U.S. and world news for August 8

Israel reported ready to send military to take over Gaza

Mass protests erupted across Israel as the country’s security cabinet was meeting to decide on a full reoccupation of Gaza. Despite international pressure, opposition from Israel’s military chief and domestic fears that such an operation would endanger the hostages being held by Hamas, the cabinet approved a phased plan from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to occupy Gaza City. According to an Israeli official with knowledge of the proposal, the incursion would take up to five months and require forcing 1 million Palestinians in Gaza City and other areas to evacuate to southern Gaza. The Israeli military would also establish compounds to house the displaced Palestinians. The deadline for the first phase of the plan is Oct. 7, a source told CNN, which would be the second anniversary of Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken captive.

Trump proposes unconstitutional changes to U.S. census

The U.S. Constitution mandates a national census every 10 years to determine congressional representation, and the next one is not scheduled until 2030. In addition, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution requires a count of “the whole number of persons in each State.” However, Donald Trump is calling for a census that does not comply with what the Constitution mandates. Trump says he has ordered the Commerce Department to begin work on a new census using results of the 2024 election. He also said he ordered certain people not to be counted in the new census even though the Constitution calls for counting everyone in the country. The census is what congressional district lines are based upon and a new census now could provide Trump with a mechanism to redraw congressional district lines to favor Republicans.

Texas redistricting effort

The Texas House was due to reconvene this afternoon in an effort to push through a redistricting plan to create five new congressional districts that would have more Republican voters than Democrats, enabling the Republican Party to pick up five new seats in the U.S. House. But, Democrats who have fled the state to block the Texas House from having a quorum needed to legally conduct business plan to stay away. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to host some Texas Democrats this afternoon for an event in Sacramento. In a call with reporters, Texas Democratic Rep. Armando Walle, who is from the Houston area, said he believed the majority of his colleagues remain committed to staying out of state until the end of session. Donald Trump has urged Republicans in Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina, Missouri and Florida to wipe out Democratic controlled districts in those states.

Air Force to deny benefits to transgender service people

The U.S. Air Force plans to deny retirement benefits to all transgender service members who have honorably served between 15 and 18 years. Instead, they will be offered two choices: take the lump-sum separation payment that’s being offered to junior troops or be involuntarily separated at a later date. The move, which was announced this week, comes after the Supreme Court granted the Pentagon permission to ban all transgender troops serving in the U.S. military. Transgender troops recently told Military.com that they found the separation process — which has included reverting their service records to their birth gender — “dehumanizing.”

FBI data shows crime went down under Biden Administration

Violent crime decreased in the U.S. in 2024, according to data released by the FBI. The agency’s Reported Crimes in the Nation report showed violent crime down an estimated 4.5% compared with the previous year. Murders decreased by an estimated 14.9% and hate crimes dropped by 1.5%. Robberies went down by almost 9%, which is near its lowest rate in the last 20 years. The statistics debunk comments Donald Trump made throughout his campaign last year when he claimed that crime was “way up” and that “we’ve never seen crime like this before.” However, assaults on police officers showed an increase, from over 83,000 in 2023 to 85,730 in 2024. The FBI is studying why attacks on police are on the rise.

California wildfire evacuations ordered

A brush fire that ignited north of Los Angeles and quickly spread on Thursday has prompted authorities to order thousands to evacuate. The Canyon Fire is burning just south of Lake Piru, a reservoir located in the Los Padres National Forest, and spreading east. About 250 firefighters on the ground are working with air support to battle the blaze, which is being fed by hot dry weather, rugged terrain and dry fuel, a spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department said. The Canyon Fire burned about 15 square miles in just six hours and remained 0% contained as of late Thursday afternoon. The Gifford Fire, which became the state’s largest wildfire of the year this week, continues to burn in the Los Padres National Forest. By Thursday afternoon, it had spread to 154 square miles and was at 15% containment. Evacuation orders have been issued for parts of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. The causes of the fires are under investigation.