Category Archives: World/National

Israel lays out plans for hostage release and prisoner swap expected on Monday

Israel lays out plans for hostage release and prisoner swap expected on Monday

CAIRO (AP) — Preparations are underway for aid to enter Gaza and for the release of hostages under a new ceasefire deal. The truce has brought cautious calm to the area. On Monday, all the living hostages among the 48 still held by Hamas are expected to be freed. U.S. President Donald Trump is set to arrive in Israel to witness the release and will later attend a peace summit in Egypt. The release of 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel is also part of the deal. The United Nations has aid ready to enter Gaza once Israel approves. The war, which began in 2023, has caused significant destruction and loss of life.… Continue Reading

Trump directs the Pentagon to use ‘all available funds’ to ensure troops are paid despite shutdown

Trump directs the Pentagon to use ‘all available funds’ to ensure troops are paid despite shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s directed the Defense Department to use “all available funds” to ensure that U.S. troops are paid on Wednesday despite the government shutdown. Trump said in a social media post Saturday that he was acting because “our Brave Troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th.” He said he was using his authority as commander in chief to direct Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “to use all available funds” to pay the troops. They were in danger of not receiving their next paycheck on Wednesday after the government shut down on Oct. 1.… Continue Reading

Speaker Johnson keeps the House away as he fights to end the government shutdown

Speaker Johnson keeps the House away as he fights to end the government shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — House members’ absence during the government shutdown is creating a political dilemma for Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and is testing his leadership. The Louisiana congressman sent members home three weeks ago, and they haven’t been back in working session since. In the intervening weeks, the government has shut down. President Donald Trump threatened a mass firing of federal workers. And Democrat Adelita Grijalva won a special congressional election in Arizona but has not been sworn in. Johnson says the House already did its job, passing a bill to fund the government. Johnson blames Democrats in the Senate, which is also controlled by Republicans. Democrats want health care funds for insurance subsidies that are set to expire.… Continue Reading

Israeli military says ceasefire takes effect in Gaza, raising hopes for ending the war

Israeli military says ceasefire takes effect in Gaza, raising hopes for ending the war

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military says a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has come into effect in Gaza. The announcement came Friday, hours after Israel’s Cabinet approved a deal to pause the fighting and exchange the remaining hostages for Palestinian prisoners. Tens of thousands of people who had gathered in central Gaza in the morning started walking north after the military’s announcement. Beforehand, Palestinians reported heavy shelling in parts of Gaza throughout Friday morning, but no significant bombardment was reported after. The ceasefire marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, reduced much of Gaza to rubble, and left dozens of hostages, living and dead, in the territory.… Continue Reading

Wall Street’s feverish rally takes a break as US stocks and gold pull back from their records

Wall Street’s feverish rally takes a break as US stocks and gold pull back from their records

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is taking a pause. The S&P 500 fell 0.2% Thursday, coming off its latest all-time high and its eighth gain in the last nine days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 160 points, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2%. Drops for Tesla and Dell Technologies helped to offset a big gain for Delta Air Lines after it delivered a stronger profit for the summer than analysts expected. The price of gold also pulled back from its latest record following its stellar run this year, while Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market.… Continue Reading

Frustrated lawmakers say lack of trust is making it harder to end the government shutdown

Frustrated lawmakers say lack of trust is making it harder to end the government shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers are openly venting their frustration as they try to gain traction to end the government shutdown. Groups of lawmakers have tried to brainstorm ways out of the standoff that for nine days has shuttered government offices, kept hundreds of thousands of federal employees at home and threatened their pay. But they have found themselves running up against a fundamental lack of trust in each other. President Donald Trump and Republicans have so far held to the stance that they will only negotiate on Democratic demands around health care benefits after they vote to reopen the government.… Continue Reading

Israel and Hamas agree to part of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, will free hostages and prisoners

Israel and Hamas agree to part of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, will free hostages and prisoners

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first Phase” of his peace plan to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners. “This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump wrote Wednesday. “All Parties will be treated fairly!” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “With God’s help we will bring them all home.” Negotiators have been meeting in Egypt for days to hash out a Trump-backed peace plan that he hopes will ultimately result in a permanent end to the two-year war.… Continue Reading

Wall Street gets back to rising as gold keeps setting records

Wall Street gets back to rising as gold keeps setting records

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is getting back to rising. The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% Wednesday and is on track to top its all-time high, a day after breaking a seven-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 13 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.9%. Stocks benefiting from the artificial-intelligence boom continue to pull the market higher following a nearly relentless rise since April. Gold continued its stellar year and pushed further past $4,000 per ounce. Treasury yields eased in the bond market, while stock indexes rose in Europe following a weaker finish in Asia.… Continue Reading

Federal government shutdown grinds into a second week, but quiet talks emerging

Federal government shutdown grinds into a second week, but quiet talks emerging

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the federal government shutdown enters a second week, there’s no discernible endgame in sight. No negotiations, at least publicly, are underway. But signs of political discomfort, and quiet talks, are emerging. The Republicans who have majority control in Congress believe they have the upper hand politically, as they fend off Democratic demands to quickly fund health insurance subsidies as part of any plan to end the shutdown. But Democrats are also dug in, convinced that Americans are on their side in the fight to prevent the looming health care price spikes. Meanwhile, certain lawmakers are discussing what it would take to reopen the government, starting with addressing the health care problem.… Continue Reading

Comey pleads not guilty to Trump Justice Department case accusing him of lying to Congress

Comey pleads not guilty to Trump Justice Department case accusing him of lying to Congress

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey has pleaded not guilty to lying to Congress five years ago. Comey is set to make his first court appearance Wednesday in a Justice Department criminal case accusing him of lying to Congress five years ago. The Comey case has amplified concerns President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is being weaponized in pursuit of the Republican president’s political enemies. Comey is expected to plead not guilty. That will kick-start a process of legal wrangling in which defense lawyers will almost certainly move to get the indictment dismissed before trial, possibly by arguing the case amounts to a selective or vindictive prosecution.… Continue Reading

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