Hosam Salem for The New York Times
“The worst violence between Israelis and Palestinians in seven years is spiraling.
On Saturday, Israel destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza that housed the offices of major media outlets, including The Associated Press and Al Jazeera. Hamas militants in Gaza fired more rockets toward Tel Aviv and protests broke out again in the occupied West Bank.
Officials in Gaza said that at least 170 people had been killed in Israeli airstrikes, 40 of them children, with about 1,000 injured since Monday. In Israel, the hostilities have killed 12 civilians.
American, Egyptian and Qatari officials are attempting to negotiate a pause, and the U.N. Security Council is meeting Sunday about the crisis. President Biden urged the leaders of Israel and the Palestinians to avoid additional deaths of children and other civilians on separate calls. Here’s the latest.
A little-noticed police action at the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem last month was one of several provocations that led to the current crisis. We reconstructed how the conflict exploded after years of quiet.” Read more at New York Times
Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times
“Washington’s response to the growing conflict is stoking tensions among Democrats.
While the Biden administration sees the violence as a highly sensitive diplomatic challenge involving a longstanding ally, progressives, like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, above, view it as a searing racial justice issue that is deeply intertwined with U.S. politics, linking the decades-long conflict over land in the Middle East to causes like police brutality and conditions for migrants at the southern border.
The Arab world has been unified in condemning Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. But in a changed region, where many Arab countries have normalized relations with Israel, the response so far has been rhetorical only.” Read more at New York Times
“JERUSALEM – An Israeli airstrike on Saturday destroyed a high-rise building that housed The Associated Press office in the Gaza Strip, despite repeated urgent calls from the news agency to the military to halt the impending attack. AP called the strike ‘shocking and horrifying.’
Twelve AP staffers and freelancers were working and resting in the bureau on Saturday afternoon when the Israeli military telephoned a warning, giving occupants of the building one hour to evacuate. Everyone was able to get out, grabbing a few belongings, before three heavy missiles struck the 12-story building, collapsing it into a giant cloud of dust.
Although no one was hurt, the airstrike demolished an office that was like a second home for AP journalists and marked a new chapter in the already rocky relationship between the Israeli military and the international media. Press-freedom groups condemned the attack. They accused the military, which claimed the building housed Hamas military intelligence, of trying to censor coverage of Israel’s relentless offensive against Hamas militants.
Mideast conflict escalates:Biden speaks with Netanyahu, Abbas
Ahead of the demolition, the AP placed urgent calls to the Israeli military, foreign minister and prime minister’s office but were either ignored or told that there was nothing to be done.” Read more at USA Today
“Everyone agrees that the global supply of coronavirus vaccines needs to greatly expand. But no one can agree on how to do it.
Only 0.3 percent of the vaccine doses administered globally have been given in the 29 poorest countries. Several solutions have emerged: vaccine manufacturers stepping up production; waiving patent protections to allow more manufacturers to copy existing vaccines; and wealthy countries donating and exporting more of their stock. All of these carry risks — and there is no consensus.
As vaccines flow in rich countries, these charts show how the pandemic has split in two, with zero deaths in some cities and thousands in others. In Brazil, Covid-19 appears to be killing babies and small children at an unusually high rate.” Read more at New York Times
“Covid-19 cases in the U.S. are dropping. Mask mandates are lifting. We talked to more than 700 epidemiologists on when and how Americans can fully return to normal activities.
The true end of the pandemic will arrive once at least 70 percent of Americans of all ages are vaccinated, with the inoculation of children being key to ending the health crisis, they said. As of Saturday, 36 percent of people in the U.S. are fully vaccinated. Adolescents just began receiving their shots this past week.
Masks, social distancing and other restrictions bought crucial time for Americans to get immunized and helped stave off a fourth wave of infections. Now masks can come off for fully vaccinated Americans in most situations, the C.D.C. said this week. A growing number of retailers are largely moving to an honor system.
Here’s what to know about the new mask guidance.
With restrictions easing, Americans from Maine to Montana are returning to concert halls, houses of worship and soapbox derbies in all 50 states. Here’s what it looks like.” Read more at New York Times
“The Colonial Pipeline resumed full operations on Saturday, eight days after it was shut down by a ransomware attack.
It will still take days before gasoline stations in the Southeast, likethose in Washington, D.C., above, return to normal service. Nearly 2,000 outlets ran out of fuel after a surge of panic buying, and it will take some time to restock. Prices at the pump have stabilized, though.
The authorities have linked the ransomware attack to Darkside, a criminal hacking group based in Eastern Europe and, possibly, in Russia. Colonial quietly paid the extortionists nearly $5 million in Bitcoin to recover its stolen data, an episode that demonstrates how far the government and private industry have to go to prevent and deal with cyberattacks.” Read more at New York Times
“Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) called the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol an “insurrection against the Constitution” as some GOP lawmakers sought to minimize the violence this week.
The comment came as several Republicans, including Reps. Andrew Clyde(Ga.), Jody Hice (Ga.) and Paul Gosar (Ariz.), downplayed or made false claims about the attack.” Read more at The Hill
Patrick Smith/Getty Images
“Rombauer won the Preakness, ending a controversial Triple Crown bid by Medina Spirit, who failed a drug test after the Kentucky Derby.
Midnight Bourbon and Medina Spirit dueled for the lead throughout most of the race until Rombauer came from behind to take control at the final turn.
Also in sport, Vanessa Bryant, the wife of the late Kobe Bryant, accepted induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame on her husband’s behalf. Bryant was part of a heralded class that included Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Tamika Catchings, Kim Mulkey and others.” Read more at New York Times