Strikes in Gaza kill 85 overnight, bringing the total since Israel broke ceasefire to nearly 600
DEIR-AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes have killed at least 85 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Thursday. Hours later, Hamas fired three rockets at Israel without causing casualties, in the first such attack since Israel broke their ceasefire. Israel resumed heavy strikes across Gaza on Tuesday, shattering the truce that had facilitated the release of more than two dozen hostages and brought relative calm since late January. Israeli bombardments in the past three days have killed at least 592 people. Early Friday, Israel’s Cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to fire the head of the country’s Shin Bet internal security service.
Israeli hostage freed after 491 days asks: Where was the United Nations, the Red Cross, the world?
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Freed Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi has expressed his anger during an appearance at the U.N. Security Council for having to suffer for so long and worry every day about being killed. He asked: “Where was the United Nations? Where was the Red Cross? Where was the world?” Sharabi described being beaten, chained and starved while held for 491 days by Hamas. He challenged the U.N. to prove that it stands “for humanity” by bringing home the hostages still in Gaza. The fate of the remaining hostages became more uncertain after Israel on Tuesday ended a six-week break in the fighting that had allowed for the return of some hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Trump orders a plan to dismantle the Education Department while keeping some core functions
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the Education Department. The Republican president announced his plan Thursday. Trump has derided the Education Department as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology. However, completing its dismantling is most likely impossible without an act of Congress, which created the department in 1979. And the White House says the department will not close completely right now. It is to retain certain critical functions, like managing Pell grants and money for children with disabilities.
DOGE blocked in court from Social Security systems with Americans' personal information, for now
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from Social Security Administration systems that hold personally identifiable data on millions of Americans. The decision from U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander also requires the team to delete any identifiable data they may have. It comes after labor unions and retirees asked for an emergency order limiting DOGE access to the agency and its vast troves of personal data. The administration has said DOGE's work at the agency is aimed at reducing waste and fraud in the federal government.
Judge calls Trump administration's latest response on deportation flights 'woefully insufficient'
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has instructed the Trump administration to explain why its failure to turn around flights carrying deportees to El Salvador did not violate his court order in a growing showdown between the judicial and executive branches. U.S. District Judge Jeb Boasberg demanded answers after flights carrying Venezuelan immigrants alleged by the Trump administration to be gang members landed in El Salvador after the judge temporarily blocked deportations under an 18th century wartime law. Boasberg had directed the administration to return to the U.S. planes that were already in the air when he ordered the halt. The administration has resisted the judge’s request for more details about the flights, calling it an “unnecessary judicial fishing” expedition.
Military leaders discuss Ukraine peacekeeping force as partial ceasefire plans are worked out
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Senior military officers from countries across Europe and beyond are meeting outside London to flesh out plans for an international peacekeeping force for Ukraine as details of a partial ceasefire are worked out. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the coalition led by Britain and France is moving into an operational phase. But it’s unclear how many countries are willing to send troops, or whether there will be any ceasefire to protect. Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle to a limited ceasefire on Wednesday, though it remained to be seen when it might take effect and what possible targets would be protected.
What's next for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after it was highlighted in Ukraine-US talks
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — During a call between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, the U.S. leader apparently suggested Volodymyr Zelenskyy consider transferring ownership of Ukraine’s power plants to the U.S. for long-term security, according to a U.S. statement. Briefing the media later, Zelenskyy said the discussion with Trump had focused specifically on the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine. While the facility remains connected to Ukraine’s energy grid without producing electricity, it has been under Russian control since the early days of the war, making it unclear what future U.S. involvement could look like.
The release of a 1961 plan to break up the CIA revives an old conspiracy theory about who killed JFK
Newly released material from documents associated with President John F. Kennedy's assassination show that a key adviser wanted to break up the CIA after the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961. Some readers of the previously redacted material in Special Assistant Arthur Schlessinger Jr.'s June 1961 memo saw it Thursday as evidence of mistrust between Kennedy and the CIA and giving credence to a long-circulating conspiracy theory that the CIA had a hand in Kernnedy's assassination in Dallas in 1963. But others say they have seen nothing in the newly released material that makes them doubt the conclusion that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone gunman
No. 11 seed Drake holds on after blowing big lead and beats Missouri 67-57 in March Madness opener
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Bennett Stirtz scored 21 points and No. 11 seed Drake held on after blowing most of a 15-point lead to be sixth-seeded Missouri 67-57 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Tavion Banks added 15 points and five rebounds for the Bulldogs, a team that relies heavily on Division II transfers under first-year coach Ben McCollum. They advanced to a second-round matchup with third-seeded Texas Tech or No. 14 seed UNC Wilmington on Saturday. Caleb Grill had 14 points and Tamar Bates had 10 before fouling out for Missouri. The Tigers finished the season losing five of their last six.
Mariah Carey didn't steal 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' from other writers, a judge says
A federal judge in Los Angeles has ruled that Mariah Carey did not steal her perennial holiday hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You” from other songwriters. Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani granted Carey’s request for summary judgment on Wednesday, giving her and co-writer and co-defendant Walter Afanasieff a victory without going to trial. In 2023, songwriters Andy Stone of Louisiana and Troy Powers of Tennessee filed the $20 million lawsuit alleging that Carey’s 1994 song infringed the copyright of their country 1989 song with the same title. Their lawyer says he's disappointed and will likely appeal the decision.
