Hamas responds to Gaza cease-fire plan seeking some changes. US says it’s ‘evaluating’ the reply
BEIRUT (AP) — Hamas says it has given Qatari and Egyptian mediators its reply to the U.S.-backed proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza, seeking some “amendments” on the deal. Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group said on Tuesday they were ready to “deal positively to arrive at an agreement” and that their priority is to bring a “complete stop” to the war. A senior Hamas official said they had “submitted some remarks on the proposal to the mediators” but did not elaborate. The foreign ministries of Qatar and Egypt said in joint statement that mediators were examining the response. The White House national security spokesman says Washington also has Hamas’ response and was “evaluating” it now.
The Latest | Rockets fired from Lebanon after Israel kills Hezbollah commander
Scores of rockets were fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel on Wednesday morning, hours after Israeli airstrikes on a southern Lebanese village killed four officials from the militant Hezbollah group including the most senior military commander to be killed since clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border began eight months ago. The previous day, Hamas responded to a U.S.-backed proposal for a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release, saying it wants some “amendments” on the deal. While supporting the broad outlines of the deal, Hamas officials have expressed wariness over whether Israel would implement its terms. That includes provisions for an eventual permanent end to fighting, and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, in return for the release of all hostages held by the militants.
What’s next for Hunter Biden after his conviction on federal gun charges
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Hunter Biden’s legal woes are not over after his conviction on three felony firearms charges in a trial that put a spotlight on his drug-fueled past. Now, President Joe Biden’s son faces sentencing, and another trial on tax charges in the middle of his father’s reelection campaign. Jurors found Hunter Biden guilty on Tuesday after three hours of deliberations over two days in Wilmington, Delaware. The case stemmed from a gun Hunter Biden bought in 2018 while, prosecutors say, he was in the throes of a crack cocaine addiction. Defense attorney Abbe Lowell said after the verdict that they will “continue to vigorously pursue all the legal challenges available.”
AP sources: 8 people with possible Islamic State ties arrested in US on immigration violations
WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight individuals from Tajikistan with suspected ties to the Islamic State group have been arrested in the United States in recent days. That’s according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The people say the arrests took place in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles and the individuals, who entered the U.S. through the southern border, are being held on immigration violations. The nature of their suspected connections to IS was not immediately clear, but the men were tracked by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. They were in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which made the arrests, pending removal proceedings.
North Korea’s Kim hails Russia ties as Putin reportedly plans a visit
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hailed the country’s expanding relationship with Russia as reports suggest that Russian President Vladimir Putin will soon visit the country for his third meeting with Kim. North Korea’s state media reported Wednesday that Kim sent Putin a congratulatory message marking Russia’s National Day and spoke about booming bilateral ties. Cooperation between the two countries have sharply increased since Kim visited Russia last September for a meeting with Putin. Japanese public broadcaster NHK, citing unidentified diplomatic sources including high-ranking Russian officials, reported Wednesday that Putin is preparing to visit North Korea and Vietnam next week.
More than 1.5 million foreign Muslims arrive in Mecca for annual Hajj pilgrimage
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims have been streaming into Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca for the Hajj, as the annual pilgrimage returns to its monumental scale. Saudi officials say more than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have arrived in Mecca so far. More are expected, and hundreds of thousands of Saudis and others living in Saudi Arabia will also join them when the pilgrimage officially begins on Friday. Saudi officials expect the number to exceed the participants in 2023, when more than 1.8 million people performed Hajj. The numbers are nearing the totals before the coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, more than 2.4 million Muslims made the pilgrimage.
Supreme Court has a lot of work to do and little time to do it with a sizeable case backlog
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has a lot of work left to do, and little time to do it. The court is headed into its final few weeks with nearly half of the cases heard this year undecided, including ones that could reshape the law on everything from guns to abortion to social media. The justices are also still weighing whether former President Donald Trump is immune from criminal prosecution in the election interference case against him, more than a month after hearing arguments. The court has heard 61 cases so far but still has 29 cases to decide.
Faking an honest woman: Why Russia, China and Big Tech all use faux females to get clicks
WASHINGTON (AP) — When it comes to online scams and foreign disinformation, it pays to be female. Or at least to pretend to be. That’s according to research that shows chatbots and fake social media accounts get more engagement when they have female personas. Researchers say that’s because people are more likely to view women as warm and approachable, and to see chatbots with feminine personas as more human than those posing as male. As a result, many chatbots are given a female personality, while groups linked to the Kremlin and China prefer fake accounts with female profile pictures to spread disinformation and propaganda.
Federal Reserve is likely to scale back plans for rate cuts because of persistent inflation
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials on Wednesday will likely make official what’s been clear for many weeks: With inflation sticking at a level well above their 2% target, they are downgrading their outlook for interest rate cuts. In a set of quarterly economic forecasts they will issue after their latest meeting ends, the policymakers are expected to project that they will cut their benchmark rate just once or twice by year’s end, rather than the three times they had envisioned in March. The Fed’s rate policies typically have a significant impact on the costs of mortgages, auto loans, credit card rates and other forms of consumer and business borrowing.
Thefts of charging cables pose yet another obstacle to appeal of electric vehicles
DETROIT (AP) — Across the U.S., thieves have been targeting electric-vehicle charging stations, intent on stealing the cables, which contain copper wiring. The price of copper is near a record high on global markets, which means criminals stand to collect rising sums of cash from selling the material. The stolen cables often disable entire charging stations. Broken-down chargers have emerged as the latest obstacle for U.S. automakers in their effort to convert more Americans to EVs despite public anxiety about a scarcity of charging stations. If even finding a charging station doesn’t necessarily mean finding functioning cables, it becomes another reason for buyers to stick with gasoline-fueled or hybrid vehicles, at least for now.
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