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A GOP push to change how Nebraska awards its electoral votes appears to have stalled

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A GOP push to change how Nebraska awards its electoral votes appears to have stalled


The Nebraska State Capitol is seen in Lincoln, Nebraska, on May 14, 2024.

Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images


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Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

The Nebraska state lawmaker at the center of the debate over whether the state will switch to a winner-takes-all system in the Electoral College says he will not change his position and “will oppose any attempted changes to our electoral college system before the 2024 election.”

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“I have notified Governor [Jim] Pillen that I will not change my long-held position and will oppose any attempted changes to our electoral college system before the 2024 election,” said state Sen. Mike McDonnell in a statement Monday. “I also encouraged him and will encourage my colleagues in the Unicameral to pass a constitutional amendment during next year’s session, so that the people of Nebraska can once and for all decide this issue the way it should be decided – on the ballot.”

Nebraska is one of two states — Maine being the other — that allow split ballots if a candidate wins the popular vote in a congressional district. It’s “blue dot” — the state’s 2nd Congressional District — has gone for Democratic candidates in recent presidential elections.

Any change to the way Nebraska awards its five electoral votes could have had a major effect on the contours and strategy of the final few weeks of the campaign. Candidates need to secure 270 electoral votes in order to win the White House. For Vice President Harris, winning the electoral vote from the 2nd Congressional District would allow her to reach 270 were she able to also win the so-called Blue Wall states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Harris would reach 270 even if she were to lose every other battleground state.

Without that one vote, Harris would go from a 270-268 advantage in the electoral college to a 268-268 tie with former President Trump. In that scenario, the House of Representatives would choose the next president, with each state’s delegation getting one vote. With Republicans expected to have an edge in the total number of state delegations they control, that vote would all but likely go to the former president.

Trump and his allies had been hoping to persuade Republican Gov. Pillen to call a special session to change how the state accords its votes. Those efforts included a visit to the state last week by Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who traveled to Nebraska to lobby lawmakers for the change.

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Pillen had said that he would do so if he had the votes. Tuesday’s statement from McDonnell — a former Democrat who in April changed his party affiliation to Republican — suggests he does not.

“It would have been better, and far less expensive, for everyone!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform following McDonnell’s announcement. “Unfortunately, a Democrat turned Republican(?) State Senator named Mike McDonnell decided, for no reason whatsoever, to get in the way of a great Republican, common sense, victory. Just another “Grandstander!”



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4.1-magnitude earthquake hits south-central Nebraska

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4.1-magnitude earthquake hits south-central Nebraska


People across Nebraska and Kansas reported feeling an earthquake Sunday afternoon.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a quake measuring 4.1 on the Richter Scale struck around 1 p.m. about 3 miles east of the Webster County village of Cowles, which is in south-central Nebraska near the Kansas border.

A quake of that magnitude is considered “light” and not likely to cause damage.

But the USGS received dozens of reports from people who said they felt the quake, some as far away as Omaha and Manhattan, Kansas. Numerous people took to social media to report feeling the quake.

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Two aftershocks of 2.6 magnitude later occurred near the original quake site, one about 90 minutes after the initial quake and one later Sunday night.

Earthquakes are relatively rare in Nebraska, but the state does usually record one or two minor ones per year. The last time Nebraska recorded a quake of a magnitude 4 or above was in December 2023, also in Webster County.



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Nebraska Lottery results: See winning numbers for Powerball, Pick 3 on March 2, 2026

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The results are in for the Nebraska Lottery’s draw games on Monday, March 2, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on March 2.

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 2 drawing

21-28-58-65-67, Powerball: 25

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing

7-5-8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 2 drawing

03-08-09-17-25

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Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning 2 By 2 numbers from March 2 drawing

Red Balls: 14-26, White Balls: 17-18

Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning MyDay numbers from March 2 drawing

Month: 05, Day: 03, Year: 23

Check MyDay payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 2 drawing

28-41-42-50-55, Bonus: 02

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Nebraska Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3, 5: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
  • Lucky For Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
  • 2 By 2: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
  • MyDaY: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
  • Lotto America: 9:15 p.m CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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NioCorp to start work on its minerals mine in southeast Nebraska

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NioCorp to start work on its minerals mine in southeast Nebraska


NioCorp announced Monday that it plans to start work on its critical minerals mine in southeast Nebraska.

The project, which the company is calling its mine portal project, will involve building a main entrance to the Elk Creek underground mine and will serve as the primary access point for personnel, equipment, and materials for the underground mining operations. It also will include excavating bedrock, drilling and blasting to establish the twin mine ramps, on-site access road construction, and construction of on-site supporting infrastructure.

The project, which will cost nearly $45 million, is set to get underway before the end of the month. It marks the first time Colorado-based NioCorp will actually start any significant work on the main mine, from which the company hopes to extract niobium, scandium, titanium and other minerals.

“Given the size of this excavation work, the portal project really marks the beginning of a major pre-construction activity at the Elk Creek Project site and is an important step toward preparing for underground development,” Scott Honan, the company’s president and chief operating officer, said in a release.

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Mark A. Smith, Niocorp’s chairman and CEO, called the project, “a significant milestone.”

Niocorp has spent more than 15 years trying to develop the mine on land in Johnson County, about 65 miles southeast of Lincoln.

The company still needs to raise a significant amount of money to make the $1.2 billion mine a reality, though. In December, NioCorp said it had raised about $360 million, or a little more than a quarter of the total cost. It is still waiting for approval of a $780 million debt financing application from the Export-Import Bank of the United States.



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