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February 13, 2024
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February 13, 2024
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February 13, 2024

Israel and Hamas are making progress in cease-fire and hostage-release talks, officials say

CAIRO (AP) — Two officials say Israel and Hamas are making progress toward a deal that aims to bring about a cease-fire and free hostages held in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. Key meetings are continuing on Tuesday between the sides in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. The talks are moving forward even after Israel intensified its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, from where it freed two hostages but killed at least 74 Palestinians, according to local health officials. The Egyptian and Western officials said gaps remain between Israel and Hamas but progress is being made. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive talks with the media.

The head of UN’s nuclear watchdog warns Iran is ‘not entirely transparent’ on its atomic program

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has warned that Iran is “not entirely transparent” regarding its atomic program. That’s after an official who once led Tehran’s program announced the Islamic Republic has all the pieces for a weapon “in our hands.” Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that “there’s loose talk about nuclear weapons more and more, including in Iran recently.” Iran has been enriching uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. The wider Mideast is now on edge because of Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Senate passes a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine and Israel, but fate in the House is uncertain

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan after almost a week of debate and growing political divisions in the Republican Party over the role of the United States abroad. A small group of Republican senators who are strongly opposed to the $60 billion for Ukraine held the Senate floor through the night, arguing that the U.S. should focus on its own problems before sending more money overseas. But 22 Republicans voted with nearly all Democrats in the early morning Tuesday to pass the package 70-29, with supporters arguing that abandoning Ukraine could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and threaten national security across the globe.

What is happening at the Republican National Committee and could Lara Trump become its co-chair?

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump is calling for a shakeup at the highest levels of the Republican National Committee. And party leaders are taking it very seriously. To be clear, this is not normal. Trump has yet to secure the GOP’s presidential nomination, and just last week, he and current Chair Ronna McDaniel privately agreed that no major changes would take place until after South Carolina’s Feb. 24 primary. But that didn’t stop Trump from announcing Monday on social media that he wants McDaniel to be replaced by Michael Whatley, the North Carolina GOP chairman. The new co-chair, Trump said, should be his daughter-in-law Lara Trump. McDaniel has said nothing will change at least until after South Carolina. And the RNC membership isn’t meeting where such changes could be formalized until this spring.

Winter storm hits Northeast, causing difficult driving, closed schools and canceled flights

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Parts of the Northeast have been hit by a coastal storm that’s dumping snow and packing 60 mph winds in some areas, while others aren’t getting as much snow as anticipated. The storm brought hazardous driving conditions, school closings and flight cancellations Tuesday morning, along with some power outages. The nation’s largest school system in New York City switched classes to remote learning, but reported technical problems with the online system Tuesday morning. Boston schools are closed, although the storm shifted and the southern part of the state got the brunt of the snow. Some of the highest snowfall totals were forecast for the northern New York City suburbs and southwestern Connecticut.

House GOP will try again to impeach Mayorkas after failing once. But outcome is still uncertain

WASHINGTON (AP) — Having failed to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas the first time, House Republicans are determined to try again. But it’s not at all certain Tuesday’s scheduled do-over will produce a better tally. The evening vote is expected to be tight, even with the arrival of Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who has been away from Washington for cancer care. Speaker Mike Johnson’s threadbare majority cannot spare defections or absences in the face of staunch Democratic opposition to impeaching Mayorkas. After last week’s embarrassing setback, Republicans are trying to make good on their priorities as they criticize the Biden administration’s handling of the record number of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Race to succeed George Santos in Congress reaches stormy climax in New York’s suburbs

An unusual special election in New York City’s suburbs could be a bellwether in the fight for control of Congress. The Tuesday election pits Democrat Tom Suozzi, a former congressman, against Republican Mazi Pilip, a county lawmaker, in a race for a district in Queens and Long Island that became vacant after George Santos was expelled from Congress late last year. The race has offered a preview of the political strategies both parties may use in the fall, with the campaigns testing messages on immigration, abortion and public safety that they hope will appeal to suburban voters.

Mental health emerges as a dividing line in abortion rights initiatives planned for state ballots

CHICAGO (AP) — Abortion rights advocates are trying to get initiatives to protect reproductive health on the ballot in several states this year. And one major difference has emerged in their proposed language: whether to include mental health as an exception. A Missouri proposal would allow lawmakers to restrict abortions after a fetus is considered viable, except if an abortion “is needed to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.” A similar measure has been proposed in Arizona, but proposals in Florida, Montana and Nebraska do not explicitly mention mental health. The CDC says mental health conditions were the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths from 2017 to 2019.

Jon Stewart’s return to ‘The Daily Show’ felt familiar to those who missed him while he was away

NEW YORK (AP) — Was he really away for nine years? Jon Stewart’s return to “The Daily Show” as host on Monday night no doubt felt familiar to his fans. His signature moves — blunt satire, facial grimaces, incisive use of video and some occasional lectures — were all intact. He dove right into the subject that two aging presidential candidates would surely wish he didn’t: their fitness for office. Stewart has agreed to host “The Daily Show” on Monday nights through the presidential election. A variation of the phrase “it seemed like he never left” was part of at least three reviews of his first night back.

Super Bowl was the most-watched program ever in the US, averaging 123.4 million viewers

The longest Super Bowl game will also go down as the most-watched program in U.S. television history. According to Nielsen and Adobe Analytics, Kansas City’s 25-22 overtime victory over San Francisco averaged 123.4 million viewers across television and streaming platforms. That shattered last year’s mark of 115.1 million for Kansas City’s last-play victory over Philadelphia and is a 7% increase. The game was televised by CBS, Nickelodeon and Univision and streamed on Paramount+ as well as the NFL’s digital platforms. Some of the increase can be attributed to a change in the way viewers are counted, with out-of-home viewers from all 50 states included for the first time.