(The Center Square) – Five months after his release from Hamas, Chapel Hill native Keith Siegel has shared details of his time in captivity and said President Donald Trump is powerful enough to get other hostages home.

The Middle East war between Hamas and Israel started Oct. 7, 2023, when the militant organization killed about 1,200 in Israel and took 251 hostage. Published reports say 57,000 have lost their lives since, the latest five Israeli Defense Forces soldiers on Monday in an explosion in northern Gaza.

The majority of fatalities, however, have been civilians caught in the crossfire. 

Twenty-eight of 50 hostages still held by Hamas are believed dead, Israeli Defense Forces says. Isreal believes 20, and possibly the remaining 22, are still alive. Negotiations are ongoing involving length of time for a ceasefire, and number of hostages both living and dead to be returned.

Trump has sought to broker deals for peace since before his inauguration, in part leading to Siegel’s release on Feb. 1 after 484 days. His wife, Aviva, was released after 51 days.

“I believe he has a lot of strength, power and ability to put pressure on those that need to be pressured, on both sides in order to get the agreement, get the deal signed, and get all of the hostages back and bring an end to the war,” Siegel told the BBC on the cusp of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visiting the White House this week.

On Tuesday, Siegel – he has dual citizenship in Israel and America – testified before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, a panel in Israel’s parliament. He described torture tactics against others and himself by Hamas, abuse and violence. It happened to men and women hostages, he said.

Siegel told the committee those alive and dead “could disappear” if not returned soon.

“I call on Netanyahu and Trump to do everything they can and bring everyone home,” he said.

U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., said Monday two American hostages must be released or Hamas should “face swift consequences.”

The United States has long been an ally of Israel in the Middle East, including being the first to recognize it as an independent state in 1948 under President Harry Truman. Back in Siegel’s native homeland last month, the North Carolina Democratic Party’s executive committee formally resolved ending American support of Israel to include all military aid, weapons shipments and military logistical support.

It boldly stated Israel is guilty of apartheid against Palestinians; genocide in Gaza; and using American weapons in “self defense” against hospitals, schools, homes, refugee camps, mosques, churches, journalists and humanitarian aid workers.

First-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, since the resolution was announced, has not publicly issued a press release or made a social media statement about his party’s position. Nor have any of the Democrats in the U.S. House – Reps. Don Davis, Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee and Alma Adams.

The other four members of the Council of State representing the North Carolina Democratic Party have also been similarly silent – Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, Attorney General Jeff Jackson, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, and Education Superintendent Mo Green.

(The Center Square) – In the first six months of this fiscal year, the North Carolina state pension plan investments made $8 billion and outperformed the stock market, the state’s treasurer said Tuesday.

“That number is we think the largest profit in the six-month history of our state pension system,” first-term Republican Brad Briner said at a meeting of state leaders. “But moreover, it is $2.5 billion more than we expected.”

North Carolina’s $127 billion pension plan has “underperformed for years,” according to Briner.

The plan has been running a $16 billion annual deficit based on the gains it needed to sustain pension payments without raising state contributions to the plan, Briner said.

Gains in the pension plan investments can reduce the need to increase the state contribution which has grown from zero 25 years ago to the current 17% of employee salary, Briner said.

“We can’t keep letting it go up.” Briner said told other state leaders Tuesday.

The North Carolina Retirement System serves more than 1 million people, from teachers to state employees, local governments, firefighters, police officers and other public workers. It operates at a deficit similar to Social Security, with fewer people paying in than are eligible for benefits.

Estimated market value was $89 billion when former Treasurer Dale Folwell took office in January 2017 and $127 billion on Dec. 27, 2024, in his final days of office.

This fall, the treasurer’s office will conduct studies to determine how to possibly reduce the employer match.

“All of that is getting to what we can do on the employer match side to relieve some of the pressure on our agencies and on the state budget,” the treasurer said.

Also, the Legislature this year passed and the governor signed the Investment Modernization Act which according to Briner “fundamentally” changes the way the state manages pension fund investments.

It creates a five-member North Carolina Investment Authority, chaired by the treasurer, which includes financial professionals appointed by the governor, treasure and leaders of the legislature.

The state has been one of only three in the country to give one person – the treasurer- sole power for administering pension plan investments, Briner said.

(The Center Square) – Thousands of personnel and volunteers from across Texas have come to assist with recovery efforts and debris removal in Kerr County and surrounding areas in response to the historic July 4 flood.

After a torrential downpour caused the Guadeloupe River to rise 26 feet in 45 minutes early Friday morning, a tidal wave of destruction crashed through Kerr and surrounding counties.

Before that happened, the state was monitoring weather patterns and Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Division of Emergency Management moved assets into Central Texas on Wednesday. Additional resources were surged on Thursday; weather warnings were issued both days.

By Friday, more than 1,500 personnel and more than 925 vehicles and equipment assets across 20 state agencies were in emergency response mode.

TDEM deployed an incident management team to support deployed emergency response resources, including multiple task forces, and continues to oversee recovery efforts.

More than 850 people were rescued in the initial hours of operations, the majority by the Texas Military Department. Texas National Guard rescued 525 people, 366 by air evacuations conducted by UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilots and crew, and 159 by ground. Another 20 were rescued in San Sabo County and five in Burnet County, Texas Military Department Adjutant General Major General Thomas Suelzer said Tuesday.

Lt. Col. Ben Baker with Texas Game Wardens said 300 game wardens have been involved in recovery efforts. They’ve searched 26 river miles, made 440 rescues and recovered 30 dead bodies.

Texas Department of Public Safety’s Special Operations Group “continues to work alongside local and state partners with ongoing rescue and recovery efforts in the Texas Hill Country, including searching through debris and storm damaged areas. Our teams will be in Kerr County to assist as long as we are needed,” Texas DPS said.

Texas DPS Colonel Director Freeman Martin said 258 DPS troopers were assigned in Kerrville alone, including highway patrol, a tactical marine unit, criminal investigators, Texas Rangers, SWAT, victim’s services, among others.

After members of the public were given a number to call to report missing people, hundreds of calls came in, he said at a news conference on Tuesday. Through painstaking work, DPS troopers working with others in law enforcement, cross checked names with trailer parks, RV camps, hotels and other rental properties, with the calls that came in and arrived at a total of 161 missing in Kerr County alone, he said.

“A lot of work is being done,” Martin said. Most of what they were able to do is because DPS was fulling funded by the Texas legislature, he said. Funding enabled DPS to acquire six replacement helicopters, which are being used for recovery efforts, he said.

“We have a lot of resources,” he said, in addition to the assistance they are receiving from the FBI, DEA, Border Patrol, Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security and others. “Everyone is working together, unified,” he said.

Search and rescue efforts are ongoing in Burnet, Kendall and Travis counties, he said. All three missing in Williamson County were recovered, deceased. Ten are confirmed missing in Travis County.

Multiple teams from several Texas A&M System agencies are also actively involved in recovery efforts as part of the 20-state agency effort.

“As we struggle to grasp the magnitude of the loss felt by so many of our fellow Texans – and even as we all offer up our prayers for the victims and their families and the parents, friends and loved ones of those still missing – the brave men and women from across the Texas A&M University System were risking their lives to save others caught in dangerous flooding across Central Texas and the Hill Country,” the Texas A&M University System said.

They include Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service task forces using swiftwater rescue boats to assist with flood rescues and evacuations and a Public Works Response Team assessing and assisting with public works infrastructure needs in Kerrville.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agents are supporting agricultural and livestock needs; a Veterinary Emergency Team is providing veterinary medical support for animals impacted by flooding.

More than 75 Texas A&M Forest Service personnel and 153 Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System members are on the ground. Saw teams are clearing debris and restoring access in impacted areas; overhead personnel are working alongside local officials on damage assessments and incident coordination.

Abbott said on Tuesday, “Texas will not stop until we finish the job. We will not stop until we identify, recover every single body. Will not stop until every road is rebuilt, every inch of debris is removed.

“We will not stop because we are a state that cares about our people, cares about our communities, and we’ll be with them every step of the way.”