AP-Newswatch

Israel seeks to evacuate Palestinians jammed into a southern Gaza city ahead of an expected invasion

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has ordered the military to prepare a plan for the evacuation of the population of the southern Gaza city of Rafah ahead of an expected ground invasion. Netanyahu made the announcement Friday following international criticism of Israel’s plan to invade the crowded city on Egypt’s border. Israel says Rafah is the last remaining Hamas stronghold and it needs to send in troops to complete its war plan against the Islamic militant group. The U.N. estimates 1.4 million Palestinians have crammed into Rafah after fleeing fighting elsewhere in Gaza. Netanyahu says he’s asked security officials for a “double plan” to evacuate civilians and to “collapse” remaining Hamas militant units.

Israel’s next target in Gaza war is likely Rafah. Terrified people say there’s nowhere left to go

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza’s southernmost town, Rafah, is bursting at the seams. Nearly the last place spared an Israeli offensive so far, Rafah’s population has more than quintupled with Palestinians streaming in to escape fighting. They pack by the dozens into apartments. Sidewalks and once-empty lots are clogged with tents full of families. Panic and despair are rising as Israel says it’s preparing a plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah next, ahead of an expected invasion. The estimated 1.5 million people sheltering there account for more than half of Gaza’s entire population, and they have nowhere to flee in the face of an offensive that has leveled large swaths of Gaza. Israel’s prime minister has ordered the army to come up with an evacuation plan. But it remains unclear where people can go.

Harris slams ‘politically motivated’ report as Biden to name task force to protect classified docs

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is slamming the special counsel’s report into President Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents that raised questions about his memory, calling it “politically motivated” and “gratuitous.” Harris spoke just before the White House announced that Biden plans to name a task force to protect classified documents during presidential transitions. The report from Robert Hur, the former Maryland U.S. Attorney selected by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Biden found evidence that Biden willfully held onto and shared with a ghostwriter highly-classified information. But it laid out why Hur did not believe the evidence met the standard for criminal charges. The report described Biden’s memory as “hazy” and having “significant limitations.”

GOP contest shifts to critical South Carolina primary after Trump notches another dominant win

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — After winning Nevada’s Republican caucuses late Thursday night, Former President Donald Trump is heading to Pennsylvania for a speech before the National Rifle Association. Trump will headline the NRA’s Presidential Forum, which is being held as part of the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg. Pennsylvania is expected to be a critical swing state in November. Trump had no competition in Nevada after Nikki Haley, his last remaining major rival, chose to skip the state’s caucuses in favor of participating in an earlier primary that offered no deleates.

Georgia Republicans say Fani Willis inquiry isn’t a ‘witch hunt,’ but Democrats doubt good faith

ATLANTA (AP) — The Republican leading a Georgia state Senate committee to investigate Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says he seeks just the facts. But the lead Democrat begrudgingly serving on the panel said after its first meeting Friday that she doubts the committee can overcome its partisan origins. The panel is supposed to probe whether Willis did anything wrong in the criminal case against Donald Trump after she acknowledged a “personal relationship” with a special prosecutor she hired. Unusually for a Georgia legislative panel, the committee has the power to issue subpoenas and to require people testify under oath. The panel can’t sanction or remove Willis. It can only recommend changes in state spending or laws.

Magnitude 5.7 earthquake strikes just south of Hawaii’s Big Island, U.S. Geological Survey says

HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck just south of the Big Island of Hawaii. The earthquake was centered 11 miles south of Naalehu, Hawaii at a depth of 6 miles. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said no tsunami is expected. Some shaking could be felt in Honolulu on the island of Oahu which is about 200 miles to the north. The USGS initially reported it as a magnitude 6.3 quake but downgraded it a short time later. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency posted on X that “Many areas may have experienced strong shaking,” from the earthquake. It also reiterated that there was no threat of a tsunami.

Pakistan’s ex-PM Sharif says he will seek a coalition government after trailing jailed rival Khan

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says he will seek to form a coalition government after his party trailed independent candidates backed by his imprisoned rival, Imran Khan, in parliamentary election results. Sharif told supporters Friday he was sending his brother to meet other party leaders to invite them to join a coalition. Nawaz Sharif had rejected the idea of an alliance a day earlier, saying he wanted a single party running Pakistan. But he changed his position after results showed candidates backed by Khan leading in the vote count, a surprise given claims by Khan’s supporters and a national rights body that the balloting was manipulated against him.

Flu hangs on in US, fading in some areas and intensifying in others

NEW YORK (AP) — Flu is hanging on in the U.S., intensifying in some areas of the country after weeks of an apparent national decline. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its flu data on Friday. It shows a continued national decline in flu hospitalizations. But it also shows increases in other indicators — including the number of states with high or very high levels for respiratory illnesses. Flu-like illnesses seem to be proliferating in the Midwest. Last week, those illnesses were at high levels in 23 states — up from 18 the week before.

Here’s what you can expect from Super Bowl commercials this Sunday

NEW YORK (AP) — Advertisers will be pulling out all the stops on Super Bowl Sunday — enlisting the biggest actors, investing in the most dazzling special effects and, they hope, going for laughs as they seek to win over viewers. Most companies appear to be doubling down on flights of fantasy or light humor, often with a dose of nostalgia and a lot of mini-reunions of TV characters. Big names like Jennifer Anniston, Christopher Walken, Arnold Schwarzenneger, Ice Spice, Jenna Ortega, Lionel Messi, Tom Brady, “Judge Judy” Judy Sheindlin, Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner Usher and more will appear during game breaks. And as always, there will still be some gameday surprises.

Toby Keith wrote all kinds of country songs. His legacy might be post-9/11 American anger

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Country music fans are celebrating Toby Keith’s rich collection of songs in the wake of his death from stomach cancer. He’ll probably be remembered most for the legacy of “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American).” For many in post-9/11 America, the 2002 song caught the mood. It featured the lyric: “We’ll put a boot in your ass. It’s the American way.” With that track, Keith steered his music into a more overt nationalism that defined his career. It also helped set country music on a more overtly political path that continues for some artists to this day.