Israel and Hamas begin indirect preliminary peace talks on the two-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 terror attack. A judge declines to immediately block Trump from deploying troops in Chicago with a hearing scheduled for this week. And, the government shutdown enters its seventh day with no end in sight.
Here’s what to know today.
Two years after Oct. 7, Israel and Hamas see a path to peace
Two years after Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack, and Israel’s subsequent military response, representatives from all sides arrived in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss a 20-point ceasefire plan presented by President Donald Trump to halt the conflict.
Indirect peace talks began yesterday with a meeting between Arab mediators and the Hamas delegation, Egypt’s state-owned Al-Qahera News television station reported. Mediators will then meet with the Israeli delegation, the station said.
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Egyptian and Qatari mediators will discuss the outcome of their meetings with both parties, before U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff joins the talks, it said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing that Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were holding talks with “parties from all sides.”
Hamas’ delegation is being led by senior official Khalil Al-Hayya, whom Israel tried to assassinate with a strike on Qatar last month. Israel’s delegation will be led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
The two sides have agreed on parts of Trump’s proposal.
The first phase of the talks will deal with the release of the remaining 48 hostages, some 20 of whom are believed to still be alive, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. The plan also calls for the end of fighting and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. Hamas agreed to some of this proposal, while sidestepping Trump’s call for it to disband and disarm.
Read the full story. And follow live updates on the peace talks and Oct. 7 anniversary.
Judge declines to block troop deployment to Chicago, for now
The judge assigned to Illinois’ lawsuit to block the Trump administration from deploying troops in Chicago indicated she will not take any action until Thursday at the earliest.
Attorneys for the state had urged U.S. District Judge April Perry to issue a ruling immediately after lawyers for the Justice Department acknowledged that members of the state National Guard and Texas National Guard could be activated in the city today.
Perry said she needed time to go through the government’s response to the suit and scheduled a hearing for Thursday. She declined to sign the state’s temporary restraining order in the meantime. The suit alleges the administration’s efforts to send the National Guard into the state are illegal and unconstitutional.
Read more: Trump said he would consider invoking the Insurrection Act, particularly if the courts or officials delay his plans to deploy federal law enforcement.Skirmishes outside an ICE processing facility in a Chicago suburb led the mayor to announce that she was limiting demonstrations to certain hours.No end in sight for the shutdown
The U.S. government shutdown entered its seventh day today with no end in sight after the Senate yet again rejected competing bills yesterday proposed by Republicans and Democrats to reopen the government.
Trump has declined to take a clear position on whether to extend Obamacare subsidies, the main Democratic demand and a central sticking point in the standoff. The subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year, which would result in major health insurance premium increases for people on the Affordable Care Act.
In the battle of public opinion, the White House and the GOP appeared to be taking more of the blame for the shutdown than Democrats. In a new CBS News poll, 39% said they mostly blame Trump and Republicans, while 30% blame Democrats in Congress and 31% blame both equally.
More politics news: Some governors are drawing on state funds to ensure popular national parks remain open for visitors.The Supreme Court will consider a free speech challenge to a Colorado law that bans conversion therapy aimed at young people questioning their sexual orientations or gender identities.The Virginia Democratic Attorney General nominee’s violent texts shake up the closing weeks of the state’s race for governor.Utah lawmakers passed new congressional district lines that seek to protect the state’s all-Republican delegation.How easy it is to get a Covid shot may depend on where you live
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its Covid vaccine guidance yesterday to recommend Covid shots for people 65 and older and only after they consult doctors or pharmacists. The CDC’s sign-off doesn’t mean people younger than 65 are barred from getting the vaccine — they still can do so, after having consulted with doctors or pharmacists.
Before the CDC’s announcement, 26 states had already set their own Covid shot guidance to keep access as broad as possible, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research group. This has created unprecedented levels of confusion, one expert said.
Some doctors’ offices might not have any incentive to stock the vaccine since the CDC’s recommendation focuses on older adults.
More CDC news: The acting CDC Director called on vaccine manufacturers to develop separate shots for measles, mumps and rubella instead of the current vaccine, which combines the three.Read All About ItFormer NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez was charged with felony battery after an altercation where he was stabbed after he attacked a truck driver, authorities alleged.The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three U.S.-based scientists for their discoveries in quantum mechanics.The Federal Aviation Administration was experiencing staffing issues or anticipating shortages last night at airports and other air traffic control facilities in the United States.The booming IV hydration spa industry operates with virtually no oversight or data backing up its claims, according to the first comprehensive national analysis of hydration clinics.Staff Pick: Podcast shift
Joe Rogan; President Donald Trump; Theo Von.Imagn Images; AP; Getty Images file
Some of the internet’s most popular voices with young men — almost all of whom either hosted Trump or spoke highly of him last November — have some thoughts on what he’s doing wrong.
An all-star lineup of podcasters and YouTube impresarios has taken Trump to task in recent months on everything from immigration and Israel to free speech and Jeffrey Epstein. The list includes Joe Rogan, Theo Von, Andrew Schulz and Shawn Ryan, a cast that Trump courted heavily to win access to their audiences during last year’s campaign.
Politics reporters Alexandra Marquez, Ben Kamisar and Jonathan Allen looked at the recent comments made by the popular internet personalities and how the shift in tone echoes the frustrations of some of their audience.
– Christian Orozco, newsletter and platforms editor
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