News

News

July 31, 2025

Trump sends Witkoff and Huckabee to inspect food distribution in Gaza

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The White House says President Donald Trump has sent special envoy Steve Witkoff to the Middle East to “save lives” and end the humanitarian crisis there. Witkoff arrived in Israel on Thursday to address the worsening crisis in Gaza. Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee plan to inspect food distribution in Gaza on Friday. The Gaza Health Ministry said that over the past 24 hours at least 91 Palestinians have been killed and more than 600 wounded while trying to get aid. The Israeli military has not commented on the strikes, stating it targets militants and blaming civilian deaths on Hamas. Witkoff met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the situation.

Why not enough food is reaching people in Gaza even after Israel eased its blockade

International outcry over images of emaciated children and increasing reports of hunger-related deaths have pressured Israel to let more aid into the Gaza Strip. This week, Israel paused fighting in parts of Gaza and airdropped food. But aid groups and Palestinians say the changes have only been incremental and are not enough to reverse what food experts say is a “worst-case scenario of famine” unfolding in the war-ravaged territory. The new measures have brought an uptick in the number of aid trucks entering Gaza. But almost none of it reaches U.N. warehouses for distribution.

Trump agrees to 90-day negotiating period with Mexico in a blitz before his tariff deadline

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Donald Trump will sign an executive order to impose new tariff rates starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt says countries that haven’t received a prior letter on tariffs from the Republican president or negotiated a trade framework will be notified of their likely tariff rates through a letter or the executive order. Trump said Thursday there will be a 90-day negotiating period with Mexico over trade as 25% tariffs stay in place. Mexican leader Claudia Sheinbaum says Mexico gets to stave off threatened 30% tariffs for the next three months.

Appellate judges question Trump’s authority to impose tariffs without Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) — Appellate court judges are expressing skepticism over President Donald Trump’s legal rationale for his broadest batch of tariffs. An 11-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit repeatedly questioned the administration’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to justify its so-called “Liberation Day” round of tariffs in April. The Trump administration contends the U.S. trade deficit qualifies as a national emergency under the 1977 law. An attorney for the the administration acknowledged no president has used the law in the same way but contended it was nonetheless lawful.

A teacher has been charged in the stabbing deaths of a couple in an Arkansas state park

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A father and mother who died on an Arkansas hiking trail were stabbed to death and a 28-year-old schoolteacher has been charged in the killings. Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar said during a news conference Thursday that authorities are trying to determine a motive for the attack. They have no reason to believe Andrew James McGann knew the couple or their children. Clinton and Cristen Brink were found dead on a walking trail at Devil’s Den State Park on Saturday. Two of their three daughters who were with them at the time were not hurt in the attack.

Storms bring heavy rain and flash flooding to the East Coast

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Strong rain storms are lashing the East Coast from Virginia to Connecticut, flooding at least one New York City highway and other roads. City officials said Thursday afternoon that the Clearview Expressway in Queens was closed in both directions. Social media posts show vehicles stranded in high water. Flash flood warnings are in place for parts of New York City, New Jersey and Philadelphia. States of emergency have been declared in New Jersey and New York City. The National Weather Service warns of heavy rainfall and potentially severe thunderstorms along the Washington-Philadelphia-New York City corridor.

Mourners honor the NYPD officer killed in the attack at the NFL headquarters building

NEW YORK (AP) — Mourners packed a Bronx mosque to pay respects to a New York City police officer who was among the four people killed when a gunman opened fire this week at the Manhattan skyscraper that houses the NFL’s offices. New York’s mayor and governor were among those who remembered Officer Didarul Islam for his devotion to his family, faith and the police department. The police commissioner said the 36-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant described policing as “a blanket of the community, there to provide comfort and care,. Islam was a married father of two, with a third child on the way.

Virginia Giuffre’s family expresses shock over Trump saying Epstein ‘stole’ her

The family of Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre has expressed shock over President Donald Trump saying the disgraced New York financier “stole” her from him. Giuffre’s family also says Epstein’s ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell should stay in prison. Giuffre had accused Prince Andrew and others of exploitation and died by suicide. Giuffre’s family wants answers. Trump denies prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. A White House spokesperson says the Republican president was responding to a reporter’s question. The Giuffre family’s statement follows the Justice Department’s recent interview with Maxwell, who’s serving a 20-year sentence in Florida for sex trafficking. Maxwell’s lawyer says she testified truthfully. Epstein died in jail before trial. Andrew denied Giuffre’s claims.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs asks judge to throw out guilty verdicts or grant him a new trial

Sean “Diddy” Combs has asked a judge to dismiss his guilty verdicts on prostitution-related charges or grant him a new trial. Combs’ lawyers argue that his convictions under the Mann Act, which prohibits interstate commerce related to prostitution, are unprecedented. On Wednesday, they filed a motion saying Combs is the only person convicted under the statute for such conduct. The 55-year-old was convicted of transporting people for sexual encounters but was acquitted of more serious charges. His lawyers claim there was no commercial motive and that all involved were consenting adults. The judge has not yet ruled on the motion.

Hulk Hogan’s cause of death was a heart attack, medical examiner says

A Florida medical examiner’s report says Hulk Hogan’s death last week was caused by a heart attack. The report said Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, also had leukemia and atrial fibrillation and the cause of death was “natural.” Flags on official buildings in the state will be flown at half-staff on Friday to honor him, as Gov. Ron DeSantis declared it “Hulk Hogan Day in Florida.” The Republican governor called him “a true Floridian through and through.” Hogan was a major WWE star, known for his larger-than-life persona. His wife, Sky Daily, shared her grief on Instagram, calling the loss “sudden and impossible to process.”