The Chicago Bears and star cornerback Jaylen Johnson have agreed to a four-year, $76 million contract that includes $54 million in guaranteed money, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler.
Johnson is guaranteed $43.8 million at signing and will receive $28 million in the first year of the deal, according to sources.
The Bears placed the non-exclusive rights tag on Johnson on Tuesday, but general manager Ryan Boles expressed confidence last week that the two sides could reach a long-term deal.
Johnson's contract is the third significant defensive investment by the Bears. Defensive end in trade with Washington commanders.
Johnson, who turned 25 in April, was named second-team All-Pro and earned Pro Bowl honors last season when he produced a career-high four interceptions (including a pick-six), 10 passes defended, one forced fumble and 36 tackles.
Johnson, the 50th overall pick in the 2020 draft, played out the fourth year of his rookie deal after being unable to sign an extension with Chicago before the 2023 season. In July 2023, Johnson said he understood at the time — an interruption in his first three seasons — his lack of on-field accolades — that commanding a contract at the top of the market was a challenge for him.
After Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs signed a five-year, $97 million extension in training camp, Johnson noted the deal would benefit the entire defensive end market, but didn't believe it would affect his negotiations with Chicago.
ESPN's Courtney Cronin contributed to this report.
Scientists have discovered what they believe to be the world's earliest fossil forest in cliffs off the coast of southwest England.
It was discovered on high sandstone cliffs near Minehead, Somerset, near Putlin holiday camp.
Researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Cardiff say they are the oldest fossil trees ever found in Britain and the oldest known forest on Earth.
Trees called Calamophyton resemble palm trees.
Described as a kind of 'prototype' of today's trees, the largest are two to four meters tall.
The researchers identified fossils of plants and their debris as well as traces of fossilized tree logs and roots.
They show how early trees helped shape landscapes and stabilize riverbanks and coastlines hundreds of millions of years ago.
“When I first saw the pictures of tree trunks, I immediately knew what they were, based on 30 years of studying this type of tree worldwide,” said co-author Dr Christopher Perry of the Cardiff School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
“It was amazing to see them so close to home. But, for the first time, seeing these trees in their grown-up stages gives a very revealing insight.”
image source, Chris Perry
image caption,
Detail of fallen tree trunk
Dr Paul Kenrick, an expert on plant fossils at the Natural History Museum, who was not involved in the study, said the clues to how plants grew together at the time were of deep significance.
Researchers say the fossil forest is four million years older than the previous record in New York state.
It was found in the Hangman Sandstone Formation on the Devon and Somerset coasts and dates back to the Devonian period, 419 to 358 million years ago, a time of great expansion of life on land. The Devonian is the period named after the sea rocks that geologists found on the coast.
Researchers say the area discovered at the time was a semi-arid plain connected not to England, but to parts of Germany and Belgium, where fossils of such trees have also been found.
image source, Neil Davies
image caption,
Rocks where the forest is found
“It was a very different forest – not like any forest you see today,” said Professor Neil Davies, from Cambridge's Department of Earth Sciences.
“There were no undergrowth to speak of and the grass had yet to appear, but these densely packed trees had dropped numerous branches, which had a large impact on the landscape.”
Dr Kenrick from the Natural History Museum said the trees were very different from what we know today. Dicksonia antarctica is a tree fern native to Australia but popular as an ornamental plant in Britain.
image source, Good pictures
image caption,
Dicksonia antarctica – may be the modern equivalent of ancient forest trees.
After last year's red carpet upended the foundation of Hollywood's standard tradition — it was the color of champagne — the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed Wednesday that this year, it will return to traditional red.
Last year's departure from tradition was prompted by the introduction of an orange — sorry, Sienna — a tent on the carpet that provided shelter for costumed attendees from a forecast rain, Lisa Love, a red carpet creative consultant for the Oscars, told The New York Times that the color change was needed to prevent a color clash.
After initially considering a chocolate brown carpet, they settled on a champagne color, which, next to the Sienna tent, “was inspired by watching the sunset over a glass of champagne at 'golden hour' on a white-sand beach. On the hand, it evokes calm and serenity,” he told The Times.
The 50,000-square-foot spread, “Shoes-Off House!” Vibrations can be a challenge to keep clean.
“It's probably going to get dirty – maybe it's not the best choice,” Ms Love said at the time. “We'll see!” (It actually rained heavily, and online commentators also questioned the decision.)
Last year's champagne carpet — the Academy's arrival carpet hasn't been red in more than six decades — is part of a trend of colorful carpets at premieres, galas and awards ceremonies across the country in recent years. Check out the Emmys (Grey) and “Barbie”'s world premiere in Los Angeles in July (Pink, obviously)
Red carpets have been a staple of premieres and galas since 1922, when showman Sid Grauman staged the premiere of Douglas Fairbanks' “Robin Hood” at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. The Oscars began adopting it at the 1961 ceremony, and since then, a special shade called Academy Red – instantly recognizable in photographs.
But attention-grabbing rugs have historically presented a challenge for stylists. Red is often unflattering, event planner Mindy Weiss, who has worked with the Kardashians, Justin Bieber and Ellen DeGeneres, told the Times last year.
“The color of red carpets has changed because of fashion,” she said. “It had to match the clothes, and the red clashed.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pres Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trumpromped coast-to-coast on Super TuesdayBesides ensuring a November rematch and increasing pressure on the former president's last primary challenger, Nikki HaleyGet out of the Republican Party.
Biden and Trump each won one state in California, Texas, Alabama, Colorado, Maine, Oklahoma, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Minnesota and Massachusetts. Biden also won Democratic contests in Utah, Vermont and Iowa.
Follow AP to watch Super Tuesday live
Haley won Vermont, denying Trump an outright victory, but the former president carried other states that supported him, such as Virginia, Massachusetts and Maine.
By the end of this month, enough states won't have voted for either Trump or Biden to formally become their parties' presumptive nominees. But a huge day in the primary almost ensured their rematch. Both Biden, 81, and Trump, 77, have faced questions about their age and continue to dominate their parties despite their broad lack of popularity among the general electorate.
The only race Biden lost on Tuesday was a Democratic caucus in American Samoa, a tiny US territory in the South Pacific. Biden was there He was defeated by previously unknown candidate Jason Palmer40 to 51 votes.
Haley watched the election results in person and no campaign events were planned ahead. The results reflect the presence of “many Republicans who express deep concerns about Donald Trump,” his campaign said in a statement.
“Unity is not achieved by simply saying 'we are united,'” said spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubaz.
Meanwhile, Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate was packed for the victory party. Among those in attendance were staffers and supporters, including rapper Forgiato Blow and former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorne. The crowd erupted as Fox News played on screens around the ballroom announcing the former president had won North Carolina's GOP primary.
“They call it Super Tuesday for a reason,” Trump told a raucous crowd. He attacked Biden over the US-Mexico border and the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Biden did not deliver a speech, instead warning that Tuesday's results left Americans with a clear choice and talking about his own accomplishments after defeating Trump.
“If Donald Trump returns to the White House, all this progress will be at risk,” Biden said. “He's driven by resentment and resentment, and he's focused on his own vengeance and revenge, not the American people.”
While much of the focus was on the presidential election, there were also important ballot contests. North Carolina's gubernatorial race has taken shape, with Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and Democrat Attorney General Josh Stein in a tight race ahead of November.
In California, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican former Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Steve Garvey advanced to the general election race to fill the Senate seat long held by Dianne Feinstein.
Despite the dominance of their parties by Biden and Trump, polls make clear that the broad electorate does not want this year's general election to resemble the 2020 contest. A new AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has found A majority of Americans think neither Biden nor Trump There is mental acuity required for the job.
“They both failed to unify this country in my opinion,” said Brian Hadley, 66, of Raleigh, North Carolina.
The final days before Tuesday proved the unique nature of this year's campaign. Instead of attacking states that hold primaries, Biden and Trump held them Competing events last week at the US-Mexico borderEach is trying to gain an advantage in the increasingly fraught immigration debate.
After the Supreme Court Ruled 9-0 Trump's return to primary ballots on Monday followed efforts to ban him for his role in helping spark Capital riotsTrump pointed out 91 criminal cases Against him to accuse Biden of arming the courts.
“Fight your own fight,” Trump said. “Don't use lawyers and judges to go after your opponent.”
Biden will deliver a State of the Union address on Thursday and then campaign in the key swing states of Pennsylvania and Georgia.
Yet the former president has already defeated more than a dozen major Republican challengers and now faces only Haley, his former UN ambassador. She maintained Strong fundraising And note her First primary win over the weekend in Washington, DC, a Democratic-run city with a few registered Republicans. Haley was “crowned queen of the swamp,” Trump joked.
“We can do better than two 80-year-old candidates for president,” Haley said at a rally in suburban Houston on Monday.
Trump's victories, though dominant, have exposed vulnerabilities with influential constituencies, especially college towns like Hanover, New Hampshire, Dartmouth College or Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan, as well as areas with more independents. . That includes Minnesota, where Trump did not host a Super Tuesday event in 2016.
In this photo composite, President Joe Biden, from left, speaks in Salt Lake City on Aug. 10, 2023, former President Donald Trump speaks in Las Vegas on July 8, 2023, and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the Republican presidential candidate, speaks. on Feb. 18, 2024, in Columbia, SC (AP Photo)
Seth D. Benning, a conservative-leaning independent, voted for Haley on Tuesday morning in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, because he said the GOP “needs a course correction.” De Benning, 40, called her choice a vote of conscience and said she never voted for Trump because of concerns about his character and character.
Still, a Haley victory in any Super Tuesday contest would cause an upset, and a Trump sweep would intensify pressure for her to drop out of the race.
Biden has his own problems Low recognition ratings And Surveys suggest Many Americans, even a majority of Democrats, do not want to see the 81-year-old run again. of the President Easy Michigan primary win Last week was somewhat marred by a “noncommittal” campaign organized by activists who disapprove of the president's handling of Israel's war in Gaza.
Allies of the “noncommittal” movement pushed similar protest votes in other places with significant Muslim populations, including Minnesota, with its Somali American community. There, “undecided” received at least 38,000 votes on Tuesday.
“Joe Biden didn't do enough to get my vote, he didn't do enough to stop the war and stop the slaughter,” said Sarah Alfaham of the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington.
Biden is a very old president and Republicans are critical of any verbal slip he makes. His aides insist that once it becomes clear that either Trump or Biden will be re-elected in November, skeptical voters will turn out. Trump is now about the same age as Biden during the 2020 campaign, and he's exacerbated questions about his own fitness with recent flubs that have meant misrepresentation. He ran against Barack ObamaHe left the White House in 2017.
“I want to see the next generation step up and take on leadership roles,” said Susan Steele, 71, a Democrat who voted Tuesday for Biden in Portland, Maine.
___
Barrow reports from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Steve LeBlanc in Boston; David Sharp in Portland, Maine; Gary D. in Raleigh, North Carolina. Robertson; Sarah Rankin of Richmond, Virginia; Trisha Ahmed in Eden Prairie, Minnesota; and Cheung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.
Updated at 1pm: A tweet from Andy Stone, META's director of communications: “Due to a technical glitch earlier today, people had trouble accessing some of our services. We've resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone affected, and we apologize for any inconvenience.” Update at 12:25 pm: The Instagram app is now working for some users. Update at noon: Cybersecurity expert Matthew Green told The Associated Press that the outage appears to go beyond meta. “A lot of services have problems logging into at least some parts of their systems, especially websites,” Green said. Associate Professor of Computer Science and Member of the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute. “This could indicate a common cause, such as the failure of a major cloud service provider. No one knows exactly what's going on right now.” UPDATE 11:55 a.m.: Some Facebook desktop users can log back in. Nothing on Instagram is back. UPDATE 11:20 a.m.: Some Facebook app users can log back in. ORIGINAL STORY: If you can't use Facebook or Instagram this morning, You're not alone. Both sites appear to be down. Downdetector.com reports an outage at 10 a.m. Andy Stone, director of communications for Meta, released a statement on X at 10:52 a.m., saying, “We know people are having trouble accessing our services. We are doing this now. “We'll let you know what we can find out.
Greenville, SC –
Update at 1 pm:
A tweet from Meta's director of communications, Andy Stone:
“Earlier today, due to a technical issue, people had difficulty accessing some of our services. We have resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone affected, and apologize for any inconvenience.”
This content was imported from Twitter. You can find the same content in a different format or find more information on their website.
Earlier today, people were having trouble accessing some of our services due to a technical issue. We have resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone affected and apologize for the inconvenience. https://t.co/ybyyAZNAMn
said cyber security expert Matthew Green Associated Press The malfunction seems to have transcended the meta.
“Many services have problems with at least some part of their systems, particularly the ability to log into websites,” said Green, an associate professor of computer science and member of the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute. “This could indicate a common cause, such as the failure of a major cloud service provider. No one knows exactly what is happening right now.
Updated at 11:55 am:
Some Facebook desktop users are able to sign in again.
Nothing comes back on Instagram.
Updated at 11:20 am:
Some Facebook app users can log back in.
Original Story:
If you can't use Facebook or Instagram this morning, you're not alone.
Both sites appear to be down.
Downdetector.com reports an outage around 10am
Andy Stone is META's director of communications X published a statement At 10:52am, “We know people are having trouble accessing our services. We're working on it right now.”
We'll let you know what we find.
This content was imported from Twitter. You can find the same content in a different format or find more information on their website.
We know people are having trouble accessing our services. We are now working on this.
A deadly fire at a warehouse storing flammable materials in suburban Detroit killed one person Monday night, causing explosions, shaking homes and sending debris a mile away, officials and residents said.
A fire in Clinton Township was under control early Tuesday morning, but potential health impacts were unknown.
Emergency services were called to the building, owned by Select Distributors, at 8.50pm on Monday.
“We can't stress enough the danger going on right now. Please, please, please, stay inside and out,” a statement on the Clinton Township Police Department's Facebook page read. We don't know the effects of the smoke/air right now, so please stay safe and leave the area.
Clinton Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan said a 19-year-old man died Tuesday morning after the explosion. He did not provide further details.
NBC News affiliate Detroit's WDIV calls From onlookers who could hear a series of explosions as far away as Troy, 15 miles west in neighboring Oakland County. Clinton Township is in Macomb County.
Some callers said things inside their homes rattled and shook from the vibrations, while others asked if the explosions were gunshots or fireworks.
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Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel told WDIV the fire was under control shortly after 11 p.m. Monday.
A firefighter was injured by an exploding canister and a bystander suffered minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital, police said.
Duncan told reporters in a phone call that no one was in the building when the fire broke out, and the debris was primarily from 12-inch metal canisters, each weighing a few pounds.
“The building was almost completely gutted. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of explosions that firefighters couldn't access,” he said.
Local residents were advised to close their windows and stay indoors.
Who are the eyewitnesses? captured the scene They posted footage on social media in the distance, accompanied by the sound of multiple, sustained explosions of missiles being fired into the sky. One person said the explosions continued for more than half an hour.
The police and fire department requested assistance from other local police agencies and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives because the business was “known to store flammable materials.”
Police and firefighters rushed to the spot till early Tuesday morning to clear the debris from the surrounding roads.
On its website, Select Distributors says it offers dollar stores novelty items and phone accessories, and sells vape products, nitrous oxide and CBD oil.
Patrick Smith is an editor and reporter for NBC News Digital based in London.
Damian Lillard more than filled in on Monday night in Milwaukee.
Lillard dropped 41 points and helped the Bucks climb out of a 15-point hole in the second half to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 113-106 without Giannis Antetokounmpo at the Fiserve Forum. It marked the Bucs' sixth win coming out of the All-Star break, and another solid performance under new head coach Doc Rivers.
Antetokounmpo was ruled out of the game shortly before tipoff with left Achilles tendinitis, which Rivers said has been an issue for the star the past few games. He took to the court for his usual pre-game routine, but eventually cut it short and left. Antetokounmpo — who is averaging 30.8 points and shooting a career-high 61.9% from the field — has missed just three games this season.
“It's been coming from the last two or three games,” Rivers said before the win. via ESPN. “He was really nice this morning … we'll figure it out from there.”
The Clippers took full advantage of his absence early. They took a seven-point lead into halftime and quickly pushed it to 15 points in the third quarter.
But it was a 10-0 run at the end of the third quarter that extended into the fourth that finally brought the Bucks back. Then, after a Paul George 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter, the Bucks did it again. They went on a 15-0 tear, sparked by a Lillard step-back 3-pointer, and suddenly took full control of the game. The Bucs held the Clippers to three field goals the rest of the way — two of which came too late to make a difference in garbage time — to secure a seven-point victory.
Damian Lillard and the Bucks have now won six games coming out of the All-Star break. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Lillard finished with 41 points, four rebounds and four assists in the win. Bobby Portis came off the bench to add 28 points and 16 rebounds, and Patrick Beverley finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. They are the only three Bucs players to score in double figures.
James Harden led the Clippers with 29 points and eight assists. Paul George added 29 points and five rebounds on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, and Kawhi Leonard finished with 16 points. The Clippers were without veteran guard Russell Westbrook, who broke his hand on Friday and underwent hand surgery on Monday. The team hopes he will rejoin them in time for the playoffs. The Clippers have a record of 39-21, which is fourth in the Western Conference standings.
As for the Bucs, they finally seem to have found success under Rivers — who replaced coach Adrian Griffin just before the All-Star break. They have won six times and sit in second place in the Eastern Conference standings at 41-21, although they still trail the Boston Celtics by eight full games. The Bucks go on a four-game California road trip starting next Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors.
While it's unclear how long Antetokounmpo will be sidelined, the Bucks seem more than capable of holding their own whether or not it makes it to the final stretch of the season. Whether that will be enough to catch the Celtics, however, remains to be seen.
As 6 to 11 feet of snow fell in California's Sierra Nevada since Thursday, it created white-out conditions and hurricane-force winds, closing roads and ski resorts. Snow eased across the region early Monday, but forecasters said more could fall by Tuesday afternoon, and winter storm warnings remain in effect.
By early Monday, several locations in the Sierras had reported at least 8 feet of snow, including 126 inches in Sugar Bowl, 116 inches in Soda Springs and 96 inches at Palisades Tahoe. More than 130 inches could fall on isolated ridgetops west of Lake Tahoe, according to an analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The storm raised seasonal snow totals from normal to above normal and water levels in the state's snowpack rose. Above normal levels Monday. at Donner Pass, University of California at Berkeley's Central Sierra Snow Lab, It is reported that over 6 feet Snowfall, deadlock in season-to-end totals Above average from one of the 10-lowest records. Snowfall at the Sugar Bowl, Boreal Mountain and Palisades Tahoe ski areas — now exceeding 300 inches — is also above average for the season.
Snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour and hurricane-force winds created hazardous travel conditions over the weekend, leading to road closures. The closure of a 71-mile stretch of Interstate 80 was extended into its third day Monday. The highway was reopened late in the morning. US Route 50 was closed for a short time Sunday morning south of Lake Tahoe.
After a lull in snow early Monday morning, another system, mainly north of I-80, is set to bring more snow Monday afternoon into Tuesday night. Dry air moving into Northern California was expected to limit snowfall compared to the weekend, but some areas could still see up to a foot.
The blizzard warning expired early Monday morning, however Winter Storm Warnings Route 50 to the northbound hills remained in effect early Wednesday.
“Travel may be very difficult or impossible. Hazardous conditions may affect morning or evening travel,” said the National Weather Service in Sacramento, which gave a 40 to 80 percent chance of at least 6 inches of snow north of I-80.
The weather service in Sacramento lists the following key forecast points:
An additional 6-12 inches of snow is possible above 4,000 feet from I-80 Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday.
It can rise up to 2 feet locally on the highest peaks.
Moderate mountain travel impacts are expected through Tuesday night.
Wind is not expected to blow with this next system 190 mphFriday night was recorded at the summit of Palisades Tahoe Ski Resort, but 40-mph winds are possible Monday through Tuesday.
Forecasters said to expect drier and warmer conditions for the middle and late part of the week.
Apple today declared New 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models with M3 chip, improved external display support, Wi-Fi 6E and more.
Apple claims the new 'MacBook Air' is 60% faster than the M1 model and 13 times faster than the Intel-based 'MacBook Air'. With a fast and efficient Neural Engine, Apple says the MacBook Air continues to be “the best consumer laptop for AI.” It also gets an AV1 decode engine to deliver more efficient and high-quality video from streaming services.
Apart from the M3 chip, the new 'MacBook Air' offers Wi-Fi 6E, voice isolation and wide spectrum microphone modes, improved voice clarity in audio and video calls and fingerprint-resistance with a midnight color option. It now supports two external displays when the laptop lid is closed, up from just one external display on previous Apple Silicon models.
Pre-orders for the new 'MacBook Air' will begin today and customers will receive orders on March 8. It will continue to be available in Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray and Silver with a starting price of $1,099.
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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reprimanded a top cabinet minister who arrived in Washington Sunday for talks with U.S. officials, an Israeli official said. War with Hamas.
Travel by Benny GantzA centrist political rival who joined Netanyahu's wartime cabinet following the October 7 attack by Hamas Friction between US and Netanyahu It has arisen over how to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and what a post-war plan should look like.
An official in Netanyahu's far-right Likud party said Gantz's trip was planned without the Israeli leader's approval. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu had “difficult talks” with Gantz and that the country had “only one prime minister”.
Gantz is due to meet with US Vice President Kamala Harris and National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan on Monday and with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, his National Unity Party said. A second Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Gantz's visit was aimed at strengthening ties with the United States, bolstering support for Israel's war effort and the release of Israeli hostages.
Negotiations were underway in Egypt Broker a truce Before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins next week.
A third Israeli government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Israel did not send a delegation because it was awaiting answers from Hamas to two questions. Israeli media reported that the government was waiting to know which hostages were alive and how many Palestinian prisoners Hamas was seeking in exchange for each.
The three Israeli officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the disputes with the media.
United States of America Airdrops began Aid entered Gaza on Saturday after dozens Palestinians rush to grab food A convoy organized by Israel was killed last week. Air droplets pass through a path The aid delivery system has faltered Israeli restrictions, logistical problems and fighting in Gaza. Aid officials say airdrops are far less effective than delivery by truck.
America's priorities in the region are increasingly constrained by Netanyahu's cabinet, which is dominated by ultra-nationalists. Gantz's more moderate party sometimes acts as a counterweight.
Netanyahu's popularity has fallen According to most polls, war had broken out. According to Israeli officials, many Israelis hold him responsible for failing to prevent a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7, which killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages in Gaza, including mostly civilians, women, children and adults. .
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, two-thirds of them women and ChildrenAccording to Ministry of Health of Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. About 80% of the population of 2.3 million have fled their homes, with hundreds of thousands more, the UN said. On the brink of famine.
Israeli critics of Netanyahu say his decision-making is tainted by political considerations, which he denies. The critique focuses particularly on the post-war plans for Gaza. Netanyahu wants Israel to maintain open security control over Gaza as Palestinians run civil affairs.
The U.S. wants to see progress in building a Palestinian state, with a reorganized Palestinian leadership steering Gaza toward an end state.
That view is opposed by Netanyahu and hardliners in his government. Another high cabinet official Gantz's party's handling of the war and hostage-free strategy have been questioned.
Netanyahu's government, Israel's ultra-conservative and ultra-religious, has been baffled by the deadline for a court order for a new bill to expand the military conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Many of them are exempt from military service so they can pursue religious studies. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 7, and the army is looking to replenish its ranks.
Kants has remained vague about his vision of a Palestinian state. Polls suggest that if the polls were held today, he would have enough support to become prime minister.
A visit to the US if there is progress Before the hostagesGantz's support could increase further.
Israel and Hamas are negotiating a new ceasefire and hostage release deal. Vice President Harris said Sunday that now Hamas must admit it. “Because of the great suffering in Gaza, an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks is what's on the table right now,” Harris said.
Deeply traumatized by Hamas' attacks, Israelis have broadly supported the war effort as a defensive measure amid growing global opposition to the war.
But a growing number are expressing their displeasure with Netanyahu. According to Israeli media, around 10,000 people demonstrated late Saturday to call for early elections. Such protests have increased in recent weeks, but are much smaller than last year's protests Judicial Reform Scheme of Govt.
If political divisions grow and Ganz leaves the government, it could open the floodgates to broader protests by a public already disaffected with the government when Hamas attacked, said Reuven Hasan, a political science professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
At least 12 people, including five women and two children, were killed in an Israeli strike on a house in the Nusirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Sunday, an Associated Press journalist at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah said. Two Israeli strikes southwest of Deir al-Bala killed at least five people and destroyed an aid truck, witnesses and hospital staff said.
Amid concerns about the broader regional conflict, senior White House adviser Amos Hochstein is traveling to Lebanon on Monday to meet with officials, an administration official who was not authorized to comment said. White House officials want Lebanese and Israeli officials to prevent tensions on their border from escalating.
___
Shurafa reported from Rafah, Gaza Strip and Maqdi from Cairo. Associated Press writers Melanie Litman in Jerusalem and Amar Madani and Cheung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.
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Find out more about AP's coverage https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
