening of a joint situation room enabling coordination between the military and aid groups.

Andrés — whose World Central Kitchen charity operates in several countries wracked by wars or natural disasters — said he was “heartbroken” by the deaths of the staffers.

“The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon,” he wrote on X.

Anera, a Washington-based aid group that has been operating in the Palestinian territories for decades, said that in the wake of the strike it was taking the “unprecedented” step of pausing its own operations in Gaza, where it had been helping to provide around 150,000 meals daily.

Jamie McGoldrick, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said the strike was “not an isolated incident,” noting that around 200 humanitarian workers have been killed in the war.

Tensions have soared across the Middle East, and an apparent Israeli strike on Iran’s consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Monday has ratcheted them up even further. Iran and its allies have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-syria-israel-hezbollah-gaza-damascus-f7a1af3a9fc67de1962d4f1589d7e9f0">vowed to respond to the strike</a>, which killed two Iranian generals.

Monday’s strike on the aid workers came hours after a new delivery with some 400 tons of food and supplies organized by World Central Kitchen and the United Arab Emirates arrived in three ships from Cyprus, following a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-15-2024-d4e2f9ed525914233e4cf16c217f5248">pilot run</a>&nbsp;last month.

The dead in the strike included Zomi Frankcom, 44, of Melbourne, Australia, and Damian Soból of Poland, the two countries' governments confirmed.

Two other Israeli strikes late Monday killed at least 16 Palestinians, including eight children, in Rafah, where Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rafah-hamas-gaza-israel-war-541e91c0f09196944a4dabeded94596f">has vowed to expand its ground operation</a>&nbsp;despite the presence of some 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom have sought refuge from fighting elsewhere.

Aid groups have repeatedly called for a humanitarian cease-fire, saying it’s the only way to reach people in need. The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent months trying to broker such a pause and a hostage release, but the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas remain bogged down.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712074500263.png" alt="Photo courtesy World Central Kitchen" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy World Central Kitchen</figcaption>
 </figure>DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen, leading the charity to suspend delivery Tuesday of vital food aid to Gaza, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel’s offensive</a>&nbsp;has pushed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to the brink of starvation.Ships still laden with some 240 tons of aid from the charity that arrived just a day earlier turned back from Gaza, according to Cyprus, which has played a key role in trying to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-30-2024-c0ab29bb92b859e22c927ae82637192b">establish a sea route</a>&nbsp;to bring food to territory. Israel has allowed only a trickle of aid into devastated northern Gaza, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-18-2024-eefc526aec97821fe5f1e845801a6640">experts say famine is imminent</a>.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that the country’s forces had carried out the “unintended strike ... on innocent people.” He said officials were looking into the strike and would work to ensure it did not happen again.World Central Kitchen said it had coordinated with the Israeli military over the movement of the cars carrying the workers as they left northern Gaza late Monday. Footage of the aftermath showed a vehicle with the charity’s logo printed across its roof to make it identifiable from the air. The projectile punched a large hole through the roof. Two other vehicles in the convoy were incinerated and mangled, indicating multiple hits.Other footage showed the bodies, several wearing protective gear with the charity’s logo, at a hospital in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah. Those killed include three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian, according to hospital records.The killings threatened to have repercussions on multiple levels. The dead were citizens of some of Israel’s closest allies, antagonizing them at a time when the country has few friends amid mounting international criticism of its nearly 6-month-old offensive in Gaza.The strike could also set back efforts by the U.S. and other countries to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-peir-plan-aid-world-central-kitchen-97e53ccaa9b54b436b2e6ede7dd9aa2d">open a maritime corridor</a>&nbsp;for aid from Cyprus that would help ease the growing humanitarian&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-11-2024-c6835d50f91dff0443e0f7fdf5e3229f">disaster in Gaza’s north</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-aid-workers-killed-world-central-kitchen-andres-explainer-04d1f8ad0ea7f1fe4c09769b75467fa1">World Central Kitchen</a>, a food charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, was key to the new route.Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said Tuesday that ship deliveries would continue. Israel has barred UNRWA, the main U.N. agency in Gaza, from making deliveries to the north, and other aid groups say sending truck convoys north has been extremely difficult because of the military’s failure to either grant permission or ensure safe passage.The strike also underscored what critics have called the Israeli military's disregard for civilian casualties in its Gaza campaign, which it says is aimed at destroying Hamas after its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.Throughout the war, Israeli forces have shown readiness to inflict widespread destruction when they believe a suspected militant is present or when ground troops see a tactical need to strike.Homes with families sheltering inside are leveled by strikes almost daily. The military has struck ambulances and aid vehicles, saying that armed fighters were in them.In February, troops and a tank opened fire when they felt threatened as thousands of Palestinians crowded to take aid off trucks, and more than 100 people were killed. The military said it did not fire at the convoy and that some victims died in stampeding.More than 32,900 Palestinians have been killed in the war, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Gaza’s Health Ministry</a>, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. Israel blames Hamas for civilian deaths, saying it operates in populated areas.The U.S., Britain, Poland and Australia called for an investigation or an explanation from Israel over the aid workers’ deaths. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered the forming of a “profession team” to investigate the strike and the opening of a joint situation room enabling coordination between the military and aid groups.Andrés — whose World Central Kitchen charity operates in several countries wracked by wars or natural disasters — said he was “heartbroken” by the deaths of the staffers.“The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon,” he wrote on X.Anera, a Washington-based aid group that has been operating in the Palestinian territories for decades, said that in the wake of the strike it was taking the “unprecedented” step of pausing its own operations in Gaza, where it had been helping to provide around 150,000 meals daily.“The escalating risks associated with aid delivery leave us with no choice,” it said in a statement.Jamie McGoldrick, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said the strike was “not an isolated incident,” noting that around 200 humanitarian workers have been killed in the war.“This is nearly three times the death toll recorded in any single conflict in a year,” he said.The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel in a surprise attack on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage. Israel responded with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-bombs-destruction-death-toll-scope-419488c511f83c85baea22458472a796">one of the deadliest and most destructive offensives</a>&nbsp;in recent history.Tensions have soared across the Middle East, and an apparent Israeli strike on Iran’s consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Monday has ratcheted them up even further. Iran and its allies have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-syria-israel-hezbollah-gaza-damascus-f7a1af3a9fc67de1962d4f1589d7e9f0">vowed to respond to the strike</a>, which killed two Iranian generals.Monday’s strike on the aid workers came hours after a new delivery with some 400 tons of food and supplies organized by World Central Kitchen and the United Arab Emirates arrived in three ships from Cyprus, following a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-15-2024-d4e2f9ed525914233e4cf16c217f5248">pilot run</a>&nbsp;last month.Around 100 tons were unloaded before the charity suspended operations, and the rest was being taken back to Cyprus, Cypriot Foreign Ministry spokesman Theodoros Gotsis said.The dead in the strike included Zomi Frankcom, 44, of Melbourne, Australia, and Damian Soból of Poland, the two countries' governments confirmed.Two other Israeli strikes late Monday killed at least 16 Palestinians, including eight children, in Rafah, where Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rafah-hamas-gaza-israel-war-541e91c0f09196944a4dabeded94596f">has vowed to expand its ground operation</a>&nbsp;despite the presence of some 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom have sought refuge from fighting elsewhere.One strike hit a family home, killing 10 people, including five children, according to hospital records. Another hit a gathering near a mosque, killing at least six people, including three children.Aid groups have repeatedly called for a humanitarian cease-fire, saying it’s the only way to reach people in need. The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent months trying to broker such a pause and a hostage release, but the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas remain bogged down.

Food charity halts Gaza work after airstrike kills American, 6 other workers

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/02/nebraska-would-fund-private-k-12-scholarships-regardless-of-ballot-measure-under-new-proposal/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — The author of Nebraska’s new Opportunity Scholarships Act says she knows that the state tax credit for funding students attending private K-12 schools risks being rejected by voters in November.

That’s why State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha and other supporters of the school choice law drafted several bills this year to preserve the heart of the program regardless of the election outcome. Each proposal would offset the cost of a private K-12 education with state tax dollars.

Recently, Linehan settled on Legislative Bill 1402 as this session’s vehicle for the changes. She originally designed the bill to shift the scholarship program created by the Opportunity Scholarships Act to the State Treasurer’s Office and away from nonprofit scholarship-granting groups.

Her latest amendment to LB 1402 — Amendment 3016 — clarifies that school choice supporters intend to directly allocate state funds for private school scholarships instead of steering them to outside scholarship organizations, essentially eliminating the middlemen.

Public school advocates call Linehan’s push an effort to stifle voters’ voices. The advocates contend Nebraskans don’t want public funds spent on private schools, whether through a tax credit or directly. They say the latest amendment would start a voucher program that could cut into state funding for public schools or other priorities even faster than the Opportunity Scholarships Act.

Linehan and other private school advocates say the scholarships give low-income students and their families more options. One of the largest scholarship-granting organizations, Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska, said Monday it had received 915 applications.

The group said it expects as many as 2,500 applicants by the April 30 deadline. Spokeswoman Lauren Garcia Gage said it had received calls from the families of more than 5,000 interested students, including many from families of students already attending private schools.

Linehan’s 2023 school choice law created a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for donors to scholarship-granting groups that fund tuition help for low-income students to attend private K-12 schools.

Public school advocates, including Stand for Schools Nebraska, have argued the tax credit favors the rich at the cost of the state treasury.

Amendment 3016 would create a new program that would stand even if voters reject the original law. It does so by cutting the role of scholarship-granting organizations and donors.&nbsp;

“I’m trying to make sure all parents in Nebraska have school choice,” Linehan said. “Not just wealthy. … Not just those who are lucky enough to have grandparents help them.”

Linehan said she doesn’t have the $10 million she thinks she would need to fight the opposition to the Opportunity Scholarships Act at the ballot box. She pointed to opposition from deep-pocketed donors such as philanthropist Susie Buffett. Linehan said she won’t try to match public school supporters in raising funds.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I am not going to go around raising $10 million to try and beat that when we’ve got 15 open legislative seats, and if we don’t win, then they’ll come back in and repeal it in the Legislature,” she said.

Under the amendment, state funds per student would be capped at the cost of education but could not exceed 75% of the statewide average of what the state spends per student in general funds on public K-12 education.

The amendment allocates a baseline of $25 million a year and allows for annual increases of up to 25% a year, based on the total scholarship funding awarded each year, up to an annual cap of $100 million.

People familiar with fundraising for scholarship organizations told the Examiner that demand has outstripped donations thus far. Many donors have to be told about the tax credit, organizers said.

Linehan confirmed last week that her amendment would pull private money out of the process and would fund the private school scholarships with an appropriation of public money, like school voucher programs do in other states, including Iowa.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712063291815.jpeg" alt=" State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn works at her desk on the floor of the Legislature on Thursday, May 18, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn works at her desk on the floor of the Legislature on Thursday, May 18, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Aaron Sanderford<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/02/nebraska-would-fund-private-k-12-scholarships-regardless-of-ballot-measure-under-new-proposal/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — The author of Nebraska’s new Opportunity Scholarships Act says she knows that the state tax credit for funding students attending private K-12 schools risks being rejected by voters in November.That’s why State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha and other supporters of the school choice law drafted several bills this year to preserve the heart of the program regardless of the election outcome. Each proposal would offset the cost of a private K-12 education with state tax dollars.Recently, Linehan settled on Legislative Bill 1402 as this session’s vehicle for the changes. She originally designed the bill to shift the scholarship program created by the Opportunity Scholarships Act to the State Treasurer’s Office and away from nonprofit scholarship-granting groups.Her latest amendment to LB 1402 — Amendment 3016 — clarifies that school choice supporters intend to directly allocate state funds for private school scholarships instead of steering them to outside scholarship organizations, essentially eliminating the middlemen.Public school advocates call Linehan’s push an effort to stifle voters’ voices. The advocates contend Nebraskans don’t want public funds spent on private schools, whether through a tax credit or directly. They say the latest amendment would start a voucher program that could cut into state funding for public schools or other priorities even faster than the Opportunity Scholarships Act.<h2>Options for kids or funding grab?</h2>Linehan and other private school advocates say the scholarships give low-income students and their families more options. One of the largest scholarship-granting organizations, Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska, said Monday it had received 915 applications.The group said it expects as many as 2,500 applicants by the April 30 deadline. Spokeswoman Lauren Garcia Gage said it had received calls from the families of more than 5,000 interested students, including many from families of students already attending private schools.Linehan’s 2023 school choice law created a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for donors to scholarship-granting groups that fund tuition help for low-income students to attend private K-12 schools.Public school advocates, including Stand for Schools Nebraska, have argued the tax credit favors the rich at the cost of the state treasury.Amendment 3016 would create a new program that would stand even if voters reject the original law. It does so by cutting the role of scholarship-granting organizations and donors.&nbsp;“I’m trying to make sure all parents in Nebraska have school choice,” Linehan said. “Not just wealthy. … Not just those who are lucky enough to have grandparents help them.”Linehan said she doesn’t have the $10 million she thinks she would need to fight the opposition to the Opportunity Scholarships Act at the ballot box. She pointed to opposition from deep-pocketed donors such as philanthropist Susie Buffett. Linehan said she won’t try to match public school supporters in raising funds.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“I am not going to go around raising $10 million to try and beat that when we’ve got 15 open legislative seats, and if we don’t win, then they’ll come back in and repeal it in the Legislature,” she said.<h2>What the amendment does</h2>Under the amendment, state funds per student would be capped at the cost of education but could not exceed 75% of the statewide average of what the state spends per student in general funds on public K-12 education.The amendment allocates a baseline of $25 million a year and allows for annual increases of up to 25% a year, based on the total scholarship funding awarded each year, up to an annual cap of $100 million.People familiar with fundraising for scholarship organizations told the Examiner that demand has outstripped donations thus far. Many donors have to be told about the tax credit, organizers said.Linehan confirmed last week that her amendment would pull private money out of the process and would fund the private school scholarships with an appropriation of public money, like school voucher programs do in other states, including Iowa.If voters chose to retain the Opportunity Scholarships Act this fall, the state could be on the hook for both programs, the tax credit and a separate allocation of money for scholarships. (A different related bill would sunset the original program if a new version passes.)Most political observers expect the ballot measure to fail because Nebraskans have rejected voucher programs in the past, and opponents of the new law are planning a campaign that will include heavy rotations of advertising.<h2>Court fight likely</h2>Linehan acknowledged the amendment could make a court fight with Stand for Schools and others more likely. But she said school choice advocates have case law and a conservative U.S. Supreme Court on their side.Linehan and the school choice advocacy group Keep Kids First have said courts have allowed similar programs in other states that have similar constitutional prohibitions.Anthony Schutz, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln law professor, is one of several legal experts who argued previously that the tax credit program might run afoul of the Nebraska Constitution. He and others said the new amendment might be even more problematic.“Since last year, we’ve wondered whether or not we have an appropriation to a non-public school,” Schutz said.&nbsp;Now, he said, “We’ve got a bill that clearly appropriates money.”Under AM 3016, the State Treasurer’s Office would have the responsibility for overseeing the scholarship program, much like it does with Nebraska’s college savings plans. The office would have the authority under the amendment to hire a private vendor to do so.The amendment would place the state closer to providing public money to a private school, Schutz said.&nbsp;<h2>‘Shell game’ gone</h2>Dunixi Guereca, a legislative candidate speaking for Stand for Schools, said the legal point of the scholarship-granting organizations was to create a shell game filtering public money to private schools through a third party.Schutz said courts have thrown out constitutional provisions in other states prohibiting private school funding, ruling that those restrictions encroached on religious freedoms.Constitutions in those states prohibited state funds from being spent on religious education.&nbsp;Nebraska’s Constitution, by contrast, prohibits spending on all private schools, he said, including secular schools.Article VII, Section 11, of the constitution says, “No appropriation or grant of public funds or property shall be made to any educational institution which is not owned and controlled by the state or a governmental subdivision thereof.”Linehan’s amendment to LB 1402 would allow access to scholarships for families earning up to 300% of the federal poverty level, or up to $93,600 for a family of four.Families earning less would get first dibs, including families already on means-based scholarships and those earning up to 185% of the poverty level, meaning $57,720 for families of four.Other students prioritized for scholarships under the amendment include those on individualized education plans (IEPs) and students fleeing bullying or violence in school.Critics point out that private schools still can refuse to educate students of their choosing, with a handful of exceptions under federal law, including a student’s race or gender.Stand for Schools, in an internal analysis of the amendment, wrote that tying the measure to this federal law would let private schools discriminate based on a student’s disability or sexual orientation.<h2>Annual reports</h2>AM 3016 would require the Treasurer’s Office to file a report with the governor each&nbsp; Dec. 1 starting in 2025 that spells out how the scholarships can be pursued.The report would include the number of students receiving scholarships the previous year, the number of students wait-listed or denied scholarships and the reasons they were denied. &nbsp;It would also list the demographics of scholarship recipients, including income level, grade level and location.Observers said that similar reports have been used in other states to justify the expansion of school choice scholarships or voucher programs. It’s a way to gauge demand and popularity.Stand for Schools says research in school choice states found that more than 70% of those who apply for such scholarships or vouchers already attended private schools or intended to do so.Linehan and Keep Kids First have argued that means nearly a third of students who accept scholarship funds might not otherwise have been able to attend a private school of their choosing.&nbsp;The amendment would let the Treasurer’s Office spend up to 7.5% of the appropriated funds on administrative costs, including on internal managers providing oversight to private contractors.The amendment limits the state’s ability to control or influence the governance of any “qualified” school accepting the money. It cannot force the schools to keep educating scholarship students.It includes an emergency clause, meaning it would go into effect immediately if passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor.&nbsp;<h2>Who’s applying</h2>Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska says more than 40% of its early applicants are students of color, more than half are from outside Omaha and Lincoln and 40% are at or below 185% of the poverty level.&nbsp;Jeremy Ekeler, the group’s executive director, said the new law “is already giving hope to hundreds of students.”&nbsp;“We hear every day from families who aren’t eligible but wish they were. Nebraskans are recognizing what the rest of the country has already discovered: Once parents have educational opportunity, their desire for options only increases,” he said.