Israel-Gaza Ceasefire Progresses
Israel has shifted to defensive operations in Gaza, following President Trump’s call to halt strikes in the enclave, marking the closest the two sides have come to ending the war since the October 7 attacks nearly two years ago. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a suspension of the operation to occupy Gaza City and halted airstrikes to “prepare for the immediate implementation of the first phase of the Trump Plan for the immediate release of all hostages.”
The development follows a tense week of negotiations. On Monday during Netanyahu's White House visit, Trump unveiled a 20-point plan to end the Gaza conflict. The plan included establishing a technocratic Palestinian government supervised by a “board of peace” led by Trump and former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, with a long-term vision of Palestinian Authority control over Gaza and the possibility of a Palestinian state. President Trump gave Hamas an ultimatum to accept the deal by Sunday evening or face unprecedented military action, vowing that Israel would have his “full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas” if the group rejected the proposal.
Hamas responded with conditional acceptance, agreeing to release all remaining Israeli hostages but expressing the need for technical and political negotiations on other elements of the plan. The group's “yes, but” response elicited optimism from the White House and caution from others.
Behind the scenes, the negotiations proved contentious. Netanyahu had secured last-minute edits to the plan on Sunday during a marathon meeting with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, particularly regarding Israel's withdrawal timeline from Gaza, which reportedly infuriated Arab officials from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey who felt blindsided by the changes.
The week also saw Trump take extraordinary steps regarding Qatar's role as mediator. On Monday, Netanyahu was forced to apologize to Qatar for an Israeli strike on Qatari soil that killed at least six people, including a Qatari security official, after the attack derailed negotiations and prompted Qatar to suspend its mediation efforts. By Wednesday, Trump granted Qatar a NATO-style security guarantee, signing an executive order declaring that any future attacks on Qatar would be treated as threats to the U.S.
The Government Is Shut Down
The federal government shut down Wednesday at midnight following unsuccessful Senate negotiations for a government spending package. The Republicans’ bill did not restore Medicaid funding or extend Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year, so Democrats didn’t sign on. The Democratic version added more than $1 trillion in spending, so Republicans said no. An estimated 750,000 federal workers per day are being furloughed, though essential personnel including military, law enforcement, air traffic controllers, and TSA agents continue working without immediate paychecks.
The administration sees the shutdown as a chance to trim down on government spending by using procedures that are only available when the government is shut down. On the first day of the shutdown, the Trump administration froze $18 billion in federal funds for New York City's mass transit system and $8 billion in climate projects, warning Congress to expect “consequential” layoffs across the entire federal workforce.
Religion
🚨 Attack on Michigan LDS Church Kills at Least Four: An attacker crashed a pickup truck into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, last Sunday morning, opened fire on worshipers, and set the structure ablaze, killing at least four people and wounding eight others. The shooter, identified as 40-year-old Thomas Sanford of Burton, who served in Iraq in 2007 and 2008, was fatally shot by police approximately eight minutes after they arrived.
⛪️ LDS Church President Dies at 101: Russell M. Nelson, the oldest-ever president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died Friday night, less than a month after his 101st birthday. Dallin H. Oaks, his First Counselor in the First Presidency, is poised to become the next president of the faith's 17 million members worldwide.
‼️ Megachurch Pastor Pleads Guilty to Child Abuse: Robert Morris, the Texas pastor who built Gateway Church into one of the country's largest congregations, pled guilty Thursday to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child from the 1980s. He received a 10-year sentence but will serve only six months in jail. He must register as a sex offender and pay $250,000 in restitution.
Other News
⚖️ Supreme Court Blocks Fed Governor Firing: The Supreme Court temporarily blocked President Trump from firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, with justices set to make a final decision next year about whether the President has this authority.
🗽 NYC Mayor Adams Drops Reelection Bid: Current New York City Mayor Eric Adams withdrew from his reelection campaign despite being just over a month from Election Day, effectively leaving the race between Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani and former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
🕍 Manchester Synagogue Attack Declared Terrorism: British officials declared an attack on a synagogue in Manchester, England, that killed two people to be an act of terrorism. The attack occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
🤑 Musk Becomes First Person Worth $500 Billion: Elon Musk became the first human worth $500 billion, as Tesla’s and SpaceX’s stock soared to records and his other startups surged in valuation. He could become the world's first trillionaire if he fully earns his new Tesla pay package.
📰 Media Trust Hits Record Low: Only 28% of Americans say they have a great deal or a fair amount of trust in mass media, down from 68% in 1972, according to a new Gallup survey, which marks the third consecutive year of record lows. The partisan gap remains stark, with 51% of Democrats and just 8% of Republicans expressing trust in media. 62% of Republicans say they have “no trust at all.”
✝️ Pope Blesses Ice at Climate Ceremony: On Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV blessed a block of ice during a Vatican ceremony on climate change, praying that it would “awaken our hearts, cleanse our indifference, soothe our grief, and renew our hope.”
