NEW YORK (AP) — A new batch of unsealed documents pertaining to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-court-records-587fa5a6bedf93bc958bdc3a933006bc">Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse</a>&nbsp;of teenage girls was released Thursday, adding several hundred pages to the fountain of information detailing how the financier leveraged connections to the rich, powerful and famous to recruit his victims and cover up his crimes.

<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24253996-1424-epstein-documents-combined">Click here to read</a> the documents released 1/4/24 (caution Adult content)

The 19 documents, or about 300 pages, were half as many as the over 40&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-virginia-giuffre-3af500d4788ad45301be426628846d71">released Wednesday</a>. The documents so far — with more to come — were sprinkled with names of celebrities and politicians who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein">socialized with Epstein</a>&nbsp;or worked with him in the years before he was publicly accused nearly two decades ago of paying underage girls for sex.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew-bill-clinton-donald-trump-385ccf8d49d337ae4866022877aa9a90">Most of those names were familiar</a>&nbsp;to anyone who has followed the scandal closely, including the criminal trial of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ghislaine-maxwell">Ghislaine Maxwell</a>, who was Epstein's former girlfriend, household manager and chief recruiter of young, vulnerable females.

It was during Maxwell's criminal trial two years ago that Epstein's victims, some of whom aspired to be models or artists, described how he dropped the names of his famous and influential friends to suggest that he was the victims' ticket to reaching their dreams. Maxwell, 62, was convicted of sex-trafficking charges and is serving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-jeffrey-epstein-sentencing-aeac127f9cc3811d975ce8e10d171260">a 20-year prison sentence</a>.

The roughly 250 documents being unsealed, starting this week, in one of the lawsuits against Maxwell mostly rehash what has long been known about a man who traveled in elite circles until his July 2019 sex-trafficking arrest left him so cornered that he took his own life in jail.

But they have included a few fresh details about a pyramid of abuse that grew over three decades and damaged dozens of teenage girls and young women.

Among the famous people in Epstein's orbit before he was exposed as a sexual predator were former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, singer Michael Jackson and magician David Copperfield, according to the accounts of his victims and other witnesses quoted in newly released documents. None of those men were accused of wrongdoing.

There were also repetitions of well-known stories about Britain’s Prince Andrew. He was sued by one of Epstein's victims,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-entertainment-lifestyle-virginia-prince-andrew-60348f70fd605c26c26615ffc5ed5f14">Virginia Giuffre</a>, who said she had sexual encounters with the royal when she was 17. The prince, who denied the allegations,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prince-andrew-virginia-giuffre-lawsuit-settlement-8b04c775aa46f761d81c05ef12e3a94f">settled the lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in 2022.

The court documents being released now are related to a 2015 lawsuit that Giuffre brought against Maxwell. Thousands of pages of documents in that lawsuit had been made public previously, but some sections had been blacked out because of privacy concerns.

U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska ordered last month that those redactions be lifted, mostly because names in the documents had already been made public through news coverage or through other court proceedings.

The documents released Thursday largely focused on legal squabbles over Giuffre’s lawsuit and her connection to a British tabloid reporter whom Maxwell’s lawyers accused of compelling her to fabricate some of her allegations. They didn’t offer much new insight into individuals in Epstein and Maxwell’s world or the sexual abuse they were alleged to have perpetrated.

Among the more interesting documents released Wednesday was the May 2016 deposition of Johanna Sjoberg, who worked as a masseuse in Epstein's household. Sjoberg said she once met Michael Jackson at Epstein’s Palm Beach, Florida, home, but that nothing untoward happened with the late pop icon. Epstein also had homes in Manhattan, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands.

She also described an April 2001 trip to New York in which she said Prince Andrew touched her breast while they posed for a photo at Epstein’s Manhattan town house.

Clinton previously said through a spokesperson that although he traveled on Epstein’s jet several times, he never visited his homes, had no knowledge of his crimes, and hadn’t spoken to him since his conviction. Trump has also said he once thought Epstein was a “terrific guy,” but that they later had a falling-out.

Sjoberg also testified that she once went to a dinner at one of Epstein’s homes that was also attended by magician David Copperfield.

She said Copperfield did magic tricks before asking if she was aware “that girls were getting paid to find other girls.” One allegation against Epstein and Maxwell was that some girls he paid for sexual acts later recruited other victims. Sjoberg said Copperfield didn’t get more specific about what he meant. A Copperfield publicist didn't respond to an email seeking comment.

The newly released records also include many references to Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent who was close to Epstein and who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-arts-and-entertainment-paris-jeffrey-epstein-edfbdb84c6cdd5f736ac7e1c2bac657b">killed himself in a Paris jail</a>&nbsp;in 2022 while awaiting trial on charges that he raped underage girls. Giuffre was among the women who accused Brunel of sexual abuse.

Separately, Brunel’s estate&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24253769-lawsuit-against-estate-of-jean-luc-brunel?responsive=1&amp;title=1">was sued this week</a>&nbsp;by a woman who alleges that he and others sexually assaulted her while she was working as a model in New York. She says that on one occasion, she was driven to a home in Canada and kept there for several days while men abused her. The lawsuit, filed in state court in California, does not mention Epstein or Maxwell.

More documents were expected to be released on Friday and Monday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704416234390.png" alt="FILE — Audrey Strauss, acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell during a news conference, July 2, 2020, in New York. Social media is abuzz with news that a judge is about to release a list of “clients,” or “associates” or maybe “co-conspirators,” of Jeffrey Epstein, the jet-setting financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. While some previously sealed court records are indeed being made public, the great majority of the people whose names appear in those documents are not accused of any wrongdoing. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE — Audrey Strauss, acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell during a news conference, July 2, 2020, in New York. Social media is abuzz with news that a judge is about to release a list of “clients,” or “associates” or maybe “co-conspirators,” of Jeffrey Epstein, the jet-setting financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. While some previously sealed court records are indeed being made public, the great majority of the people whose names appear in those documents are not accused of any wrongdoing. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — A new batch of unsealed documents pertaining to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-court-records-587fa5a6bedf93bc958bdc3a933006bc">Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse</a>&nbsp;of teenage girls was released Thursday, adding several hundred pages to the fountain of information detailing how the financier leveraged connections to the rich, powerful and famous to recruit his victims and cover up his crimes.<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24253996-1424-epstein-documents-combined">Click here to read</a> the documents released 1/4/24 (caution Adult content)The 19 documents, or about 300 pages, were half as many as the over 40&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-virginia-giuffre-3af500d4788ad45301be426628846d71">released Wednesday</a>. The documents so far — with more to come — were sprinkled with names of celebrities and politicians who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein">socialized with Epstein</a>&nbsp;or worked with him in the years before he was publicly accused nearly two decades ago of paying underage girls for sex.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew-bill-clinton-donald-trump-385ccf8d49d337ae4866022877aa9a90">Most of those names were familiar</a>&nbsp;to anyone who has followed the scandal closely, including the criminal trial of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ghislaine-maxwell">Ghislaine Maxwell</a>, who was Epstein's former girlfriend, household manager and chief recruiter of young, vulnerable females.It was during Maxwell's criminal trial two years ago that Epstein's victims, some of whom aspired to be models or artists, described how he dropped the names of his famous and influential friends to suggest that he was the victims' ticket to reaching their dreams. Maxwell, 62, was convicted of sex-trafficking charges and is serving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-jeffrey-epstein-sentencing-aeac127f9cc3811d975ce8e10d171260">a 20-year prison sentence</a>.The roughly 250 documents being unsealed, starting this week, in one of the lawsuits against Maxwell mostly rehash what has long been known about a man who traveled in elite circles until his July 2019 sex-trafficking arrest left him so cornered that he took his own life in jail.But they have included a few fresh details about a pyramid of abuse that grew over three decades and damaged dozens of teenage girls and young women.Among the famous people in Epstein's orbit before he was exposed as a sexual predator were former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, singer Michael Jackson and magician David Copperfield, according to the accounts of his victims and other witnesses quoted in newly released documents. None of those men were accused of wrongdoing.There were also repetitions of well-known stories about Britain’s Prince Andrew. He was sued by one of Epstein's victims,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-entertainment-lifestyle-virginia-prince-andrew-60348f70fd605c26c26615ffc5ed5f14">Virginia Giuffre</a>, who said she had sexual encounters with the royal when she was 17. The prince, who denied the allegations,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prince-andrew-virginia-giuffre-lawsuit-settlement-8b04c775aa46f761d81c05ef12e3a94f">settled the lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in 2022.The court documents being released now are related to a 2015 lawsuit that Giuffre brought against Maxwell. Thousands of pages of documents in that lawsuit had been made public previously, but some sections had been blacked out because of privacy concerns.U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska ordered last month that those redactions be lifted, mostly because names in the documents had already been made public through news coverage or through other court proceedings.The documents released Thursday largely focused on legal squabbles over Giuffre’s lawsuit and her connection to a British tabloid reporter whom Maxwell’s lawyers accused of compelling her to fabricate some of her allegations. They didn’t offer much new insight into individuals in Epstein and Maxwell’s world or the sexual abuse they were alleged to have perpetrated.Among the more interesting documents released Wednesday was the May 2016 deposition of Johanna Sjoberg, who worked as a masseuse in Epstein's household. Sjoberg said she once met Michael Jackson at Epstein’s Palm Beach, Florida, home, but that nothing untoward happened with the late pop icon. Epstein also had homes in Manhattan, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands.She also described an April 2001 trip to New York in which she said Prince Andrew touched her breast while they posed for a photo at Epstein’s Manhattan town house.Clinton previously said through a spokesperson that although he traveled on Epstein’s jet several times, he never visited his homes, had no knowledge of his crimes, and hadn’t spoken to him since his conviction. Trump has also said he once thought Epstein was a “terrific guy,” but that they later had a falling-out.Sjoberg also testified that she once went to a dinner at one of Epstein’s homes that was also attended by magician David Copperfield.She said Copperfield did magic tricks before asking if she was aware “that girls were getting paid to find other girls.” One allegation against Epstein and Maxwell was that some girls he paid for sexual acts later recruited other victims. Sjoberg said Copperfield didn’t get more specific about what he meant. A Copperfield publicist didn't respond to an email seeking comment.The newly released records also include many references to Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent who was close to Epstein and who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-arts-and-entertainment-paris-jeffrey-epstein-edfbdb84c6cdd5f736ac7e1c2bac657b">killed himself in a Paris jail</a>&nbsp;in 2022 while awaiting trial on charges that he raped underage girls. Giuffre was among the women who accused Brunel of sexual abuse.Separately, Brunel’s estate&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24253769-lawsuit-against-estate-of-jean-luc-brunel?responsive=1&amp;title=1">was sued this week</a>&nbsp;by a woman who alleges that he and others sexually assaulted her while she was working as a model in New York. She says that on one occasion, she was driven to a home in Canada and kept there for several days while men abused her. The lawsuit, filed in state court in California, does not mention Epstein or Maxwell.More documents were expected to be released on Friday and Monday.___

Read 2nd batch of Epstein documents released Thursday

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A decade-old cold case centered on a Navy veteran who disappeared without a trace in rural Missouri is hot again after an amateur sleuth and YouTube creator's help led police to unidentified human remains.

Donnie Erwin, a 59-year-old Camdenton resident, went missing on Dec. 29, 2013, after he went out for cigarettes and never returned. His disappearance piqued the interest of longtime true crime enthusiast and videographer James Hinkle last year, and the Youtuber spent a year tracing generations of Erwin's relatives and spending his free time searching for him after work, documenting his efforts on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCasG5N4NPk7k3viaGJyb63w/videos">his channel</a>. He eventually discovered Erwin's car hidden in a small pond.

Deputies and firefighters pulled Erwin's algae-encrusted Hyundai Elantra and a titanium hip from a roadside drainage pond less than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from his home in December 2023, almost exactly a decade after he went missing.

“While a forensic pathologist will have to examine the remains to determine for certain if they are indeed those of Mr. Erwin, investigators are confident the hip and remains belong to him,” the Camden County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

The case had gone dormant for years after Erwin's disappearance, frustrating investigators and his family. Yvonne Erwin-Bowen, Erwin’s sister, said she felt emotions beyond pain, frustration, aggravation and sorrow that she "can't even label.”

“This is one of those cases that keeps you up,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Sgt. Scott Hines said. “Because the car just disappeared, and zero signs of him anywhere.”

Hinkle had skills that equipped him to take up the search.

“I just decided, well, I’m a scuba diver. I’m a drone pilot already," Hinkle said. “I’m like, ‘What the heck? I’ll just go look.’"

“Just go look” turned into a year of Hinkle searching, and in his final hunt, he visited every nearby pond, including bodies of water that had already been searched and searched again. Hinkle, along with another true crime junkie acting as his partner, planned to wait until the winter so algae obscuring the water would be dead and nearby trees would have lost their leaves.

Hinkle finally found luck retracing possible routes from Erwin's home to the convenience store where he bought cigarettes, then pinpointing roadside cliffs steep enough to hide an overturned car from passing drivers.

From there, Hinkle flew his drone by a pond so tiny he had previously written it off, where he found a tire.

When he returned a few days later with a sonar-equipped kayak and his camera to find a large car in the middle of the pond's shallow waters, he called the sheriff.

Hines said the car's discovery marked “the new beginning of the investigation.”

“Everything we’ve done up to the last 10 years has led us basically nowhere." Hines said. "And then suddenly, here’s this vehicle.”

Cadaver dogs brought in by volunteers later alerted to the scent of possible human remains in the pond, which will be drained for any additional evidence, Hines said.

Erwin-Bowen said the strangers who for years helped her search the area and the support she received from a Facebook page she dedicated to finding her brother taught her “there is still good in people.”

“If it wasn’t for the public, I don’t think that we’d be where we’re at today,” Erwin-Bowen said. “Because they kept his face alive.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704400228877.png" alt="Photo Camden Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Camden Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A decade-old cold case centered on a Navy veteran who disappeared without a trace in rural Missouri is hot again after an amateur sleuth and YouTube creator's help led police to unidentified human remains.Donnie Erwin, a 59-year-old Camdenton resident, went missing on Dec. 29, 2013, after he went out for cigarettes and never returned. His disappearance piqued the interest of longtime true crime enthusiast and videographer James Hinkle last year, and the Youtuber spent a year tracing generations of Erwin's relatives and spending his free time searching for him after work, documenting his efforts on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCasG5N4NPk7k3viaGJyb63w/videos">his channel</a>. He eventually discovered Erwin's car hidden in a small pond.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704400430400.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies and firefighters pulled Erwin's algae-encrusted Hyundai Elantra and a titanium hip from a roadside drainage pond less than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from his home in December 2023, almost exactly a decade after he went missing.“While a forensic pathologist will have to examine the remains to determine for certain if they are indeed those of Mr. Erwin, investigators are confident the hip and remains belong to him,” the Camden County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.The case had gone dormant for years after Erwin's disappearance, frustrating investigators and his family. Yvonne Erwin-Bowen, Erwin’s sister, said she felt emotions beyond pain, frustration, aggravation and sorrow that she "can't even label.”“This is one of those cases that keeps you up,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Sgt. Scott Hines said. “Because the car just disappeared, and zero signs of him anywhere.”Hinkle had skills that equipped him to take up the search.“I just decided, well, I’m a scuba diver. I’m a drone pilot already," Hinkle said. “I’m like, ‘What the heck? I’ll just go look.’"“Just go look” turned into a year of Hinkle searching, and in his final hunt, he visited every nearby pond, including bodies of water that had already been searched and searched again. Hinkle, along with another true crime junkie acting as his partner, planned to wait until the winter so algae obscuring the water would be dead and nearby trees would have lost their leaves.Hinkle finally found luck retracing possible routes from Erwin's home to the convenience store where he bought cigarettes, then pinpointing roadside cliffs steep enough to hide an overturned car from passing drivers.From there, Hinkle flew his drone by a pond so tiny he had previously written it off, where he found a tire.When he returned a few days later with a sonar-equipped kayak and his camera to find a large car in the middle of the pond's shallow waters, he called the sheriff.Hines said the car's discovery marked “the new beginning of the investigation.”“Everything we’ve done up to the last 10 years has led us basically nowhere." Hines said. "And then suddenly, here’s this vehicle.”Cadaver dogs brought in by volunteers later alerted to the scent of possible human remains in the pond, which will be drained for any additional evidence, Hines said.Erwin-Bowen said the strangers who for years helped her search the area and the support she received from a Facebook page she dedicated to finding her brother taught her “there is still good in people.”“If it wasn’t for the public, I don’t think that we’d be where we’re at today,” Erwin-Bowen said. “Because they kept his face alive.”

YouTube creator helps break decade-old missing person case

ALLEN COUNTY — Three teens were injured in an accident just after 1:30 a.m. Thursday in Allen County.

According to the Alley County Sheriff, a Hyundai Elantra driven by a 16-year-old was westbound on Hawaii Road five miles east of Humboldt at "a very high rate of speed" when the driver lost control at the intersection of 2200 Street, where the road changes from paved to gravel. The car skidded about 100 yards before going off the road and becoming airborne. 

The car struck the top strand of a barbed wire fence, crashed into a pasture, then into a gate made of 2-inch steel tubing and traveled approximately 80 more yards, flipped end over end multiple times, struck the top wire of another fence and came to a rest upright on all four tires.

An automated phone app called 911 to report the crash, according to sheriff's office.

The Allen County dispatchers could hear a person or persons moaning but otherwise got no response from anyone at the crash scene.

EMS transported the driver and two teen passengers to Allen County Regional hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp;

The sheriff's office is requesting charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving, minor in consumption/possession of alcohol and other traffic violations against the teen driver.&nbsp; The passengers are expected to face requested charges of minor in possession/consumption of alcohol, according to the sheriff. The sheriff's office did not release names of those involved.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704389389994.png" alt="Photos Allen County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photos Allen County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>ALLEN COUNTY — Three teens were injured in an accident just after 1:30 a.m. Thursday in Allen County.According to the Alley County Sheriff, a Hyundai Elantra driven by a 16-year-old was westbound on Hawaii Road five miles east of Humboldt at "a very high rate of speed" when the driver lost control at the intersection of 2200 Street, where the road changes from paved to gravel. The car skidded about 100 yards before going off the road and becoming airborne. The car struck the top strand of a barbed wire fence, crashed into a pasture, then into a gate made of 2-inch steel tubing and traveled approximately 80 more yards, flipped end over end multiple times, struck the top wire of another fence and came to a rest upright on all four tires.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704389506226.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>An automated phone app called 911 to report the crash, according to sheriff's office.The Allen County dispatchers could hear a person or persons moaning but otherwise got no response from anyone at the crash scene.EMS transported the driver and two teen passengers to Allen County Regional hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp;The sheriff's office is requesting charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving, minor in consumption/possession of alcohol and other traffic violations against the teen driver.&nbsp; The passengers are expected to face requested charges of minor in possession/consumption of alcohol, according to the sheriff. The sheriff's office did not release names of those involved.

Sheriff: Alcohol suspected; 3 Kan. teens survive violent crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — An armed unmanned surface vessel launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen got within a “couple of miles” of U.S. Navy and commercial vessels in the Red Sea before detonating on Thursday, just hours after the White House and a host of partner nations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-israel-hamas-houthis-red-sea-fef8d446852b6eae33d38ffd8f6b2d64">issued a “final warning”</a>&nbsp;to the Iran-backed militia group to cease the attacks or face potential military action.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Navy operations in the Middle East, said it was the first time the Houthis had used an unmanned surface vessel, or USV, since their harassment of commercial ships in the Red Sea began after the outbreak of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>. They have, however, used them in years past.

Fabian Hinz, a missile expert and research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the USV’s are a key part of the Houthi maritime arsenal and were used during previous battles against the Saudi coalition forces that intervened in Yemen's war. They have regularly been used as suicide drone boats that explode upon impact.

Most of the Houthis’ USVs are likely assembled in Yemen but often fitted with components made in Iran, such as computerized guidance systems, Hinz said.

At the United Nations, U.S. deputy ambassador Christopher Lu said at a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-un-yemen-houthis-shipping-red-sea-08d42a18873ce55979c755ea1a9cc1b5">emergency Security Council meeting</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday that Iran has supplied the Houthis with money and advanced weapons systems, including drones, land attack cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. He said Iran also has been deeply involved in planning the Houthis' attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

He said the United States isn’t seeking a confrontation with Iran, but Tehran has a choice.

“It can continue its current course,” Lu said, “or it can withhold its support without which the Houthis would struggle to effectively track and strike commercial vessels navigating shipping lanes through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.”

This raises questions as to whether any action against the Houthis would also address Iran's role in any way, which could risk widening the conflict.

A statement Wednesday signed by the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom gave the Houthis what a senior Biden administration official described as a final warning.

“Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews,” the countries said in the statement. “The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.”

Since late October, the Houthis have launched scores of one-way attack drones and missiles at commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea. U.S. Navy warships have also intercepted ballistic missiles the Pentagon says were headed toward Israel. Cooper said a total of 61 missiles and drones have been shot down by U.S. warships.

In response to the Houthi attacks, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in December announced Operation Prosperity Guardian, with the United States and other countries sending additional ships to the southern Red Sea to provide protection for commercial vessels passing through the critical Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Cooper said 1,500 commercial ships have been able to transit safely since the operation was launched on Dec. 18.

However, the Houthis have continued to launch missiles and attack drones, prompting the White House and 12 allies to issue what amounted to a final warning Wednesday to cease their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-shipping-houthi-attacks-drones-missiles-1acc4ca5ebcaf6fee932a2061d451f59">attacks on vessels in the Red Sea</a>&nbsp;or face potential targeted military action.

Cooper said Operation Prosperity Guardian was solely defensive in nature and separate from any military action the U.S. might take if the Houthi attacks continue.

The U.S., United Kingdom and France are providing most of the warships now, and Greece and Denmark will also be providing vessels, he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699124273212.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — An armed unmanned surface vessel launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen got within a “couple of miles” of U.S. Navy and commercial vessels in the Red Sea before detonating on Thursday, just hours after the White House and a host of partner nations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-israel-hamas-houthis-red-sea-fef8d446852b6eae33d38ffd8f6b2d64">issued a “final warning”</a>&nbsp;to the Iran-backed militia group to cease the attacks or face potential military action.Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Navy operations in the Middle East, said it was the first time the Houthis had used an unmanned surface vessel, or USV, since their harassment of commercial ships in the Red Sea began after the outbreak of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>. They have, however, used them in years past.Fabian Hinz, a missile expert and research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the USV’s are a key part of the Houthi maritime arsenal and were used during previous battles against the Saudi coalition forces that intervened in Yemen's war. They have regularly been used as suicide drone boats that explode upon impact.Most of the Houthis’ USVs are likely assembled in Yemen but often fitted with components made in Iran, such as computerized guidance systems, Hinz said.At the United Nations, U.S. deputy ambassador Christopher Lu said at a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-un-yemen-houthis-shipping-red-sea-08d42a18873ce55979c755ea1a9cc1b5">emergency Security Council meeting</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday that Iran has supplied the Houthis with money and advanced weapons systems, including drones, land attack cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. He said Iran also has been deeply involved in planning the Houthis' attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.He said the United States isn’t seeking a confrontation with Iran, but Tehran has a choice.“It can continue its current course,” Lu said, “or it can withhold its support without which the Houthis would struggle to effectively track and strike commercial vessels navigating shipping lanes through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.”This raises questions as to whether any action against the Houthis would also address Iran's role in any way, which could risk widening the conflict.A statement Wednesday signed by the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom gave the Houthis what a senior Biden administration official described as a final warning.“Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews,” the countries said in the statement. “The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.”Since late October, the Houthis have launched scores of one-way attack drones and missiles at commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea. U.S. Navy warships have also intercepted ballistic missiles the Pentagon says were headed toward Israel. Cooper said a total of 61 missiles and drones have been shot down by U.S. warships.In response to the Houthi attacks, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in December announced Operation Prosperity Guardian, with the United States and other countries sending additional ships to the southern Red Sea to provide protection for commercial vessels passing through the critical Bab el-Mandeb Strait.Cooper said 1,500 commercial ships have been able to transit safely since the operation was launched on Dec. 18.However, the Houthis have continued to launch missiles and attack drones, prompting the White House and 12 allies to issue what amounted to a final warning Wednesday to cease their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-shipping-houthi-attacks-drones-missiles-1acc4ca5ebcaf6fee932a2061d451f59">attacks on vessels in the Red Sea</a>&nbsp;or face potential targeted military action.Cooper said Operation Prosperity Guardian was solely defensive in nature and separate from any military action the U.S. might take if the Houthi attacks continue.The U.S., United Kingdom and France are providing most of the warships now, and Greece and Denmark will also be providing vessels, he said.

Terrorists attack ships in Red Sea hours after US issues 'final warning'

PERRY, Iowa (AP) — A 17-year-old opened fire at a small-town Iowa high school on the first day of school after the winter break, killing a sixth-grader and wounding five others as students barricaded in offices and fled in panic.

The suspect, a student at the school in Perry, died of what investigators believe is a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and at least one of the victims is a school administrator, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity.

Perry has about 8,000 residents and is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines, on the edge of the state capital's metropolitan area. It is home to a large pork-processing plant, and low-slung, single story homes spread among trees now shorn of their leaves by winter. The high school and middle school are connected, sitting on the east edge of town.

Perry High School senior Ava Augustus said she was in a counselor’s office, waiting for hers to arrive, when she heard three shots. She and other people barricaded the door, preparing to throw things if necessary, with a window being too small for an escape.

“And then we hear ‘He’s down. You can go out,’” Augustus said through tears. ”And I run and you can just see glass everywhere, blood on the floor. I get to my car and they’re taking a girl out of the auditorium who had been shot in her leg.”

Three gunshot victims were taken by ambulance to Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, a spokesperson for its health system said. Some other patients were transported to a second hospital in Des Moines, a spokesperson for MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center confirmed, declining to comment on the number of patients or their statuses.

Vigils were planned Thursday evening at a park and a local church. A post on the high school's Facebook page said it would be closed Friday, with counseling services planned at the public library Friday and Saturday.

In Washington, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland was briefed on the shooting. FBI agents from the Omaha-Des Moines office are assisting with the investigation led by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

The shooting occurred in the backdrop of Iowa's first-in-the-nation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-iowa-caucus-works-2024-democrats-republicans-592ab40b9b9b948c0540f2cf132bab5c">presidential caucuses</a>. GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy had a campaign event scheduled in Perry at 9 a.m. about 1 1/2 miles (2.4 kilometers) from the high school but canceled it to have a prayer and intimate discussion with area residents.

Mass shootings across the U.S. have long brought calls for stricter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gun-politics">gun laws</a>&nbsp;from gun safety advocates, and Thursday's did within hours. But that idea has been a non-starter for many Republicans, particularly in rural, GOP-leaning states like Iowa.

As of July 2021, Iowa&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ia-state-wire-iowa-gun-politics-business-laws-656a5ba4382a64f2d93790f56050ce3c">does not require a permit</a>&nbsp;to purchase a handgun or carry a firearm in public, though it mandates a background check for a person buying a handgun without a permit.

Ramaswamy said the shooting is a sign of a “psychological sickness” in the country. In Des Moines, GOP rival and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that gun violence "is more of a local and state issue" in an interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2024/01/04/after-iowa-school-shooting-ron-desantis-pitches-no-new-gun-restrictions/72107293007/">the Des Moines Register and NBC News</a>.

The high school in Perry is part of the 1,785-student Perry Community School District. The town is more diverse than Iowa as a whole, with census figures showing that 31% of the residents are Hispanic, compared to less than 7% for the state. Those figures also show that nearly 19% of the town’s residents were born outside the U.S.

An active shooter was reported at 7:37 a.m. Thursday and officers arrived seven minutes later, Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante said. Emergency vehicles surrounded the middle and high school.

Zander Shelley, 15, was in a hallway when he heard gunshots and dashed into a classroom, according to his father, Kevin Shelley. Zander was grazed twice and hid in the classroom before texting his father at 7:36 a.m.

Kevin Shelley, who drives a garbage truck, told his boss he had to run. “It was the most scared I’ve been in my entire life,” he said.

Rachael Kares, an 18-year-old senior, was wrapping up jazz band practice when she and her bandmates heard what she described as four gunshots, spaced apart.

“We all just jumped,” Kares said. “My band teacher looked at us and yelled, ‘Run!’ So we ran.”

Kares and many others from the school ran out past the football field, as she heard people yelling, “Get out! Get out!” She said she heard additional shots as she ran, but didn’t know how many. She was more concerned about getting home to her 3-year-old son.

“At that moment I didn’t care about anything except getting out because I had to get home with my son,” she said.

Erica Jolliff said that her daughter, a ninth grader, reported getting rushed from the school grounds at 7:45 am. Distraught, Jolliff was still looking for her son Amir, a sixth grader, one hour later.

“I just want to know that he’s safe and OK,” Jolliff said. “They won’t tell me nothing.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704402515704.png" alt="First responders on the scene of the investigation-photo courtesy KCCI TV" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of the investigation-photo courtesy KCCI TV</figcaption>
 </figure>PERRY, Iowa (AP) — A 17-year-old opened fire at a small-town Iowa high school on the first day of school after the winter break, killing a sixth-grader and wounding five others as students barricaded in offices and fled in panic.The suspect, a student at the school in Perry, died of what investigators believe is a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and at least one of the victims is a school administrator, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704382094941.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCCI TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCCI TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Perry has about 8,000 residents and is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines, on the edge of the state capital's metropolitan area. It is home to a large pork-processing plant, and low-slung, single story homes spread among trees now shorn of their leaves by winter. The high school and middle school are connected, sitting on the east edge of town.Perry High School senior Ava Augustus said she was in a counselor’s office, waiting for hers to arrive, when she heard three shots. She and other people barricaded the door, preparing to throw things if necessary, with a window being too small for an escape.“And then we hear ‘He’s down. You can go out,’” Augustus said through tears. ”And I run and you can just see glass everywhere, blood on the floor. I get to my car and they’re taking a girl out of the auditorium who had been shot in her leg.”Three gunshot victims were taken by ambulance to Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, a spokesperson for its health system said. Some other patients were transported to a second hospital in Des Moines, a spokesperson for MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center confirmed, declining to comment on the number of patients or their statuses.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Our hearts are broken by this senseless tragedy. Our prayers are with the students, teachers &amp; families of the Perry Community. I have been in contact with law enforcement agencies &amp; am continuing to monitor the situation. I will be joining their press conference today.&mdash; Gov. Kim Reynolds (@IAGovernor) <a href="https://twitter.com/IAGovernor/status/1742963075928502497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Vigils were planned Thursday evening at a park and a local church. A post on the high school's Facebook page said it would be closed Friday, with counseling services planned at the public library Friday and Saturday.In Washington, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland was briefed on the shooting. FBI agents from the Omaha-Des Moines office are assisting with the investigation led by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.The shooting occurred in the backdrop of Iowa's first-in-the-nation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-iowa-caucus-works-2024-democrats-republicans-592ab40b9b9b948c0540f2cf132bab5c">presidential caucuses</a>. GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy had a campaign event scheduled in Perry at 9 a.m. about 1 1/2 miles (2.4 kilometers) from the high school but canceled it to have a prayer and intimate discussion with area residents.Mass shootings across the U.S. have long brought calls for stricter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gun-politics">gun laws</a>&nbsp;from gun safety advocates, and Thursday's did within hours. But that idea has been a non-starter for many Republicans, particularly in rural, GOP-leaning states like Iowa.As of July 2021, Iowa&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ia-state-wire-iowa-gun-politics-business-laws-656a5ba4382a64f2d93790f56050ce3c">does not require a permit</a>&nbsp;to purchase a handgun or carry a firearm in public, though it mandates a background check for a person buying a handgun without a permit.Ramaswamy said the shooting is a sign of a “psychological sickness” in the country. In Des Moines, GOP rival and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that gun violence "is more of a local and state issue" in an interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2024/01/04/after-iowa-school-shooting-ron-desantis-pitches-no-new-gun-restrictions/72107293007/">the Des Moines Register and NBC News</a>.The high school in Perry is part of the 1,785-student Perry Community School District. The town is more diverse than Iowa as a whole, with census figures showing that 31% of the residents are Hispanic, compared to less than 7% for the state. Those figures also show that nearly 19% of the town’s residents were born outside the U.S.An active shooter was reported at 7:37 a.m. Thursday and officers arrived seven minutes later, Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante said. Emergency vehicles surrounded the middle and high school.Zander Shelley, 15, was in a hallway when he heard gunshots and dashed into a classroom, according to his father, Kevin Shelley. Zander was grazed twice and hid in the classroom before texting his father at 7:36 a.m.Kevin Shelley, who drives a garbage truck, told his boss he had to run. “It was the most scared I’ve been in my entire life,” he said.Rachael Kares, an 18-year-old senior, was wrapping up jazz band practice when she and her bandmates heard what she described as four gunshots, spaced apart.“We all just jumped,” Kares said. “My band teacher looked at us and yelled, ‘Run!’ So we ran.”Kares and many others from the school ran out past the football field, as she heard people yelling, “Get out! Get out!” She said she heard additional shots as she ran, but didn’t know how many. She was more concerned about getting home to her 3-year-old son.“At that moment I didn’t care about anything except getting out because I had to get home with my son,” she said.Erica Jolliff said that her daughter, a ninth grader, reported getting rushed from the school grounds at 7:45 am. Distraught, Jolliff was still looking for her son Amir, a sixth grader, one hour later.“I just want to know that he’s safe and OK,” Jolliff said. “They won’t tell me nothing.”___

Police: 6th grader killed, 5 wounded in Iowa school shooting

NEW YORK (AP) — Glynis Johns, a Tony Award-winning&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/theater">stage</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/movies">screen</a>&nbsp;star who played the mother opposite Julie Andrews in the classic movie “Mary Poppins” and introduced the world to the bittersweet standard-to-be “Send in the Clowns” by Stephen Sondheim, has died. She was 100.

Mitch Clem, her manager, said she died Thursday at an assisted living home in Los Angeles of natural causes. “Today’s a sad day for Hollywood,” Clem said. “She is the last of the last of old Hollywood.”

Johns was known to be a perfectionist about her profession — precise, analytical and opinionated. The roles she took had to be multi-faceted. Anything less was giving less than her all.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m not interested in playing the role on only one level,” she told The Associated Press in 1990. “The whole point of first-class acting is to make a reality of it. To be real. And I have to make sense of it in my own mind in order to be real."

Johns’ greatest triumph was playing Desiree Armfeldt in “A Little Night Music,” for which she won a Tony in 1973. Sondheim wrote the show’s hit song “Send in the Clowns” to suit her distinctive husky voice, but she lost the part in the 1977 film version to Elizabeth Taylor.

“I’ve had other songs written for me, but nothing like that,” Johns told the AP in 1990. “It’s the greatest gift I’ve ever been given in the theater.”

Others who followed Johns in singing Sondheim’s most popular song include Frank Sinatra, Judy Collins, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughan and Olivia Newton-John. It also appeared in season two of “Yellowjackets” in 2023, sung by Elijah Wood.

Back when it was being conceived, “A Little Night Music” had gone into rehearsal with some of the book and score unfinished, including a solo song for Johns. Director Hal Prince suggested she and co-star Len Cariou improvise a scene or two to give book writer Hugh Wheeler some ideas.

“Hal said ‘Why don’t you just say what you feel,”’ she recalled to the AP. “When Len and I did that, Hal got on the phone to Steve Sondheim and said, ‘I think you’d better get in a cab and get round here and watch what they’re doing because you are going to get the idea for Glynis’ solo.”’

Johns was the fourth generation of an English theatrical family. Her father, Mervyn Johns, had a long career as a character actor and her mother was a pianist. She was born in Pretoria, South Africa, because her parents were visiting the area on tour at the time of her birth.

Johns was a dancer at 12 and an actor at 14 in London’s West End. Her breakthrough role was as the amorous mermaid in the title of the 1948 hit comedy “Miranda.”

“I was quite an athlete, my muscles were strong from dancing, so the tail was just fine; I swam like a porpoise,” she told Newsday in 1998. In 1960’s “The Sundowners,” with Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum, she was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar. (She lost out to Shirley Jones in “Elmer Gantry.”)

Other highlights include playing the mother in “Mary Poppins,” the movie that introduced Julie Andrews and where she sang the rousing tune “Sister Suffragette.” She also starred in the 1989 Broadway revival of “The Circle,” W. Somerset Maugham’s romantic comedy about love, marriage and fidelity, opposite Rex Harrison and Stewart Granger.

“I’ve retired many times. My personal life has come before my work. The theater is just part of my life. It probably uses my highest sense of intelligence, so therefore I have to come back to it, to realize that I’ve got the talent. I’m not as good doing anything else,” she told the AP.

To prepare for “A Coffin in Egypt,” Horton Foote’s 1998 play about a grand dame reminiscing about her life on and off a ranch on the Texas prairie, she asked the Texas-born Foote to record a short tape of himself reading some lines and used it as her coach.

In a 1991 revival of “A Little Night Music” in Los Angeles, she played Madame Armfeldt, the mother of Desiree, the part she had created. In 1963, she starred in her own TV sitcom “Glynis.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Glynis Johns, a Tony Award-winning&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/theater">stage</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/movies">screen</a>&nbsp;star who played the mother opposite Julie Andrews in the classic movie “Mary Poppins” and introduced the world to the bittersweet standard-to-be “Send in the Clowns” by Stephen Sondheim, has died. She was 100.Mitch Clem, her manager, said she died Thursday at an assisted living home in Los Angeles of natural causes. “Today’s a sad day for Hollywood,” Clem said. “She is the last of the last of old Hollywood.”Johns was known to be a perfectionist about her profession — precise, analytical and opinionated. The roles she took had to be multi-faceted. Anything less was giving less than her all.“As far as I’m concerned, I’m not interested in playing the role on only one level,” she told The Associated Press in 1990. “The whole point of first-class acting is to make a reality of it. To be real. And I have to make sense of it in my own mind in order to be real."Johns’ greatest triumph was playing Desiree Armfeldt in “A Little Night Music,” for which she won a Tony in 1973. Sondheim wrote the show’s hit song “Send in the Clowns” to suit her distinctive husky voice, but she lost the part in the 1977 film version to Elizabeth Taylor.“I’ve had other songs written for me, but nothing like that,” Johns told the AP in 1990. “It’s the greatest gift I’ve ever been given in the theater.”Others who followed Johns in singing Sondheim’s most popular song include Frank Sinatra, Judy Collins, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughan and Olivia Newton-John. It also appeared in season two of “Yellowjackets” in 2023, sung by Elijah Wood.Back when it was being conceived, “A Little Night Music” had gone into rehearsal with some of the book and score unfinished, including a solo song for Johns. Director Hal Prince suggested she and co-star Len Cariou improvise a scene or two to give book writer Hugh Wheeler some ideas.“Hal said ‘Why don’t you just say what you feel,”’ she recalled to the AP. “When Len and I did that, Hal got on the phone to Steve Sondheim and said, ‘I think you’d better get in a cab and get round here and watch what they’re doing because you are going to get the idea for Glynis’ solo.”’Johns was the fourth generation of an English theatrical family. Her father, Mervyn Johns, had a long career as a character actor and her mother was a pianist. She was born in Pretoria, South Africa, because her parents were visiting the area on tour at the time of her birth.Johns was a dancer at 12 and an actor at 14 in London’s West End. Her breakthrough role was as the amorous mermaid in the title of the 1948 hit comedy “Miranda.”“I was quite an athlete, my muscles were strong from dancing, so the tail was just fine; I swam like a porpoise,” she told Newsday in 1998. In 1960’s “The Sundowners,” with Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum, she was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar. (She lost out to Shirley Jones in “Elmer Gantry.”)Other highlights include playing the mother in “Mary Poppins,” the movie that introduced Julie Andrews and where she sang the rousing tune “Sister Suffragette.” She also starred in the 1989 Broadway revival of “The Circle,” W. Somerset Maugham’s romantic comedy about love, marriage and fidelity, opposite Rex Harrison and Stewart Granger.“I’ve retired many times. My personal life has come before my work. The theater is just part of my life. It probably uses my highest sense of intelligence, so therefore I have to come back to it, to realize that I’ve got the talent. I’m not as good doing anything else,” she told the AP.To prepare for “A Coffin in Egypt,” Horton Foote’s 1998 play about a grand dame reminiscing about her life on and off a ranch on the Texas prairie, she asked the Texas-born Foote to record a short tape of himself reading some lines and used it as her coach.In a 1991 revival of “A Little Night Music” in Los Angeles, she played Madame Armfeldt, the mother of Desiree, the part she had created. In 1963, she starred in her own TV sitcom “Glynis.”

'Mary Poppins' star who first sang 'Send in the Clowns,' dies at 100

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-citizens-permanent-legal-residents-trapped-gaza-3d1dda48bed40c8b3e0dc2efa11caf9a">mother and American uncle</a>&nbsp;of a U.S. service member were safe outside of Gaza after being rescued from the fighting in a secret operation coordinated by the U.S., Israel, Egypt and others, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

It is the only known operation of its kind to extract American citizens and their close family members during the months of devastating ground fighting and Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. The vast majority of people who have made it out of northern and central Gaza through the Rafah crossing into Egypt fled south in the initial weeks of the war. An escape from the heart of the Palestinian territory through intense combat has become far more perilous and difficult since.

Zahra Sckak, 44, made it out of Gaza on New Year's Eve, along with her brother-in-law, Farid Sukaik, an American citizen, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm the rescue, which had been kept quiet for security reasons.

Sckak’s husband, Abedalla Sckak, was shot earlier in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-03-2024-fc2394531bef8238e86879dd98ea435b">Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;as the family fled from a building hit by an airstrike. He died days later. One of her three American sons, Spec. Ragi A. Sckak, 24, serves as an infantryman in the U.S. military.

The extraction involved the Israeli military and local Israeli officials who oversee Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the U.S. official said. There was no indication that American officials were on the ground in Gaza.

“The United States played solely a liaison and coordinating role between the Sckak family and the governments of Israel and Egypt,” the official said.

A family member and U.S.-based lawyers and advocates working on the family's behalf had described Sckak and Sukaik as pinned down in a building surrounded by combatants, with little or no food and with only water from sewers to drink.

There were few immediate details of the on-the-ground operation. It took place after extended appeals from Sckak's family and U.S.-based citizens groups for help from Congress members and the Biden administration.

The State Department has said some 300 American citizens, legal permanent residents and their immediate family members remain in Gaza, at risk from ground fighting, airstrikes and widening starvation and thirst in the besieged territory.

With no known official U.S. presence on the ground, those still left in the territory face a dangerous and sometimes impossible trip to Egypt's border crossing out of Gaza, and a bureaucratic struggle for U.S., Egyptian and Israeli approval to get themselves, their parents and young children out of Gaza.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701204582165.png" alt="Israeli soldiers look at photos of people killed and taken captive by Hamas militants during their violent rampage through the Nova music festival in southern Israel, which are displayed at the site of the event, as Israeli DJs spun music, to commemorate the October 7, massacre, near Kibbutz Re'im, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)" />
 <figcaption>Israeli soldiers look at photos of people killed and taken captive by Hamas militants during their violent rampage through the Nova music festival in southern Israel, which are displayed at the site of the event, as Israeli DJs spun music, to commemorate the October 7, massacre, near Kibbutz Re'im, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-citizens-permanent-legal-residents-trapped-gaza-3d1dda48bed40c8b3e0dc2efa11caf9a">mother and American uncle</a>&nbsp;of a U.S. service member were safe outside of Gaza after being rescued from the fighting in a secret operation coordinated by the U.S., Israel, Egypt and others, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.It is the only known operation of its kind to extract American citizens and their close family members during the months of devastating ground fighting and Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. The vast majority of people who have made it out of northern and central Gaza through the Rafah crossing into Egypt fled south in the initial weeks of the war. An escape from the heart of the Palestinian territory through intense combat has become far more perilous and difficult since.Zahra Sckak, 44, made it out of Gaza on New Year's Eve, along with her brother-in-law, Farid Sukaik, an American citizen, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm the rescue, which had been kept quiet for security reasons.Sckak’s husband, Abedalla Sckak, was shot earlier in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-03-2024-fc2394531bef8238e86879dd98ea435b">Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;as the family fled from a building hit by an airstrike. He died days later. One of her three American sons, Spec. Ragi A. Sckak, 24, serves as an infantryman in the U.S. military.The extraction involved the Israeli military and local Israeli officials who oversee Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the U.S. official said. There was no indication that American officials were on the ground in Gaza.“The United States played solely a liaison and coordinating role between the Sckak family and the governments of Israel and Egypt,” the official said.A family member and U.S.-based lawyers and advocates working on the family's behalf had described Sckak and Sukaik as pinned down in a building surrounded by combatants, with little or no food and with only water from sewers to drink.There were few immediate details of the on-the-ground operation. It took place after extended appeals from Sckak's family and U.S.-based citizens groups for help from Congress members and the Biden administration.The State Department has said some 300 American citizens, legal permanent residents and their immediate family members remain in Gaza, at risk from ground fighting, airstrikes and widening starvation and thirst in the besieged territory.With no known official U.S. presence on the ground, those still left in the territory face a dangerous and sometimes impossible trip to Egypt's border crossing out of Gaza, and a bureaucratic struggle for U.S., Egyptian and Israeli approval to get themselves, their parents and young children out of Gaza.

Secret operation: Mother and uncle of a US serviceman rescued from Gaza 

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/miami-dolphins-disaster-planning-and-response-nfl-football-fires-television-b95ac7ae820c4ebdb03fc0df647bdbca">fire at the $6.9 million home owned by Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill</a>&nbsp;was started by a child playing with a cigarette lighter in a bedroom, a fire official said Thursday.

“It was an accidental fire,” Davie Fire Marshal Robert Taylor told The Associated Press.

Taylor did not provide the age of the child, or the amount of damage caused by the fire. He said the investigation is now closed.

Hill was at Dolphins practice for the upcoming regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills when the fire broke out. He left practice when he got word about the blaze.

The house is located in Southwest Ranches, which is about 30 miles northwest of Miami, and was purchased by Hill in May 2022 shortly after the Kansas City Chiefs&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-miami-dolphins-nfl-sports-tyreek-hill-96ac74152f8139d4f0f498a70732129d#:~:text=(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20The%20Kansas%20City,his%20position%20in%20NFL%20history.">traded him to the Dolphins</a>.

Miami television station WSVN showed a large amount of black smoke coming from the roof as firefighters doused the house with water. Firefighters appeared to be working on the highest parts of the structure. Many of the bedrooms, a home theatre and a den were among the rooms upstairs, according to the property listing.

Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told reporters gathered outside the house on Wednesday that some family members were home at the time of the fire.

“He and his family are safe,” Rosenhaus said. “No one was injured No. 1, no pets, so for that, we’re very grateful. We’re very grateful to the firefighters that put the fire out. Thankfully, the fire was contained to a limited area in the home. Obviously, there’ll be some smoke and water damage. It’s very difficult for anybody obviously to have your home catch on fire, but Tyreek was handling it, he and his family, with as much poise as you could hope.”

Hill has not yet commented on the matter.

Hill is currently the NFL's leader in receiving yards with 1,717. He is the only player in NFL history to record at least 1,700 yards in multiple seasons. He is hoping to help lead the Dolphins to a win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. A victory would clinch the AFC East for Miami for the first time since 2008.

Hill's teammates expressed their concern and support for him.

“You don’t think that it’s ever going to happen to you until it does,” fullback Alec Ingold said. “It’s something as a team, we’ve got to be able to come together and make sure that we can reach out to Tyreek and be human beings with him and make sure everything is squared away and we can do everything we possibly can to help our teammate.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704391761585.png" alt="The house is located in Southwest Ranches, which is about 30 miles northwest of Miami, and was purchased by Hill in May 2022 shortly after the Kansas City Chiefs&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-miami-dolphins-nfl-sports-tyreek-hill-96ac74152f8139d4f0f498a70732129d#:~:text=(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20The%20Kansas%20City,his%20position%20in%20NFL%20history.">traded him to the Dolphins</a>. photo courtesy WSVN" />
 <figcaption>The house is located in Southwest Ranches, which is about 30 miles northwest of Miami, and was purchased by Hill in May 2022 shortly after the Kansas City Chiefs&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-miami-dolphins-nfl-sports-tyreek-hill-96ac74152f8139d4f0f498a70732129d#:~:text=(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20The%20Kansas%20City,his%20position%20in%20NFL%20history.">traded him to the Dolphins</a>. photo courtesy WSVN</figcaption>
 </figure>FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/miami-dolphins-disaster-planning-and-response-nfl-football-fires-television-b95ac7ae820c4ebdb03fc0df647bdbca">fire at the $6.9 million home owned by Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill</a>&nbsp;was started by a child playing with a cigarette lighter in a bedroom, a fire official said Thursday.“It was an accidental fire,” Davie Fire Marshal Robert Taylor told The Associated Press.Taylor did not provide the age of the child, or the amount of damage caused by the fire. He said the investigation is now closed.Hill was at Dolphins practice for the upcoming regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills when the fire broke out. He left practice when he got word about the blaze.The house is located in Southwest Ranches, which is about 30 miles northwest of Miami, and was purchased by Hill in May 2022 shortly after the Kansas City Chiefs&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-miami-dolphins-nfl-sports-tyreek-hill-96ac74152f8139d4f0f498a70732129d#:~:text=(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20The%20Kansas%20City,his%20position%20in%20NFL%20history.">traded him to the Dolphins</a>.Miami television station WSVN showed a large amount of black smoke coming from the roof as firefighters doused the house with water. Firefighters appeared to be working on the highest parts of the structure. Many of the bedrooms, a home theatre and a den were among the rooms upstairs, according to the property listing.Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told reporters gathered outside the house on Wednesday that some family members were home at the time of the fire.“He and his family are safe,” Rosenhaus said. “No one was injured No. 1, no pets, so for that, we’re very grateful. We’re very grateful to the firefighters that put the fire out. Thankfully, the fire was contained to a limited area in the home. Obviously, there’ll be some smoke and water damage. It’s very difficult for anybody obviously to have your home catch on fire, but Tyreek was handling it, he and his family, with as much poise as you could hope.”Hill has not yet commented on the matter.Hill is currently the NFL's leader in receiving yards with 1,717. He is the only player in NFL history to record at least 1,700 yards in multiple seasons. He is hoping to help lead the Dolphins to a win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. A victory would clinch the AFC East for Miami for the first time since 2008.Hill's teammates expressed their concern and support for him.“You don’t think that it’s ever going to happen to you until it does,” fullback Alec Ingold said. “It’s something as a team, we’ve got to be able to come together and make sure that we can reach out to Tyreek and be human beings with him and make sure everything is squared away and we can do everything we possibly can to help our teammate.”

Child playing with lighter started fire at home of former KC Chief Tyreek Hill 

MANHATTAN — Jesse Perez Mendez, dean of the Texas Tech University College of Education, has been named the new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/provost/" target="_blank">provost and executive vice president of Kansas State University</a>, according to a media release from KSU.

His appointment follows a nationwide search, with an anticipated start date on or before June 1.&nbsp;

"I am pleased to welcome Dr. Mendez to the K-State community as our next provost," said Richard Linton, Kansas State University president. "Jesse’s deep commitment to educational access perfectly aligns with K-State’s vision as a next-generation land-grant university, and the wealth of higher education experience he brings will undoubtedly serve the institution well in achieving new heights in academic excellence and innovation."

As provost, Mendez will serve as the university’s chief academic officer providing leadership for the university’s academic endeavors and for shaping the academic culture of K-State. He is also responsible for supervising K-State's strategic enrollment and student retention efforts and identifying and implementing strategies to reach the university’s next-generation land-grant goals."

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/next-gen/" target="_blank">Next-Gen K-State</a>&nbsp;plan and President Linton's vision truly captured my imagination," Mendez said. "I am excited to join the Wildcat family as a servant leader as we all play a part to pen the next chapters of Kansas State University together with the campus communities in Manhattan, Olathe and Salina in the coming years."

Upon assuming the role of provost, Mendez will provide strategic oversight for academic planning, resource allocation and innovation in all academic programs while ensuring excellence and relevance in the design of curriculum. He will focus on the quality of teaching and learning; providing global perspective and strategic direction to successfully manage operating budgets; promote the development of K-State’s research programs by championing high academic standards in faculty appointments and research contributions; and develop and enhance the student experience to meet the needs of today’s learners.

Mendez brings a diverse educational background. He has served in his current role as dean since 2019. Prior to joining Texas Tech, Mendez served as the dean and a professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis School of Education. Mendez’s additional professional experience includes serving as associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Education and Community Innovation for the University of Central Florida, head of the School of Educational Studies at Oklahoma State University and a governor-appointed regent for the Northern Oklahoma College Board of Regents.

Mendez earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Midwestern State University and a master’s in political science from Texas Tech University. He earned a juris doctorate from the Maurer School of Law and a doctorate in higher education and student affairs, both from Indiana University.

In 2015, Mendez was named an American Council on Education Fellow and served a term as a member-at-large of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Board of Directors. At Oklahoma State University, he received the OSU College of Education Leadership &amp; Service Excellence Award and held the John A. and Donnie Brock Professorship in Educational Leadership and Policy.

Mendez replaces Charles Taber, who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/today/announcement/?id=90420" target="_blank">announced his retirement last summer</a>. Debbie Mercer, dean of K-State’s College of Education, will serve as interim provost beginning Jan. 7 until Mendez’s appointment begins.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704384382351.png" alt="Jesse Mendez, photo Kansas State University" />
 <figcaption>Jesse Mendez, photo Kansas State University</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN — Jesse Perez Mendez, dean of the Texas Tech University College of Education, has been named the new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/provost/" target="_blank">provost and executive vice president of Kansas State University</a>, according to a media release from KSU.His appointment follows a nationwide search, with an anticipated start date on or before June 1.&nbsp;"I am pleased to welcome Dr. Mendez to the K-State community as our next provost," said Richard Linton, Kansas State University president. "Jesse’s deep commitment to educational access perfectly aligns with K-State’s vision as a next-generation land-grant university, and the wealth of higher education experience he brings will undoubtedly serve the institution well in achieving new heights in academic excellence and innovation."As provost, Mendez will serve as the university’s chief academic officer providing leadership for the university’s academic endeavors and for shaping the academic culture of K-State. He is also responsible for supervising K-State's strategic enrollment and student retention efforts and identifying and implementing strategies to reach the university’s next-generation land-grant goals."The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/next-gen/" target="_blank">Next-Gen K-State</a>&nbsp;plan and President Linton's vision truly captured my imagination," Mendez said. "I am excited to join the Wildcat family as a servant leader as we all play a part to pen the next chapters of Kansas State University together with the campus communities in Manhattan, Olathe and Salina in the coming years."Upon assuming the role of provost, Mendez will provide strategic oversight for academic planning, resource allocation and innovation in all academic programs while ensuring excellence and relevance in the design of curriculum. He will focus on the quality of teaching and learning; providing global perspective and strategic direction to successfully manage operating budgets; promote the development of K-State’s research programs by championing high academic standards in faculty appointments and research contributions; and develop and enhance the student experience to meet the needs of today’s learners.Mendez brings a diverse educational background. He has served in his current role as dean since 2019. Prior to joining Texas Tech, Mendez served as the dean and a professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis School of Education. Mendez’s additional professional experience includes serving as associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Education and Community Innovation for the University of Central Florida, head of the School of Educational Studies at Oklahoma State University and a governor-appointed regent for the Northern Oklahoma College Board of Regents.Mendez earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Midwestern State University and a master’s in political science from Texas Tech University. He earned a juris doctorate from the Maurer School of Law and a doctorate in higher education and student affairs, both from Indiana University.In 2015, Mendez was named an American Council on Education Fellow and served a term as a member-at-large of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Board of Directors. At Oklahoma State University, he received the OSU College of Education Leadership &amp; Service Excellence Award and held the John A. and Donnie Brock Professorship in Educational Leadership and Policy.Mendez replaces Charles Taber, who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/today/announcement/?id=90420" target="_blank">announced his retirement last summer</a>. Debbie Mercer, dean of K-State’s College of Education, will serve as interim provost beginning Jan. 7 until Mendez’s appointment begins.&nbsp;&nbsp;

K-State names new Provost, Executive Vice President

&nbsp;SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man is going to prison for a Christmas week 2022 double murder.

On Wednesday Judge Jeffrey Goering sentenced 40-year-old Kenneth Jackson to just more than 18-years in prison, according to the Sedgwick County district attorney's office 

Just before 10p.m. Dec. 23, 2022 police were dispatched to a shooting in the 900 block of South Mission in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.

At the scene, police located two victims,&nbsp;a 22-year-0ld man and a 42-year-old man, with multiple gunshot wounds. EMS transported them to an area hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp;

During the initial contact, officers learned that two additional victims were inside an apartment near where the two men had been shot. Officers entered the apartment and located a man and woman later identified as&nbsp;39-year-old Jose Alvarez and 22-year-old Neosha Allen unconscious and not breathing. They were pronounced deceased on the scene.

Due to the lack of cooperation from some of the victims and witnesses, investigators were not initially able to fully determine the circumstances leading up to the shooting.&nbsp;

Police reported Jackson's arrest on Dec. 28.&nbsp;In September 2023 he pleaded guilty  to voluntary manslaughter, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699565351146.png" alt="Jackson-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Jackson-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man is going to prison for a Christmas week 2022 double murder.On Wednesday Judge Jeffrey Goering sentenced 40-year-old Kenneth Jackson to just more than 18-years in prison, according to the Sedgwick County district attorney's office Just before 10p.m. Dec. 23, 2022 police were dispatched to a shooting in the 900 block of South Mission in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.At the scene, police located two victims,&nbsp;a 22-year-0ld man and a 42-year-old man, with multiple gunshot wounds. EMS transported them to an area hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp;During the initial contact, officers learned that two additional victims were inside an apartment near where the two men had been shot. Officers entered the apartment and located a man and woman later identified as&nbsp;39-year-old Jose Alvarez and 22-year-old Neosha Allen unconscious and not breathing. They were pronounced deceased on the scene.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671890141036.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Due to the lack of cooperation from some of the victims and witnesses, investigators were not initially able to fully determine the circumstances leading up to the shooting.&nbsp;Police reported Jackson's arrest on Dec. 28.&nbsp;In September 2023 he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, according to the district attorney's office.

Kan. man sentenced for Christmas week 2022 double-murder

EAGLE PASS, Texas (AP) — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson led about 60 fellow Republicans in Congress on a visit Wednesday to the Mexican border to demand hard-line immigration policies in exchange for backing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb">President Joe Biden's emergency wartime funding request for Ukraine</a>. He expressed serious doubts about whether he would support a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-congress-border-biden-064246982c828ed820c1c5a47c85901b">bipartisan compromise</a>.'

The trip to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-immigration-law-border-b0100138a88a0d034ae8e68787ef41b7">Eagle Pass, Texas</a>, came as the Senate engages in delicate negotiations in hopes of striking a deal on border policies that could unlock Senate GOP support for Biden’s $110 billion package for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. security priorities.

But Johnson, R-La., told The Associated Press during the border tour that he was holding firmly to the policies of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-immigration-bill-255921c69678468580d0d106282623f0">bill</a>&nbsp;passed by House Republicans in May without a single Democratic vote. The bill, H.R. 2, would revive many of the policies pursued by former President Donald Trump, build more of the border wall and impose new restrictions on asylum seekers. Democrats called the legislation “cruel” and “anti-immigrant,” and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-security-immigration-biden-d62168665ba1581fc75651abc0409071">Biden promised a veto.</a>

“If it looks like H.R. 2, we'll talk about it,” Johnson said of any border legislation that emerges from the Senate.

With the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-border-wall-breaches-asylum-immigration-beddd2ca0ffd02884ce0d0ad1785f538">number of illegal crossings</a>&nbsp;into the United States topping 10,000 on several days last month, Eagle Pass has been at the center of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-border-buoys-wire-abbott-5f138e354e88fc319f46c55344d7335c">Operation Lone Star</a>, his nearly $10 billion initiative that has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-arrests-immigration-greg-abbott-civil-rights-violations-bcbfef0901b375c9301ade01a59eb1c9">tested the federal government’s authority</a>&nbsp;over immigration and elevated the political fight over the issue.

The GOP House members touted their event as the largest congressional border trip ever. They traveled in two large buses beneath an international bridge in Eagle Pass where just two weeks ago illegal crossings prompted a large federal response that included closing railroad traffic and creating a large field for processing migrants. By Wednesday, the field sat empty with only stakes in the ground and orange fencing.

At a news conference, Johnson suggested he could use a looming government funding deadline as further leverage.

“If President Biden wants a supplemental spending bill focused on national security, it better begin with defending America’s national security," he said. Johnson added: “We want to get the border closed and secured first."

Biden has expressed willingness to make policy compromises as the historic number of migrants crossing the border is an increasing challenge for his 2024 reelection campaign. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and White House staff have been involved in the Senate negotiations.

“We’ve got to do something," Biden told reporters Tuesday night. He said Congress should approve his national security proposal because it also includes money for managing the influx of migrants. "They ought to give me the money I need to protect the border,” he said.

Administration officials have criticized Johnson's trip as a political ploy that will do little to solve the problem. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said Republicans were compromising national security by threatening to shut down the government and delaying approval of funding for additional border security.

“When they’re at the border, they’re going to see the magnitude of the problem and why we have said now for about three decades, their broken immigration system is in desperate need of legislative reform,” Mayorkas told CNN on Wednesday. “So we are focused on the solutions, and we hope that they will return to Washington and focus on the solutions as well.”

House Republicans also contend that Mayorkas' management of the border has amounted to a dereliction of his duties and they are moving ahead with rare impeachment proceedings against a Cabinet member, with a first committee hearing on the matter scheduled for next week. Mayorkas told MSNBC he would cooperate with an inquiry.

During parts of December, border crossings in Eagle Pass, as well as other locations, swamped the resources of Customs and Border Protection officials. Authorities closed cargo rail crossings in Eagle Pass and El Paso for five days and shut down border crossings in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lukeville-arizona-border-crossing-closed-ae04e8c861a95e98dbfc8d49244cf092">Arizona city of Lukeville.</a>

Authorities say the numbers of migrants eased over the December holidays as part of a seasonal pattern. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lukeville-arizona-border-crossing-reopens-d6921b6d157952036c65e38ba4aac43d">border crossings are reopening</a>, and arrests for illegal crossings from Mexico fell to about 2,500 on Monday, from more than 10,000 on several days in December, officials said.

“We need to fix the border. There’s virtually unanimous agreement among Democrats and Republicans about that,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. He added: “Everyone’s going to have to give something to get this done.”

Republicans are pressuring Biden and Democrats to accept strict border measures, and they see the high number of migrants arriving at the border as a political weakness for the president.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told reporters in Kentucky on Tuesday that in a conversation with 81-year-old Biden, he made the case: “You can’t do anything about how old you are, you can’t do anything about inflation, but this is something that’s measurable that you could claim credit for.”

McConnell also said he was approaching the talks with “optimism that somehow we will get this all together and we’re giving it our best shot.”

Sen. James Lankford, the Oklahoma Republican negotiating the Senate agreement, called H.R. 2 “a great bill,” but said it was not realistic to expect the president or Senate Democrats to support the measures.

Senate negotiators have focused on tougher asylum protocols for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-border-wall-breaches-asylum-immigration-beddd2ca0ffd02884ce0d0ad1785f538">migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border</a>, bolstering border enforcement with more personnel and high-tech systems, and enforcement measures that would kick in if the number of daily crossings passed a certain threshold.

Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz, Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Lankford met Wednesday afternoon and said they were trying to agree on legislative text they could present to their colleagues. Sinema said the group was “closing in" on an agreement, but technical work remained before Congress returns to Washington next week.

“We’re going to work out a bill, if we’re successful, that will have Republican and Democratic votes,” said Murphy, the chief Democratic negotiator.

Murphy has raised concern that the longer the talks draw out, the longer it leaves Ukraine's defenses hanging without assured support from the U.S. in the war with Russia.

The Pentagon in late December announced what officials say&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-funding-weapons-2153375d4394d5783fad73858b51e993">could be the final package of military aid</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine if Congress does not approve Biden's funding request. The weapons, worth up to $250 million, include air munitions and other missiles, artillery, anti-armor systems, ammunition, demolition and medical equipment and parts.

Russia has unleashed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kharkiv-kyiv-2b23b1163c859a645b485d5c38035369">flurry of missile and drone strikes</a>&nbsp;on Ukraine in the new year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704366649599.png" alt="Kansas Rep. Ron Estes at the border on Wednesday" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Rep. Ron Estes at the border on Wednesday</figcaption>
 </figure>EAGLE PASS, Texas (AP) — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson led about 60 fellow Republicans in Congress on a visit Wednesday to the Mexican border to demand hard-line immigration policies in exchange for backing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb">President Joe Biden's emergency wartime funding request for Ukraine</a>. He expressed serious doubts about whether he would support a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-congress-border-biden-064246982c828ed820c1c5a47c85901b">bipartisan compromise</a>.'<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-vAl1RBwecw?si=KTGRG6xQjW5_pjjG&amp;start=2" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today I joined <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a> in Eagle Pass, Texas, where, even with cameras rolling and 60 members of Congress present, we saw migrants try to illegally enter our country. That is how bad Biden&#39;s open border policies are. Our country needs the solutions in H.R. 2. <a href="https://t.co/rHNZIUT9SO">pic.twitter.com/rHNZIUT9SO</a>&mdash; Rep. Ron Estes (@RepRonEstes) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRonEstes/status/1742689156567093660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The trip to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-immigration-law-border-b0100138a88a0d034ae8e68787ef41b7">Eagle Pass, Texas</a>, came as the Senate engages in delicate negotiations in hopes of striking a deal on border policies that could unlock Senate GOP support for Biden’s $110 billion package for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. security priorities.But Johnson, R-La., told The Associated Press during the border tour that he was holding firmly to the policies of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-immigration-bill-255921c69678468580d0d106282623f0">bill</a>&nbsp;passed by House Republicans in May without a single Democratic vote. The bill, H.R. 2, would revive many of the policies pursued by former President Donald Trump, build more of the border wall and impose new restrictions on asylum seekers. Democrats called the legislation “cruel” and “anti-immigrant,” and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-security-immigration-biden-d62168665ba1581fc75651abc0409071">Biden promised a veto.</a>“If it looks like H.R. 2, we'll talk about it,” Johnson said of any border legislation that emerges from the Senate.With the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-border-wall-breaches-asylum-immigration-beddd2ca0ffd02884ce0d0ad1785f538">number of illegal crossings</a>&nbsp;into the United States topping 10,000 on several days last month, Eagle Pass has been at the center of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-border-buoys-wire-abbott-5f138e354e88fc319f46c55344d7335c">Operation Lone Star</a>, his nearly $10 billion initiative that has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-arrests-immigration-greg-abbott-civil-rights-violations-bcbfef0901b375c9301ade01a59eb1c9">tested the federal government’s authority</a>&nbsp;over immigration and elevated the political fight over the issue.The GOP House members touted their event as the largest congressional border trip ever. They traveled in two large buses beneath an international bridge in Eagle Pass where just two weeks ago illegal crossings prompted a large federal response that included closing railroad traffic and creating a large field for processing migrants. By Wednesday, the field sat empty with only stakes in the ground and orange fencing.At a news conference, Johnson suggested he could use a looming government funding deadline as further leverage.“If President Biden wants a supplemental spending bill focused on national security, it better begin with defending America’s national security," he said. Johnson added: “We want to get the border closed and secured first."Biden has expressed willingness to make policy compromises as the historic number of migrants crossing the border is an increasing challenge for his 2024 reelection campaign. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and White House staff have been involved in the Senate negotiations.“We’ve got to do something," Biden told reporters Tuesday night. He said Congress should approve his national security proposal because it also includes money for managing the influx of migrants. "They ought to give me the money I need to protect the border,” he said.Administration officials have criticized Johnson's trip as a political ploy that will do little to solve the problem. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said Republicans were compromising national security by threatening to shut down the government and delaying approval of funding for additional border security.“When they’re at the border, they’re going to see the magnitude of the problem and why we have said now for about three decades, their broken immigration system is in desperate need of legislative reform,” Mayorkas told CNN on Wednesday. “So we are focused on the solutions, and we hope that they will return to Washington and focus on the solutions as well.”House Republicans also contend that Mayorkas' management of the border has amounted to a dereliction of his duties and they are moving ahead with rare impeachment proceedings against a Cabinet member, with a first committee hearing on the matter scheduled for next week. Mayorkas told MSNBC he would cooperate with an inquiry.During parts of December, border crossings in Eagle Pass, as well as other locations, swamped the resources of Customs and Border Protection officials. Authorities closed cargo rail crossings in Eagle Pass and El Paso for five days and shut down border crossings in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lukeville-arizona-border-crossing-closed-ae04e8c861a95e98dbfc8d49244cf092">Arizona city of Lukeville.</a>Authorities say the numbers of migrants eased over the December holidays as part of a seasonal pattern. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lukeville-arizona-border-crossing-reopens-d6921b6d157952036c65e38ba4aac43d">border crossings are reopening</a>, and arrests for illegal crossings from Mexico fell to about 2,500 on Monday, from more than 10,000 on several days in December, officials said.“We need to fix the border. There’s virtually unanimous agreement among Democrats and Republicans about that,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. He added: “Everyone’s going to have to give something to get this done.”Republicans are pressuring Biden and Democrats to accept strict border measures, and they see the high number of migrants arriving at the border as a political weakness for the president.Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told reporters in Kentucky on Tuesday that in a conversation with 81-year-old Biden, he made the case: “You can’t do anything about how old you are, you can’t do anything about inflation, but this is something that’s measurable that you could claim credit for.”McConnell also said he was approaching the talks with “optimism that somehow we will get this all together and we’re giving it our best shot.”Sen. James Lankford, the Oklahoma Republican negotiating the Senate agreement, called H.R. 2 “a great bill,” but said it was not realistic to expect the president or Senate Democrats to support the measures.Senate negotiators have focused on tougher asylum protocols for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-border-wall-breaches-asylum-immigration-beddd2ca0ffd02884ce0d0ad1785f538">migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border</a>, bolstering border enforcement with more personnel and high-tech systems, and enforcement measures that would kick in if the number of daily crossings passed a certain threshold.Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz, Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Lankford met Wednesday afternoon and said they were trying to agree on legislative text they could present to their colleagues. Sinema said the group was “closing in" on an agreement, but technical work remained before Congress returns to Washington next week.“We’re going to work out a bill, if we’re successful, that will have Republican and Democratic votes,” said Murphy, the chief Democratic negotiator.Murphy has raised concern that the longer the talks draw out, the longer it leaves Ukraine's defenses hanging without assured support from the U.S. in the war with Russia.The Pentagon in late December announced what officials say&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-funding-weapons-2153375d4394d5783fad73858b51e993">could be the final package of military aid</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine if Congress does not approve Biden's funding request. The weapons, worth up to $250 million, include air munitions and other missiles, artillery, anti-armor systems, ammunition, demolition and medical equipment and parts.Russia has unleashed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kharkiv-kyiv-2b23b1163c859a645b485d5c38035369">flurry of missile and drone strikes</a>&nbsp;on Ukraine in the new year.___

🎥Kan. congressman joins lawmakers' border trip to slam Biden on immigration

BAGHDAD (AP) — A U.S. airstrike on the headquarters of an Iran-backed militia in central Baghdad on Thursday killed a high-ranking militia commander, militia officials said.

Thursday’s strike comes amid mounting regional tensions fueled by the Israel-Hamas war and fears that it could spill over into surrounding countries. It also coincides with a push by Iraqi officials for US-led coalition forces to leave the country.

The Popular Mobilization Force, or PMF, a coalition of militias that is nominally under the control of the Iraqi military, announced in a statement that its deputy head of operations in Baghdad, Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, or “Abu Taqwa,” had been killed “as a result of brutal American aggression.”

A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide information that has not yet been publicly released confirmed that U.S. forces conducted a strike on a vehicle in Baghdad on Monday against the group Harakat al-Nujaba. The group, one of the militias within PMF, was designated a terrorist organization by Washington in 2019.

Iraqi military spokesman Yehia Rasool said in a statement that the Iraqi army blames the U.S.-led International Coalition Forces for the “unprovoked attack on an Iraqi security body operating in accordance with the powers granted to it by” the Iraqi military.

The primary mission of the U.S.-led coalition is to fight the Islamic State, the Sunni extremist militant group that continues to carry out periodic attacks in Iraq despite having lost its hold on the territory it once controlled in 2017. Since then, the coalition has transitioned from a combat role to an advisory and training mission.

The PMF, a group of Iranian-backed, primarily Shiite militias, were also key in the fight against Islamic State after it overran much of Iraq in 2014. The PMF is officially under the command of the Iraqi army, but in practice the militias operate independently.

Thursday’s strike killed two people and wounded five, according to two militia officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

One of the officials said al-Saidi was driving into the garage of the headquarters affiliated with the Harakat al-Nujaba militia, along with another militia official, when the car was hit, killing both.

Heavy security was deployed around the location of the strike on Baghdad’s Palestine Street, and Iraqi war planes could be seen flying overhead. An Associated Press photographer was eventually allowed access to the scene of the strike, where he saw the remains of the charred car.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, a group of Iranian-backed militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has carried out more than 100 attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria.

The group has said the attacks are in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war" target="_blank">war against Hamas</a>&nbsp;that has killed more than 20,000 people in Gaza, and that they aim to push U.S. forces out of Iraq.

Thursday’s strike is likely to increase calls for a U.S. departure.

Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani — who came to power with the backing of Iran-linked political factions but has also attempted to maintain good relations with the U.S. — said that his government is “is proceeding to end the presence of the international coalition forces.”

The strike also comes two days after a suspected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-03-2024-fc2394531bef8238e86879dd98ea435b" target="_blank">Israeli drone strike</a>&nbsp;in the suburbs of Beirut killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh Arouri.

Asked whether Israel had involvement in Thursday’s strike in Baghdad, an Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment.

BAGHDAD (AP) — A U.S. airstrike on the headquarters of an Iran-backed militia in central Baghdad on Thursday killed a high-ranking militia commander, militia officials said.Thursday’s strike comes amid mounting regional tensions fueled by the Israel-Hamas war and fears that it could spill over into surrounding countries. It also coincides with a push by Iraqi officials for US-led coalition forces to leave the country.The Popular Mobilization Force, or PMF, a coalition of militias that is nominally under the control of the Iraqi military, announced in a statement that its deputy head of operations in Baghdad, Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, or “Abu Taqwa,” had been killed “as a result of brutal American aggression.”A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide information that has not yet been publicly released confirmed that U.S. forces conducted a strike on a vehicle in Baghdad on Monday against the group Harakat al-Nujaba. The group, one of the militias within PMF, was designated a terrorist organization by Washington in 2019.Iraqi military spokesman Yehia Rasool said in a statement that the Iraqi army blames the U.S.-led International Coalition Forces for the “unprovoked attack on an Iraqi security body operating in accordance with the powers granted to it by” the Iraqi military.The primary mission of the U.S.-led coalition is to fight the Islamic State, the Sunni extremist militant group that continues to carry out periodic attacks in Iraq despite having lost its hold on the territory it once controlled in 2017. Since then, the coalition has transitioned from a combat role to an advisory and training mission.The PMF, a group of Iranian-backed, primarily Shiite militias, were also key in the fight against Islamic State after it overran much of Iraq in 2014. The PMF is officially under the command of the Iraqi army, but in practice the militias operate independently.Thursday’s strike killed two people and wounded five, according to two militia officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.One of the officials said al-Saidi was driving into the garage of the headquarters affiliated with the Harakat al-Nujaba militia, along with another militia official, when the car was hit, killing both.Heavy security was deployed around the location of the strike on Baghdad’s Palestine Street, and Iraqi war planes could be seen flying overhead. An Associated Press photographer was eventually allowed access to the scene of the strike, where he saw the remains of the charred car.Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, a group of Iranian-backed militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has carried out more than 100 attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria.The group has said the attacks are in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war" target="_blank">war against Hamas</a>&nbsp;that has killed more than 20,000 people in Gaza, and that they aim to push U.S. forces out of Iraq.Thursday’s strike is likely to increase calls for a U.S. departure.Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani — who came to power with the backing of Iran-linked political factions but has also attempted to maintain good relations with the U.S. — said that his government is “is proceeding to end the presence of the international coalition forces.”The strike also comes two days after a suspected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-03-2024-fc2394531bef8238e86879dd98ea435b" target="_blank">Israeli drone strike</a>&nbsp;in the suburbs of Beirut killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh Arouri.Asked whether Israel had involvement in Thursday’s strike in Baghdad, an Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment.————