Hostage deal: Various sources say there could be a deal announced today for a four or five day pause in the Israel-Hamas fighting along with the release of about 50 hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas. It’s believed that for every hostage Hamas releases Israel will release three Palestinian women or children it holds. Israel’s government was scheduled to hold a number of meetings today at which it is believed the deal would be discussed and voted on.
X posts: Elon Musk, who owns the internet site X, formerly known as Twitter, has put up a post calling attention to the old and discredited conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton and other Democrats were running a pedophile ring in the basement of a Washington pizzeria. Musk has been calling attention to various discredited conspiracy theories on X, while also spreading antisemitic and hate messages. A number of advertisers have pulled their ads from X because they did not want to be associated with pro-Nazi and other radical posts. X has filed a lawsuit against Media Matters over its reporting about the proximity of ads to pro-Nazi posts on X.
Shootings: Four people were wounded in a shooting at a Walmart store near Dayton, Ohio. The shooter then shot and killed himself. Three people were killed and a fourth wounded in a shooting in Custer County, Colorado. Police are looking for 45-year old Hanme Clarke, who they say got into a dispute over property lines with the victims.
Voting Rights Act: A three-judge Conservative Republican panel in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act, ruling that individuals and organizations no longer have the right to sue to restore voting rights. The judges said that only the U.S. Attorney General can bring an action when it’s alleged voting rights have been violated. By their action the judges overruled what U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said about 10 years ago when he affirmed the right of individuals and organizations to go to court when they feel voting rights have been violated. Most lawsuits to correct violations of the Voting Rights Act have been filed by individuals and organizations, not the U.S. Attorney General.
Navy airplane accident: A U.S. Navy P-8A airplane that was landing at Marine Corps Base Hawaii went off the runway and wound up in the water yesterday. All nine people on board escaped injury. It was raining with reduced visibility at the time of the accident. The military base is about 10 miles outside of Honolulu. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
Shakira’s deal: Entertainer Shakira has reached a deal with prosecutors in Barcelona, Spain, and pleaded guilty to six counts of not paying the Spanish government taxes she owed. The plea deal avoids going ahead with a trial and the risk of her being found guilty and being sent to prison. Shakira has agreed to pay back taxes and fines of about $8.5 million. The Spanish government said she spent more than half the year living in Spain and therefore owed the taxes.
Cover photo of Shakira by Vogue Taiwan / Wikimedia Commons
