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January 16, 2025AP Entertainment
January 16, 2025AP- News
January 16, 2025
Netanyahu says ‘last-minute crisis’ with Hamas holding up approval of Gaza truce and hostage deal
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that a last-minute dispute with Hamas was holding up Israeli approval of a long-awaited ceasefire that would pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages. Netanyahu signaled complications with the deal shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced it was complete. It was not yet clear if Netanyahu’s statements merely reflected jockeying to keep his fractious coalition together or whether the deal was at risk. The Israeli Cabinet is expected to vote on the deal Thursday. But Netanyahu’s office said they won’t meet until Hamas backs down, accusing it of reneging on parts of the agreement, without elaborating. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 72 people in the war-ravaged territory.
Palestinians in Gaza are eager to return home in a ceasefire but many will find nothing left
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are eager to leave miserable tent camps and return to their homes if a long-awaited ceasefire agreement halts the Israel-Hamas war. But many will find there is nothing left and no way to rebuild. Israel’s bombardment and ground operations have transformed entire neighborhoods in several cities into charred wastelands. Blackened shells of buildings and mounds of rubble stretch away in all directions. Major roads have been plowed up. Critical water and electricity infrastructure is in ruins. Most hospitals no longer function. And it’s unclear when — or even if — much of it will be rebuilt.
Many Americans doubt Trump will be able to lower prices in his first year, an AP-NORC poll shows
WASHINGTON (AP) — Many U.S. adults are skeptical about President-elect Donald Trump’s ability to bring down costs. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll shows only about 2 in 10 Americans are “extremely” or “very” confident the Republican will be able to make progress on lowering the cost of groceries, housing or health care this year. The poll shows about 2 in 10 Americans are “moderately” confident. Faith in Trump’s ability to create jobs is a little higher: About 3 in 10 Americans are “extremely” or “very” confident he’ll make progress on this in 2025.
Democrats’ crisis of the future: The biggest states that back them are shrinking
WASHINGTON (AP) — California, Illinois and New York are shrinking. Texas and Florida are growing rapidly. With America’s population shifting from reliably Democratic states to areas controlled by Republicans, Democrats are facing a demographic time bomb that could reduce their path to winning the U.S. House or the presidency for the long term. If current trends hold through the 2030 census, states that voted for Kamala Harris will lose around a dozen House seats — and Electoral College votes — to states that voted for President-elect Donald Trump. Democrats’ path to 270 Electoral College votes, the minimum needed to win the White House, will get much steeper.
As wildfires linger, focus turns to rebuilding Los Angeles’ leveled neighborhoods
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Heartbroken families, burned-out business owners and beleaguered Los Angeles leaders are beginning to ponder a monumental task: rebuilding what was lost in the Southern California wildfires. Even with the flames of two large fires still leaping, government officials are talking of the vast job of clearing toxic debris. Then it will be rebuilding homes, restaurants, schools, boutiques and houses of worship in devastated communities. All the while, finding financing for it all. LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger says homeowners are saying that rebuilding is a question of when, not if. Much remains unknown: What should the neighborhoods look like? And will fire-resistant materials and designs be used?
Giuliani settles dispute with Georgia election workers over ownership of condo, World Series rings
NEW YORK (AP) — A settlement has been reached between Rudy Giuliani and two former Georgia election workers to decide the ownership of the former New York City mayor’s Florida condominium and three World Series rings, which were sought to satisfy a $148 million defamation judgment against him. The deal negated the need for a trial that was supposed to begin Thursday morning at a federal court in Manhattan, where Giuliani was scheduled to be the first witness. The 80-year-old Giuliani was to testify before the same judge who last week found him in contempt for failing to turn over information on some of his assets to the women’s lawyers.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody will fill Marco Rubio’s Senate seat
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody will take Marco Rubio’s seat in the U.S. Senate. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the appointment on Thursday, making Moody only the second woman to represent Florida in the chamber. Moody was first elected to become the state’s top law enforcement officer in 2018. She previously worked as a federal prosecutor before winning a race in 2006 to become a circuit judge in Hillsborough County, home to Tampa. Under Florida law, it’s up to the Republican governor to choose Rubio’s replacement after President-elect Donald Trump picked the three-term senator to be his next secretary of state.
Standoff in South Africa ends with 87 miners dead and anger over police’s ‘smoke them out’ tactics
STILFONTEIN, South Africa (AP) — Police say the death toll in a monthslong standoff between authorities and miners trapped while working illegally underground at an abandoned gold mine in South Africa has risen to at least 87. National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says Thursday that 78 bodies were retrieved from the mine in an official rescue operation that began Monday, while another nine had been recovered previously. She did not give details on how those other bodies were retrieved. Community groups have launched their own rescue attempts. The miners are suspected to have died of starvation and dehydration. South African authorities have come under scrutiny for refusing to help the miners for months and claiming they were able to get out on their own.
David Lynch, visionary filmmaker behind ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Mulholland Drive,’ dies at 78
LOS ANGELES (AP) — David Lynch has died at 78. The filmmaker was celebrated for his uniquely dark vision in such movies as “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive” and the TV series “Twin Peaks.” His family announced the death in a Facebook post on Thursday. The cause of death and location was not immediately available, but Lynch had been public about the effect emphysema had had on his life. Lynch was a onetime artist who broke through in the 1970s with the surreal “Eraserhead” and rarely failed to startle and inspire audiences and peers in the following decades.
‘Mr. Baseball’ Bob Uecker, Brewers announcer, dies at 90
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bob Uecker, the voice of his hometown Milwaukee Brewers who after a short playing career earned the moniker “Mr. Baseball” and honors from the Hall of Fame, has died. He was 90. In a statement released Thursday by the Brewers, Uecker’s family said he had battled small cell lung cancer since early 2023. Uecker, who was born and raised in Milwaukee, signed his first pro contract with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956 and reached the majors in 1962. He lasted six seasons in the big leagues. He then spent over 50 years broadcasting the Brewers, becoming synonymous with baseball in Wisconsin and beyond.