May 29, 2018 - World

Israeli jets bomb Gaza after wave of rocket attacks

Smoke rises after Israel carried out an airstrike over Gaza. Ashraf Amra/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Israel launched airstrikes on militant bases in Gaza after a wave of rocket attacks from the strip hit southern Israel. At least 27 mortar shells were fired from Gaza, the biggest attack on Israel since the 2014 war with Hamas.

The bottom line: Tensions between Israel and Palestinian groups have reached new heights after Israeli troops killed 110 Palestinians during protests at the Gaza border. There were no reports on injuries in Gaza after the Israeli airstrike. No Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the mortar attacks, most of which were intercepted by the Israeli defense system. Jason Greenblatt, President Trump's special envoy for Middle East peace, called the mortar attacks "reprehensible" and blamed Hamas.

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Barak Ravid, author of from Tel Aviv
2 hours ago - World

U.S. policy shift will allow taxpayer funding for projects in West Bank settlements

Friedman (L) with Netanyahu. Photo: Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. and Israel will announce tomorrow that they are expanding three agreements on scientific cooperation to include Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Israeli and U.S. officials tell me.

Why it matters: This is a substantial policy shift for the U.S., which did not previously allow its taxpayers' money to be spent in the Israeli settlements.

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Axios
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Politics: Obama: Trump is "jealous of COVID's media coverage" — Axios-Ipsos poll: Federal response has only gotten worse.
  2. Health: Hospitals face a crush — 13 states set single-day case records last week.
  3. Business: Winter threat spurs new surge of startup activity.
  4. Media: Pandemic causes TV providers to lose the most subscribers ever.
  5. States: Nearly two dozen Minnesota cases traced to three Trump campaign events.
  6. World: Putin mandates face masks.
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Oriana Gonzalez
3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

McConnell: Confirming Amy Coney Barrett will help GOP retain Senate

Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) expressed no regrets about Judge Amy Coney Barrett's controversial confirmation, telling Politico in an interview that he believes the decision to place her on the Supreme Court just a week before the election will help Republicans retain the Senate.

Why it matters: With a week to go until Election Day, many Republicans are concerned that President Trump's unpopularity could cost them the Senate. McConnell has long viewed the transformation of the federal judiciary through the confirmation of young conservative judges as his defining legacy.

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