Regional News Briefs — Feb. 27, 2017

Then-Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., arrived in Florida in February 2023 to help cement a conservative makeover at one of the nation’s Top 5 public universities. The University of Florida had lured Sasse with an unusual $10 million, five-year contract, possibly the most lucrative ever for a public university president. Gov. Ron DeSantis applauded the selection of a fellow Republican, calling Sasse a “deep thinker on education policy.” Then, in July, just 17 months into his contract at the Gainesville university, Sasse resigned, sparking a host of questions about what went wrong. Sasse cited his wife’s deteriorating health as the reason for his departure.

By LOLITA C. BALDOR WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has reignited a debate that many thought had been long settled: Should women be allowed to serve their country by fighting on the front lines? The former Fox News commentator has made it clear, in his own book and in interviews, that he believes men and women should not serve together in combat units.

David Welch and Allyson Versprille | (TNS) Bloomberg News Members of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team have told advisers they plan to make a federal framework for self-driving vehicles one of the Transportation Department’s priorities, according to people familiar with the matter. If new rules enable wider deployment of cars without human controls, it will directly benefit Elon Musk, the Tesla Inc. chief executive officer and Trump mega-donor who’s become a powerful fixture in the president-elect’s inner circle.

By Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times (TNS) WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to execute mass deportations of immigrants in the U. S. illegally will involve the military and a national emergency declaration, he confirmed Monday. In a Nov. 8 post on Trump’s social media platform Truth Social, Tom Fitton, who leads the conservative legal group Judicial Watch, wrote: “GOOD NEWS: Reports are the incoming @RealDonaldTrump administration prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program.” Trump responded early Monday: “TRUE!!!” A spokesperson for the Trump transition team didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. During his first term, Trump bypassed Congress to divert Pentagon funds to expand the border wall by declaring a national emergency.

By SALLY ABOU ALJOUD BEIRUT (AP) — An Israeli airstrike slammed into a densely populated residential area in Lebanon’s capital near key government and diplomatic buildings late Monday, killing at least five people as the U. S. pressed ahead with cease-fire efforts. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said two missiles hit the area of Zoqaq al-Blat neighborhood – where local U.

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Just a week after winning several of the nation’s largest Arab-majority cities, President-elect Donald Trump has filled top administration posts with staunch Israel supporters, including an ambassador to Israel who has claimed “there is no such thing as Palestinians.” Meanwhile, the two Trump advisers who led his outreach to Arab Americans have not secured positions in the administration yet. The selections have prompted mixed reactions among Arab Americans and Muslims in Michigan, which went for Trump along with all six other battleground states.