IRBIL, Iraq —Several U.S. personnel were injured in a missile attack Saturday night by Iranian-backed rebels on Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, according to statement from the U.S. Central Command.

At approximately 6:30 p.m. (Baghdad time) time Jan. 20, multiple ballistic missiles and rockets were launched by Iranian-backed militants in Western Iraq targeting al-Assad Airbase. 

Most of the missiles were intercepted by the base’s air defense systems while others impacted on the base. 

Damage assessments are ongoing. A number of U.S. personnel are undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries. At least one Iraqi service member was wounded.&nbsp; This occurred as the U.S. conducted new strikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have been targeting shipping in the Red Sea over the war.

Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on the Syrian capital on Saturday destroyed a building used by the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, killing at least five Iranians, Syrian and Iranian state media reported.

The Syrian army said the building in the tightly guarded western Damascus neighborhood of Mazzeh was entirely destroyed, adding that the Israeli air force fired the missiles while flying over Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israeli military did not comment.

A few hours later, an Israeli drone strike on a car near the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre killed two people, including a Hezbollah member, who were in the vehicle and two people who were in a nearby orchard, an official with the group and Lebanon's state news agency said. One of those killed was Ali Hudruj, a local Hezbollah commander, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, without giving further details.

Nour News, which is believed to be close to Iran’s intelligence apparatus, identified two of the dead in Damascus as Gen. Sadegh Omidzadeh, the intelligence deputy of the guard's expeditionary Quds Force in Syria, and his deputy, who goes by the nom de guerre Hajj Gholam. The guard later issued statements identifying the five dead as Hojjatollah Omidvar, Ali Aghazadeh, Hossein Mohammadi, Saeed Karimi and Mohammad Amin Samadi. It gave no ranks for them. The difference in information could not be immediately reconciled.

An opposition war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said at least six people — five Iranians and a Syrian — were killed in the missile attack that struck while officials from Iran-backed groups were holding a meeting. The Observatory's chief, Rami Abdurrahman, said three of the Iranians were commanders, adding that four other people are still missing under the rubble.

The Telegram channel for Iranian state TV reported that Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi condemned the Israeli attack on Damascus, adding that “the Islamic Republic will not leave the crimes of the Zionist regime unanswered.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned the Israeli strike in a statement saying that “without any doubt, the blood of these high-ranking martyrs will not be wasted.”

Iran also tried again to link Israel to the Islamic State group, something its leaders have been trying to do since a suicide bombing by the extremists in early January in Iran&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-kerman-bombing-qassem-soleimani-mideast-tensions-3503bdbaa3d0815996e4010224bd5dcc">killed more than 90 people</a>.

Security forces deployed around the destroyed four-story building as ambulances and fire engines were seen in the area. A search for people trapped under the rubble was underway. Windows were also shattered in nearby buildings.

A grocer near the scene of the strike said he heard five consecutive explosions at about 10:15 a.m., adding that he later witnessed the bodies of a man and a woman being taken away as well as three wounded people.

“The shop shook. I stayed inside for a few seconds then went out and saw the smoke billowing from behind the mosque,” the man, who asked that his name not be used for security reasons, told The Associated Press.

“What happened was terrifying. I collapsed,” said Khaled Mawed, who lives nearby.

The strike came amid widening tensions in the region as Israel pushes ahead with its offensive in Gaza. Israel’s assault there,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-bombs-destruction-death-toll-scope-419488c511f83c85baea22458472a796">one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns</a>&nbsp;in recent history, has killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, caused widespread destruction and uprooted over 80% of the territory’s 2.3 million people from their homes.

Israel launched the offensive after an unprecedented cross-border attack into Israel by Hamas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-attack-military-war-a8f63b07641212f0de61861844e5e71e">on Oct. 7</a>&nbsp;that killed 1,200 people and took some 250 others hostage. Roughly 130 hostages are believed by Israel to remain in Hamas captivity. The war has stoked tensions across the region, threatening to ignite other conflicts.

Last month, an Israeli airstrike on a suburb of Damascus killed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-israel-iran-irgc-damascus-airstrike-7ee8496d727ba69834002f0444515a36">Iranian general Seyed Razi Mousavi</a>, a longtime adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria. Israel has also targeted Palestinian and Lebanese operatives in Syria over the past years.

Iranian and Syrian officials have long acknowledged Iran has advisers and military experts in Syria, but denied there were any ground troops. Thousands of fighters from Iran-backed groups took part in Syria's conflict that started in March 2011, helping tip the balance of power in favor of President Bashar Assad.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years.

Israel rarely acknowledges its actions in Syria, but it has said that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.

Earlier this month, a strike said to be carried out by Israel killed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-beirut-explosion-suburbs-hezbollah-israel-2a43fe948e8cb49c64b34bb963d77f64">top Hamas commander Saleh Arouri</a>&nbsp;in Beirut.

Over the past weeks, rockets have been fired from Syria into northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, adding to tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border and attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

-The Associated Press contributed to this report

IRBIL, Iraq —Several U.S. personnel were injured in a missile attack Saturday night by Iranian-backed rebels on Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, according to statement from the U.S. Central Command.At approximately 6:30 p.m. (Baghdad time) time Jan. 20, multiple ballistic missiles and rockets were launched by Iranian-backed militants in Western Iraq targeting al-Assad Airbase. Most of the missiles were intercepted by the base’s air defense systems while others impacted on the base. Damage assessments are ongoing. A number of U.S. personnel are undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries. At least one Iraqi service member was wounded.&nbsp; This occurred as the U.S. conducted new strikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have been targeting shipping in the Red Sea over the war.Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on the Syrian capital on Saturday destroyed a building used by the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, killing at least five Iranians, Syrian and Iranian state media reported.The Syrian army said the building in the tightly guarded western Damascus neighborhood of Mazzeh was entirely destroyed, adding that the Israeli air force fired the missiles while flying over Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israeli military did not comment.A few hours later, an Israeli drone strike on a car near the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre killed two people, including a Hezbollah member, who were in the vehicle and two people who were in a nearby orchard, an official with the group and Lebanon's state news agency said. One of those killed was Ali Hudruj, a local Hezbollah commander, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, without giving further details.Nour News, which is believed to be close to Iran’s intelligence apparatus, identified two of the dead in Damascus as Gen. Sadegh Omidzadeh, the intelligence deputy of the guard's expeditionary Quds Force in Syria, and his deputy, who goes by the nom de guerre Hajj Gholam. The guard later issued statements identifying the five dead as Hojjatollah Omidvar, Ali Aghazadeh, Hossein Mohammadi, Saeed Karimi and Mohammad Amin Samadi. It gave no ranks for them. The difference in information could not be immediately reconciled.An opposition war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said at least six people — five Iranians and a Syrian — were killed in the missile attack that struck while officials from Iran-backed groups were holding a meeting. The Observatory's chief, Rami Abdurrahman, said three of the Iranians were commanders, adding that four other people are still missing under the rubble.The Telegram channel for Iranian state TV reported that Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi condemned the Israeli attack on Damascus, adding that “the Islamic Republic will not leave the crimes of the Zionist regime unanswered.”Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned the Israeli strike in a statement saying that “without any doubt, the blood of these high-ranking martyrs will not be wasted.”Iran also tried again to link Israel to the Islamic State group, something its leaders have been trying to do since a suicide bombing by the extremists in early January in Iran&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-kerman-bombing-qassem-soleimani-mideast-tensions-3503bdbaa3d0815996e4010224bd5dcc">killed more than 90 people</a>.Security forces deployed around the destroyed four-story building as ambulances and fire engines were seen in the area. A search for people trapped under the rubble was underway. Windows were also shattered in nearby buildings.A grocer near the scene of the strike said he heard five consecutive explosions at about 10:15 a.m., adding that he later witnessed the bodies of a man and a woman being taken away as well as three wounded people.“The shop shook. I stayed inside for a few seconds then went out and saw the smoke billowing from behind the mosque,” the man, who asked that his name not be used for security reasons, told The Associated Press.“What happened was terrifying. I collapsed,” said Khaled Mawed, who lives nearby.The strike came amid widening tensions in the region as Israel pushes ahead with its offensive in Gaza. Israel’s assault there,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-bombs-destruction-death-toll-scope-419488c511f83c85baea22458472a796">one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns</a>&nbsp;in recent history, has killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, caused widespread destruction and uprooted over 80% of the territory’s 2.3 million people from their homes.Israel launched the offensive after an unprecedented cross-border attack into Israel by Hamas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-attack-military-war-a8f63b07641212f0de61861844e5e71e">on Oct. 7</a>&nbsp;that killed 1,200 people and took some 250 others hostage. Roughly 130 hostages are believed by Israel to remain in Hamas captivity. The war has stoked tensions across the region, threatening to ignite other conflicts.Last month, an Israeli airstrike on a suburb of Damascus killed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-israel-iran-irgc-damascus-airstrike-7ee8496d727ba69834002f0444515a36">Iranian general Seyed Razi Mousavi</a>, a longtime adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria. Israel has also targeted Palestinian and Lebanese operatives in Syria over the past years.Iranian and Syrian officials have long acknowledged Iran has advisers and military experts in Syria, but denied there were any ground troops. Thousands of fighters from Iran-backed groups took part in Syria's conflict that started in March 2011, helping tip the balance of power in favor of President Bashar Assad.Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years.Israel rarely acknowledges its actions in Syria, but it has said that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.Earlier this month, a strike said to be carried out by Israel killed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-beirut-explosion-suburbs-hezbollah-israel-2a43fe948e8cb49c64b34bb963d77f64">top Hamas commander Saleh Arouri</a>&nbsp;in Beirut.Over the past weeks, rockets have been fired from Syria into northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, adding to tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border and attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.-The Associated Press contributed to this report

U.S. personnel injured in missile attack on airbase in Iraq

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas couple has been charged with fraudulently collecting more than $215,000 in retirement benefits on behalf of a dead relative while they concealed his body inside their home for six years.

Authorities say Mike Carroll's pacemaker showed that he died in 2016 at age 81, but Overland Park police didn't discover his body until 2022 after his son-in-law, Kirk Ritter, called police to report his death in the Kansas City suburb.

Prosecutors say Lynn Ritter and Kirk Ritter, both 61, continued depositing and spending from Carroll's bank account even while his body became “mummified” on a bed in the home he owned. Lynn Ritter is Carroll's daughter.

Family members&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article284431680.html">told the Kansas City Star</a>&nbsp;that the Ritters would repeatedly give them excuses about why Carroll could never take a phone call or visit while leading them to believe that Carroll was still alive.

The couple is due to appear in federal court to face several charges on Feb. 2. They didn't respond to phone and email messages from the newspaper, and court documents do not list a defense attorney representing them.

Prosecutors said the pension and Social Security payments Carroll received over the six years after his death totaled $216,067. But bank records from that time showed checks being written from his bank account and cashed by Lynn and Kirk Ritter.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas couple has been charged with fraudulently collecting more than $215,000 in retirement benefits on behalf of a dead relative while they concealed his body inside their home for six years.Authorities say Mike Carroll's pacemaker showed that he died in 2016 at age 81, but Overland Park police didn't discover his body until 2022 after his son-in-law, Kirk Ritter, called police to report his death in the Kansas City suburb.Prosecutors say Lynn Ritter and Kirk Ritter, both 61, continued depositing and spending from Carroll's bank account even while his body became “mummified” on a bed in the home he owned. Lynn Ritter is Carroll's daughter.Family members&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article284431680.html">told the Kansas City Star</a>&nbsp;that the Ritters would repeatedly give them excuses about why Carroll could never take a phone call or visit while leading them to believe that Carroll was still alive.The couple is due to appear in federal court to face several charges on Feb. 2. They didn't respond to phone and email messages from the newspaper, and court documents do not list a defense attorney representing them.Prosecutors said the pension and Social Security payments Carroll received over the six years after his death totaled $216,067. But bank records from that time showed checks being written from his bank account and cashed by Lynn and Kirk Ritter.

Kan. couple lived with body of dead parent, collected retirement benefits

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man accused of cutting catalytic converters off of vehicles&nbsp;at a Kansas car dealership will not go to jail.

Judge Christopher Magana sentenced 33-year-old Sean Gisick to 12 months of probation, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office..

Gisick pleaded guilty to attempted theft.

In June of 2023,&nbsp;&nbsp;a witness called 911 to report that they heard the sound of a Sawzall cutting metal coming from the Super Car Guy’s lot in the 100 block of N. West Street in Wichita, according to a media release.

Officers responded to the scene at 5a.m. and located Gisick of Wichita crawling on the parking lot with 3 catalytic convertors and a handheld Sawzall. Investigators located 3 vehicles in the car lot with their catalytic convertors cut and removed.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686153254344.png" alt="Gisick-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Gisick-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man accused of cutting catalytic converters off of vehicles&nbsp;at a Kansas car dealership will not go to jail.Judge Christopher Magana sentenced 33-year-old Sean Gisick to 12 months of probation, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office..Gisick pleaded guilty to attempted theft.In June of 2023,&nbsp;&nbsp;a witness called 911 to report that they heard the sound of a Sawzall cutting metal coming from the Super Car Guy’s lot in the 100 block of N. West Street in Wichita, according to a media release.Officers responded to the scene at 5a.m. and located Gisick of Wichita crawling on the parking lot with 3 catalytic convertors and a handheld Sawzall. Investigators located 3 vehicles in the car lot with their catalytic convertors cut and removed.&nbsp;

Man admits cutting catalytic converters at Kan. car dealership

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspect for allegedly making fake cash.&nbsp;

Earlier this week, patrol officers were sent to investigate suspicious activity occurring at a hotel near 95th Street and Interstate 35 highway in Lenexa, according to a media release.

 The suspects had just left, but the police dispatchers located them using street cameras at a nearby fast-food restaurant.&nbsp; Patrol officers contacted those suspects, and through investigation found evidence of money counterfeiting, including printed currency, a printer and chemicals used to "wash" the ink off bills. 

Two suspects, not from the area, were charged Tuesday with counterfeiting by the Johnson County District Attorney's Office.   

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705452496456.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspect for allegedly making fake cash.&nbsp;Earlier this week, patrol officers were sent to investigate suspicious activity occurring at a hotel near 95th Street and Interstate 35 highway in Lenexa, according to a media release. The suspects had just left, but the police dispatchers located them using street cameras at a nearby fast-food restaurant.&nbsp; Patrol officers contacted those suspects, and through investigation found evidence of money counterfeiting, including printed currency, a printer and chemicals used to "wash" the ink off bills. Two suspects, not from the area, were charged Tuesday with counterfeiting by the Johnson County District Attorney's Office.

Police: Suspects charged in Kansas for making counterfeit cash 

BUTLER COUNTY —A horse rescued by emergency crews from a frozen pond in Butler County on Wednesday is improving and now standing on her own.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Butler County Animal Response Team received a mutual aid request from Andover Fire-Rescue for a horse last seen on Tuesday evening that was stuck out on the ice on a pond, according to a social media report.

The three year old 1800 pound draft mare was 15-20 feet out on the pond but had not broken through the ice. She was discovered around noon Wednesday.

Andover Fire-Rescue was able to move her off the ice onto the shore. The horse was unable to stand on her own.

At 1:30p.m., the Butler County Animal Response Team arrived on scene and a veterinarian sedated the horse and secured the animal on a rescue glide so she could be moved away from the pond and onto level, and drier ground.

Rescuers gave the horse fluids and she was blanketed, and allowed to rest and recover. When she was unable to stand, a Becker Sling was applied, and with the assistance of a skip loader, she was raised to a standing position.

After a period of recovery, several attempts were made to have her bear weight. She was unable to stand and lowered back to the ground. The veterinarian remained on scene administering treatment and she was covered and allowed to further rest and recover.

On Thursday the&nbsp;Butler County Animal Response Team returned to provide lifting for the horse. After an evening of close monitoring by her owners, it was determined that 'Brandy' needed assistance to stand.

With the help of Andover Fire and Rescue and a vet, Brandy was repositioned and the Becker Sling was placed and secured to a skid loader.  She was raised to a standing position and gradually lowered so she could bear weight.

After remaining weight bearing, she walked a short distance and was released from the sling.  She walked several feet but due to ground conditions was unable to remain standing.

The Becker Sling was placed and secured to skid loader and Brandy was raised to a standing position and allowed to rest and recover with additional supportive veterinary treatment.

With the support of the Becker Sling and skid loader, she was slowly walked from the pasture to the paddocks and loafing sheds, reuniting with her sister and pasture mates.  The sling was removed and Brandy remained standing.As the team left, she was eating hay in a loafing shed with her sister

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705669084292.png" alt="photos Butler County Animal Response Team" />
 <figcaption>photos Butler County Animal Response Team</figcaption>
 </figure>BUTLER COUNTY —A horse rescued by emergency crews from a frozen pond in Butler County on Wednesday is improving and now standing on her own.On Wednesday afternoon, the Butler County Animal Response Team received a mutual aid request from Andover Fire-Rescue for a horse last seen on Tuesday evening that was stuck out on the ice on a pond, according to a social media report.The three year old 1800 pound draft mare was 15-20 feet out on the pond but had not broken through the ice. She was discovered around noon Wednesday.Andover Fire-Rescue was able to move her off the ice onto the shore. The horse was unable to stand on her own.At 1:30p.m., the Butler County Animal Response Team arrived on scene and a veterinarian sedated the horse and secured the animal on a rescue glide so she could be moved away from the pond and onto level, and drier ground.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705592679380.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Rescuers gave the horse fluids and she was blanketed, and allowed to rest and recover. When she was unable to stand, a Becker Sling was applied, and with the assistance of a skip loader, she was raised to a standing position.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705591809396.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>After a period of recovery, several attempts were made to have her bear weight. She was unable to stand and lowered back to the ground. The veterinarian remained on scene administering treatment and she was covered and allowed to further rest and recover.On Thursday the&nbsp;Butler County Animal Response Team returned to provide lifting for the horse. After an evening of close monitoring by her owners, it was determined that 'Brandy' needed assistance to stand.With the help of Andover Fire and Rescue and a vet, Brandy was repositioned and the Becker Sling was placed and secured to a skid loader. She was raised to a standing position and gradually lowered so she could bear weight.After remaining weight bearing, she walked a short distance and was released from the sling. She walked several feet but due to ground conditions was unable to remain standing.The Becker Sling was placed and secured to skid loader and Brandy was raised to a standing position and allowed to rest and recover with additional supportive veterinary treatment.With the support of the Becker Sling and skid loader, she was slowly walked from the pasture to the paddocks and loafing sheds, reuniting with her sister and pasture mates. The sling was removed and Brandy remained standing.As the team left, she was eating hay in a loafing shed with her sister

Horse rescued from frozen Kansas pond is improving

KANSAS CITY—Police released the name of the woman killed in a crash&nbsp; after fleeing a traffic stop in Kansas City as 27-year-old Te'Onna D. Davis-Cannon, according to Police Captain Corey Carlisle, 

Just before 1a.m. Jan. 14, officers attempted to conduct a traffic violation stop on a Chevrolet Trailblazer at&nbsp;Cleaver and Benton in Kansas City.

Davis-Cannon refused to yield for the officers and the officers disregarded their attempts to stop the vehicle.

The Chevrolet was last seen traveling southbound on Swope at a high rate of speed. Just south of Martin Luther King, the SUV traveled off the roadway to the left and struck a large tree.

Davis-Cannon was the sole occupant of the SUV and she was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to Carlisle.

KANSAS CITY—Police released the name of the woman killed in a crash&nbsp; after fleeing a traffic stop in Kansas City as 27-year-old Te'Onna D. Davis-Cannon, according to Police Captain Corey Carlisle, Just before 1a.m. Jan. 14, officers attempted to conduct a traffic violation stop on a Chevrolet Trailblazer at&nbsp;Cleaver and Benton in Kansas City.Davis-Cannon refused to yield for the officers and the officers disregarded their attempts to stop the vehicle.The Chevrolet was last seen traveling southbound on Swope at a high rate of speed. Just south of Martin Luther King, the SUV traveled off the roadway to the left and struck a large tree.Davis-Cannon was the sole occupant of the SUV and she was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to Carlisle.

Police ID woman who died in KC crash after fleeing traffic stop

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Home sales slowest in almost 30 years

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting.

Just before 11 p.m. Friday, police were contacted at Olathe Medical Center about a 15-year-old girl who had been driven to the hospital with an apparent gunshot wound, according to Olathe Police&nbsp;Sergeant John Moncayo.

Officers on scene assisted with bringing the girl into the hospital for life-saving measures, but she was pronounced deceased.

It has since been determined the shooting occurred near the 16900 block of West 127th&nbsp;Street.

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting.Just before 11 p.m. Friday, police were contacted at Olathe Medical Center about a 15-year-old girl who had been driven to the hospital with an apparent gunshot wound, according to Olathe Police&nbsp;Sergeant John Moncayo.Officers on scene assisted with bringing the girl into the hospital for life-saving measures, but she was pronounced deceased.It has since been determined the shooting occurred near the 16900 block of West 127th&nbsp;Street.

Police: 15-year-old Kansas girl dies in shooting

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Secretaries of state sign legal brief arguing post-Civil War amendment doesn’t apply

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab said the U.S. Constitution didn’t enable secretaries of state across the country to use their positions to disqualify presidential candidates from inclusion on election ballots.

Schwab, president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, joined Republican peers in nine other states in support of the argument that the U.S. Supreme Court should declare they didn’t possess authority to determine when the 14th Amendment ought to be invoked.

“The court should not give to secretaries of state an inherent power to disqualify candidates from office,” said the legal brief signed by Schwab and others. “It would … introduce serious practical problems that would heighten partisan politics and lead to anti-democratic results.”

A favorable ruling from the nation’s highest court would affirm former President Donald Trump’s assertion the 14th Amendment would be violated if he was forbidden from being included on the 2024 primary ballot in Colorado.

The section of the constitutional amendment related to the case was adopted following the Civil War to prohibit Confederates from serving as U.S. president due to their loyalties during war against the Union. The amendment blocked people from holding office if they took an oath to support the U.S. Constitution and subsequently “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

The Colorado Supreme Court on a 4-3 ruling in December disqualified Trump from the ballot by pointing to the former GOP president’s campaign to overturn his loss in the November 2020 election that fueled the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. The state Supreme Court concluded Trump’s role as an insurrectionist made him ineligible to seek and hold the office of president or to be part of the Colorado primary.

“The insurrection clause addresses a candidate’s moral and political fitness for office on the basis of national loyalty, which makes it different from other constitutional prerequisites for office,” said the brief endorsed by Schwab. “Secretaries of state are ill-positioned to evaluate the complex and sensitive moral question of fitness on the basis of loyalty. This is not a power these state officeholders want, and it is not one the Constitution gives them.”

The “friend of the court” brief touted by Schwab was filed ahead of a Feb. 8 hearing on the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court. The primary election in Colorado is March 5.

In addition, the appeal of a decision by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows to block Trump from the ballot under the same criteria was placed on hold pending outcome in the Colorado case.

Mike Brown, chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, said the state GOP joined 32 other Republican territory and state and parties by filing a separate brief in the Trump ballot case before the U.S. Supreme Court. He said removal of a qualified candidate from ballots would be a disservice to Republicans in 2024 because it would reduce the ability of the target of that ouster to accumulate enough delegates to win the nomination.

“I could not stand idly by and allow this injustice to prevail without a fight,” Brown said.

Meanwhile, Schwab said four Democrats and four Republicans met the filing deadline Friday to be part of Kansas’ March 19 presidential preference primary. Each paid a $10,000 filing fee.

Democrats securing a place on the ballot were President Joe Biden, former Minnesota U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, Maryland venture capitalist Jason Michael Palmer and Marianne Williamson, the California founder of Project Angel Food. The Republicans were Trump, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Georgia businessman Ryan Binkley.

“I am pleased to have four candidates from each major political party file with our office,” Schwab said. “I encourage Kansans to get out and vote in this historic election.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705755264070.png" alt="Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, the state's top election official, and nine other Republican secretaries of state signed a legal brief proclaiming former President Donald Trump shouldn't be left off Colorado's presidential ballot due to his campaign to nullify his loss in the 2020 election and his role in the 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, the state's top election official, and nine other Republican secretaries of state signed a legal brief proclaiming former President Donald Trump shouldn't be left off Colorado's presidential ballot due to his campaign to nullify his loss in the 2020 election and his role in the 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Secretaries of state sign legal brief arguing post-Civil War amendment doesn’t apply</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab said the U.S. Constitution didn’t enable secretaries of state across the country to use their positions to disqualify presidential candidates from inclusion on election ballots.Schwab, president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, joined Republican peers in nine other states in support of the argument that the U.S. Supreme Court should declare they didn’t possess authority to determine when the 14th Amendment ought to be invoked.“The court should not give to secretaries of state an inherent power to disqualify candidates from office,” said the legal brief signed by Schwab and others. “It would … introduce serious practical problems that would heighten partisan politics and lead to anti-democratic results.”A favorable ruling from the nation’s highest court would affirm former President Donald Trump’s assertion the 14th Amendment would be violated if he was forbidden from being included on the 2024 primary ballot in Colorado.The section of the constitutional amendment related to the case was adopted following the Civil War to prohibit Confederates from serving as U.S. president due to their loyalties during war against the Union. The amendment blocked people from holding office if they took an oath to support the U.S. Constitution and subsequently “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”The Colorado Supreme Court on a 4-3 ruling in December disqualified Trump from the ballot by pointing to the former GOP president’s campaign to overturn his loss in the November 2020 election that fueled the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. The state Supreme Court concluded Trump’s role as an insurrectionist made him ineligible to seek and hold the office of president or to be part of the Colorado primary.“The insurrection clause addresses a candidate’s moral and political fitness for office on the basis of national loyalty, which makes it different from other constitutional prerequisites for office,” said the brief endorsed by Schwab. “Secretaries of state are ill-positioned to evaluate the complex and sensitive moral question of fitness on the basis of loyalty. This is not a power these state officeholders want, and it is not one the Constitution gives them.”The “friend of the court” brief touted by Schwab was filed ahead of a Feb. 8 hearing on the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court. The primary election in Colorado is March 5.In addition, the appeal of a decision by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows to block Trump from the ballot under the same criteria was placed on hold pending outcome in the Colorado case.Mike Brown, chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, said the state GOP joined 32 other Republican territory and state and parties by filing a separate brief in the Trump ballot case before the U.S. Supreme Court. He said removal of a qualified candidate from ballots would be a disservice to Republicans in 2024 because it would reduce the ability of the target of that ouster to accumulate enough delegates to win the nomination.“I could not stand idly by and allow this injustice to prevail without a fight,” Brown said.Meanwhile, Schwab said four Democrats and four Republicans met the filing deadline Friday to be part of Kansas’ March 19 presidential preference primary. Each paid a $10,000 filing fee.Democrats securing a place on the ballot were President Joe Biden, former Minnesota U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, Maryland venture capitalist Jason Michael Palmer and Marianne Williamson, the California founder of Project Angel Food. The Republicans were Trump, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Georgia businessman Ryan Binkley.“I am pleased to have four candidates from each major political party file with our office,” Schwab said. “I encourage Kansans to get out and vote in this historic election.”

Schwab, nine GOP peers argue Trump shouldn’t be tossed from Colorado’s presidential ballot

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a deadly hit-and-run crash have identified the bicyclist who died as 31-year-old Rick D. Snow, according to KCPD Captain Corey Carlisle.

On Sunday a Ford F150 driven by 41-year-old Brian Zug of St. Joseph was southbound on North Oak Trafficway near 82nd Street. and struck a bicycle driven by Snow, according to Carlisle.

Snow, who was not wearing a helmet, was thrown from the bike and pronounced dead at the scene. The pickup did not stop.

Police located the pickup near 79th Street and took Zug into custody on a requested charge of DWI.&nbsp;

The Clay County, Missouri, Prosecutor's Office has charged Zug&nbsp; with felony leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and felony DWI-death of another, according to online jail records.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705713423830.png" alt="Zug-photo Clay Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Zug-photo Clay Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a deadly hit-and-run crash have identified the bicyclist who died as 31-year-old Rick D. Snow, according to KCPD Captain Corey Carlisle.On Sunday a Ford F150 driven by 41-year-old Brian Zug of St. Joseph was southbound on North Oak Trafficway near 82nd Street. and struck a bicycle driven by Snow, according to Carlisle.Snow, who was not wearing a helmet, was thrown from the bike and pronounced dead at the scene. The pickup did not stop.Police located the pickup near 79th Street and took Zug into custody on a requested charge of DWI.&nbsp;The Clay County, Missouri, Prosecutor's Office has charged Zug&nbsp; with felony leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and felony DWI-death of another, according to online jail records.&nbsp;

Man charged in KC hit-and-run that left bicyclist dead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Both sides are hemmed in by domestic political considerations.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday reinstated Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr., who had been suspended from the team since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/illinois-terrence-shannon-326d92b58d5d86f7492f35e8e4458553">he was charged with rape</a>&nbsp;in Kansas.

U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Lawless found that the university had violated Shannon's civil rights.

The suspension, she ruled, deprived Shannon of “protected property interests” without due process. In the case of Shannon, whom the court noted is supporting several family members, his property interests include retaining his chances to be an NBA lottery pick — among the first 14 players taken in the draft — and to cash in on potential endorsements allowed under the NCAA's name, image and likeness (NIL) policy.

“Plaintiff’s participation in sports is vital to the development of his career as well as his current and future economic opportunities considering plaintiff’s intention to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft,” Lawless wrote in the order issued Friday. “Prior to his suspension, plaintiff was projected to be a lottery pick in the NBA. His participation in future games impact his prospects in the draft and his earning potential.”

Lawless said that the “public interest is not harmed” by putting in place “procedural safeguards while he is presumed innocent of the criminal charges.”

The preliminary injunction gives the university the right to appeal. In a statement, Associate Chancellor Robin Kaler said Shannon “has been reinstated to full status as a university student-athlete and will be available for basketball practice and competition. We will continue to review the court order and monitor the case.”

Shannon, a 6-foot-6 guard, missed six games during his suspension. The 14th-ranked Illini have gone 4-2 in his absence and host Rutgers on Sunday. He is averaging a team-best 21.7 points per game.

Prosecutors in Douglas County, Kansas, charged Shannon on Dec. 5 with rape or an alternative count of sexual battery. After an arrest warrant was issued, the university suspended Shannon on Dec. 28 from “all team activities, effective immediately.”

The rape charge carries a sentence of 12 to 54 years in prison, while the battery charge carries a fine of up to $2,500 and up to a year in jail.

The alleged incident occurred early on Sept. 9 after Shannon and a friend attended the Illini's football game at Kansas. Police reports that are part of the court record indicate a woman, who said she was born in 2005, told police she was at a bar when she was summoned by a man&nbsp;<a href="https://fightingillini.com/sports/mens-basketball">she later identified from an online team roster</a>&nbsp;as Shannon.

The woman said Shannon grabbed her buttocks and then reached under her skirt and touched her sexually. The woman said the bar was so crowded, she couldn't move.

However, a graduate assistant for the Illini basketball team who was assigned to drive Shannon and a teammate to Kansas and chaperone them said he was near Shannon the entire night and saw no activity of the type the woman described.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703798657514.png" alt="Shannon-photo courtesy University of Illinois athletics" />
 <figcaption>Shannon-photo courtesy University of Illinois athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday reinstated Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr., who had been suspended from the team since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/illinois-terrence-shannon-326d92b58d5d86f7492f35e8e4458553">he was charged with rape</a>&nbsp;in Kansas.U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Lawless found that the university had violated Shannon's civil rights.The suspension, she ruled, deprived Shannon of “protected property interests” without due process. In the case of Shannon, whom the court noted is supporting several family members, his property interests include retaining his chances to be an NBA lottery pick — among the first 14 players taken in the draft — and to cash in on potential endorsements allowed under the NCAA's name, image and likeness (NIL) policy.“Plaintiff’s participation in sports is vital to the development of his career as well as his current and future economic opportunities considering plaintiff’s intention to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft,” Lawless wrote in the order issued Friday. “Prior to his suspension, plaintiff was projected to be a lottery pick in the NBA. His participation in future games impact his prospects in the draft and his earning potential.”Lawless said that the “public interest is not harmed” by putting in place “procedural safeguards while he is presumed innocent of the criminal charges.”The preliminary injunction gives the university the right to appeal. In a statement, Associate Chancellor Robin Kaler said Shannon “has been reinstated to full status as a university student-athlete and will be available for basketball practice and competition. We will continue to review the court order and monitor the case.”Shannon, a 6-foot-6 guard, missed six games during his suspension. The 14th-ranked Illini have gone 4-2 in his absence and host Rutgers on Sunday. He is averaging a team-best 21.7 points per game.Prosecutors in Douglas County, Kansas, charged Shannon on Dec. 5 with rape or an alternative count of sexual battery. After an arrest warrant was issued, the university suspended Shannon on Dec. 28 from “all team activities, effective immediately.”The rape charge carries a sentence of 12 to 54 years in prison, while the battery charge carries a fine of up to $2,500 and up to a year in jail.The alleged incident occurred early on Sept. 9 after Shannon and a friend attended the Illini's football game at Kansas. Police reports that are part of the court record indicate a woman, who said she was born in 2005, told police she was at a bar when she was summoned by a man&nbsp;<a href="https://fightingillini.com/sports/mens-basketball">she later identified from an online team roster</a>&nbsp;as Shannon.The woman said Shannon grabbed her buttocks and then reached under her skirt and touched her sexually. The woman said the bar was so crowded, she couldn't move.However, a graduate assistant for the Illini basketball team who was assigned to drive Shannon and a teammate to Kansas and chaperone them said he was near Shannon the entire night and saw no activity of the type the woman described.

Judge ends suspension of basketball star charged in Kan. for alleged rape

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Fire crews hit the ice Friday to save a swan&nbsp;unable to move due to the size of the hole he was in versus the size of his feet, according to a social media report from the Wichita Fire Department.

 Crews reported the swan wasn't harmed in the rescue and no "fowl language was heard."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705694371374.png" alt="Photo Wichita Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photo Wichita Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Fire crews hit the ice Friday to save a swan&nbsp;unable to move due to the size of the hole he was in versus the size of his feet, according to a social media report from the Wichita Fire Department.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705694342753.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure> Crews reported the swan wasn't harmed in the rescue and no "fowl language was heard."

Fire crews rescue swan stranded on icy Kansas lake

FORD COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 5:30a.m. Friday in Ford County.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705671731853.png" alt="Photos Ford Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photos Ford Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>FORD COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 5:30a.m. Friday in Ford County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2023 Kenworth semi driven by Michael Adam&nbsp;McDonough, 32, Park City, was&nbsp;westbound on U.S. 54 just west of Kingsdown.The semi traveled left of center and struck an eastbound 2005 Peterbilt semi driven by Randy&nbsp; Trevino Almeida, 35, Amarillo, Texas, in the passenger side. After impact both semis caught fire, according to Ford County Sheriff Bill Carr.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705671702401.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>EMS transported Trevino to Wesley Medical Center.&nbsp;&nbsp;McDonough was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the K HP.&nbsp; Highway 54 between Kingsdown and Minneola was shut down for a considerable amount of time due to the crash..