AP News Summary at 9:25 p.m. EST
Israel agrees to 4-hour daily pauses in Gaza fighting to allow civilians to flee, White House says
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its assault on Hamas in northern Gaza. The Biden administration says it has secured a second pathway for civilians to flee fighting. President Joe Biden had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to institute the daily pauses during a Monday call. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says the first humanitarian pause will be announced Thursday and the Israelis have committed to announcing each four-hour window at least three hours in advance. Biden says he asked the Israelis for a pause of at least three days during negotiations over the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Fights in bread lines, despair in shelters: War threatens to unravel Gaza’s close-knit society
JERUSALEM (AP) — Fistfights break out in bread lines. Residents wait hours for a gallon of brackish water that makes them sick. Scabies, diarrhea and respiratory infections rip through overcrowded shelters. And some families have to choose who eats. With the Israel-Hamas war in its second month and more than 10,000 people killed in Gaza, trapped civilians are struggling to survive without electricity or running water. Over half a million displaced people have crammed into hospitals and U.N. schools-turned-shelters in the south. Each day has become a mind-numbing cycle of searching for bread and water and waiting in lines. A sense of desperation has strained Gaza’s close-knit society and even emboldened some Palestinians to vent their anger against the ruling Hamas militant group.
Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin won’t seek reelection, giving GOP a key pickup opportunity
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia says he won’t seek reelection in 2024, giving Republicans a prime opportunity to gain a seat in the heavily GOP state. His decision to step down, while not totally unexpected, severely hampers Democratic hopes of keeping the seat and marks the end of an era for West Virginia, which voted reliably blue for decades before becoming one of former President Donald Trump’s most loyal states. But the decision also fuels growing speculation that Manchin harbors national political ambitions. A group pushing for Manchin to partner with retiring Utah Sen. Mitt Romney to seek a third-party presidential bid filed paperwork to form a formal draft committee Thursday.
Judge in Alaska upholds Biden administration’s approval of the massive Willow oil-drilling project
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal judge has upheld the Biden administration’s approval of the Willow oil-drilling project on Alaska’s remote North Slope, a massive project that drew the ire of environmentalists who accused the president of backpedaling on his pledge to combat climate change. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason rejected calls made by a grassroots Iñupiat group and environmentalists to vacate the approval and dismissed their claims. Those groups raised concerns about planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from Willow and argued that federal agencies failed to consider how increased emissions from the project could affect ice-reliant species. Environmental groups have vowed to appeal the ruling.
Man receives the first eye transplant plus a new face. It’s a step toward one day restoring sight
NEW YORK (AP) — Surgeons in New York have performed the world’s first transplant of an entire human eye, an extraordinary addition to a face transplant. It’s far too soon to know if it will offer any vision. But doctors at NYU Langone Health say Aaron James is recovering well from the dual transplants last May, and the eye looks remarkably healthy. The Hot Springs, Arkansas, man lost much of his face, one eye and an arm in an accident with high-voltage power lines. Doctors hoped the eye experiment would yield better cosmetic results for his face transplant.
Election offices are sent envelopes with fentanyl or other substances. Authorities are investigating
WASHINGTON (AP) — Authorities are trying to determine who sent suspicious letters, including some containing fentanyl or other substances, to local election offices in at least five states. It’s the latest instance of threats faced by election workers around the country. Elections offices in California, Georgia, Nevada, Oregon and Washington appeared to have been targeted. The Pierce County auditor’s office in Tacoma, Washington, released images of the letter it received, showing the letter was postmarked in Portland, Oregon, and read in part, “End elections now.” Authorities are also trying to intercept a letter headed to an elections office in Fulton County, Georgia, the largest voting jurisdiction in one of the nation’s most important presidential swing states.
Ballot shortages in Mississippi created a problem for democracy on the day of a governor’s election
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — People in Mississippi’s largest county are demanding answers about why some polling places ran out of ballots and voters had to wait for them to be replenished on the day the state was deciding its most competitive governor’s race in a generation. It’s unclear how many people left without voting Tuesday. Activists say election officials’ failure is shocking, especially in a state where civil rights leaders were beaten or killed in the 1960s and earlier to secure voting rights for Black residents. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves defeated Democratic challenger Brandon Presley in Mississippi’s most expensive gubernatorial race.
Former top prosecutor for Baltimore convicted in perjury case tied to purchase of Florida homes
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A former top prosecutor for the city of Baltimore has been convicted on Thursday of charges that she lied about the finances of a side business to improperly access retirement funds during the COVID-19 pandemic, using the money to buy two Florida homes. Former Baltimore state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby was charged with two counts of perjury. A federal grand jury indicted her on perjury charges before a Democratic primary challenger defeated her last year. Mosby was the prosecutor against Baltimore police officers after Freddie Gray, a Black man, died in police custody in 2015. His death led to riots and protests in the city. None of the officers were convicted.
Chase on Texas border that killed 8 puts high-speed pursuits in spotlight again
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — High-speed pursuits of migrants and suspected smugglers have become routine in Texas. But a chase Wednesday came to one of the deadliest endings in recent years: a head-on crash that killed eight people. The mangled wreckage at the scene near La Pryor has laid bare the danger of high-speed pursuits undertaken by an ever-expanding presence of law enforcement at the border. Texas alone has stationed hundreds of additional troopers the past two years. The crash has also renewed criticism that the pursuits are too fast and have gone on for too long despite chases that have ended in injuries or death.
Jury awards $1.2 million to Robert De Niro’s former assistant in gender discrimination lawsuit
NEW YORK (AP) — A jury has awarded over $1.2 million to Robert De Niro’s former personal assistant after finding his production company engaged in gender discrimination and retaliation. While the jury found De Niro was not personally liable for the abuse, they said his company, Canal Productions, should make two payments of $632,142 to his longtime personal assistant, Graham Chase Robinson. De Niro has been ensnared in dueling legal claims since Robinson quit in April 2019. She has maintained that De Niro and his girlfriend teamed up against her to turn a job she once loved into a nightmare.