@php
    // Items store a plain path slug in `url` or `route` (not a registered
    // Laravel route name); url() passes absolute URLs (like the Newsletters
    // item's substack link) through unchanged, so this works for both.
    $menuItemHref = function ($item) {
        $path = $item->url ?: $item->route;

        return $path ? url(rtrim($path, '/') . '/') : '#';
    };

    $total = $items->count();
    $half = (int) ceil($total / 2);
    $col1 = $items->slice(0, $half);
    $col2 = $items->slice($half);
@endphp

<div class="footer-links-col">
    <ul>
        @foreach ($col1 as $item)
            <li>
                <a href="{{ $menuItemHref($item) }}"
                    target="{{ $item->target ?: '_self' }}"
                    @if (($item->target ?: '_self') === '_blank') rel="noopener noreferrer" @endif>{{ $item->title }}</a>
            </li>
        @endforeach
    </ul>
</div>

<div class="footer-links-col">
    <ul>
        @foreach ($col2 as $item)
            <li>
                <a href="{{ $menuItemHref($item) }}"
                    target="{{ $item->target ?: '_self' }}"
                    @if (($item->target ?: '_self') === '_blank') rel="noopener noreferrer" @endif>{{ $item->title }}</a>
            </li>
        @endforeach
    </ul>
</div>