The Minneapolis-St. Paul area, southern Minnesota and much of Iowa were on the downward slide of a powerful winter storm overnight. The storm brought the heaviest snow of the season to Minneapolis, where the weather service reported 7.4 inches at the airport. Other nearby communities reported a foot of snow or more.
The slippery roads led to at least 70 crashes, the Minnesota State Patrol reported. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz authorized the National Guard to provide support and help rescue stranded drivers.
A sharply divided Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated a lower-court order for the Trump administration to release frozen foreign aid, but it was not clear how quickly money would start flowing.
By a 5-4 vote, the court rejected an emergency appeal from the Republican administration, while also telling U.S. District Judge Amir Ali to clarify his earlier order that required the quick release of nearly $2 billion in aid for work that had already been done.
The U.N. World Food Program says it only has enough food supplies in the Gaza Strip to keep public kitchens and bakeries open for less than two weeks, after Israel halted the entry of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies.
The Israeli blockade aims to pressure Hamas into accepting an alternative arrangement for the ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages, six weeks into the fragile truce.
Eli Bieker can be reached at biek1966@stthomas.edu.
