2025-08-01 18:00:42.407

International outcry over images of emaciated children and increasing reports of hunger-related deaths have pressured Israel to let more aid into the Gaza Strip. This week, Israel paused fighting in parts of Gaza and airdropped food. But aid groups and Palestinians say the changes have only been incremental and are not enough to reverse what food experts say is a “worst-case scenario of famine” unfolding in the war-ravaged territory. The new measures have brought an uptick in the number of aid trucks entering Gaza. But almost none of it reaches U.N. warehouses for distribution. Instead, nearly all the trucks are stripped of their cargo by crowds that overwhelm them on the roads as they drive from the borders. The crowds are a mix of Palestinians desperate for food and gangs armed with knives, axes or pistols who loot the goods to then hoard or sell. Many have also been killed trying to grab the aid. Witnesses say Israeli troops often open fire on crowds around the aid trucks, and hospitals have reported hundreds killed or wounded. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots to control crowds or at people who approach its forces. The alternative food distribution system run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has also been marred by violence. International airdrops of aid have resumed. But aid groups say airdrops deliver only a fraction of what trucks can supply. Also, many parcels have landed in now-inaccessible areas that Palestinians have been told to evacuate, while others have plunged into the Mediterranean Sea, forcing people to swim out to retrieve drenched bags of flour. The U.N. says that longstanding restrictions on the entry of aid have created an unpredictable environment, and that while a pause in fighting might allow more aid in, Palestinians are not confident aid will reach them. “This has resulted in many of our convoys offloaded directly by starving, desperate people as they continue to face deep levels of hunger and are struggling to feed their families,” said Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. “The only way to reach a level of confidence is by having a sustained flow of aid over a period of time,” she said.

2025-08-01 18:00:42.402

A 13-year-old boy died after being trapped in a storm drain in Mount Airy, Maryland, during heavy rainfall and flooding. The boy was playing in the rain when floodwaters rushed in and swept him into the pipe. Despite rescue attempts, the water pressure was too strong, and he was pulled further into the pipe. He was freed after the rain subsided, but it was too late. In Maryland's Washington, D.C. suburbs, first responders rescued an 8-year-old boy from a submerged SUV, along with a woman and toddler. Parts of the Baltimore area received 2.5 to 4 inches of rain, with some areas receiving up to 6 inches. New York and New Jersey also experienced heavy rainfall. Subways and commuter rail routes in the New York area returned to normal schedules after initial flooding. Thousands of homes and businesses along the East Coast experienced power outages. Amtrak service between Philadelphia and Wilmington was briefly suspended due to high water on the tracks. New York City officials urged residents to stay off the roads and advised those in basement apartments to move to higher ground.

2025-08-01 18:00:42.395

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. hiring is slowing sharply as President Donald Trump’s erratic and radical trade policies paralyze businesses and raise doubts about the outlook for the world’s largest economy. U.S. employers added just 73,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department reported Friday, well short of the 115,000 expected. Worse, revisions shaved a stunning 258,000 jobs off May and June payrolls. And the unemployment rate ticked higher to 4.2% as Americans dropped out of the labor force and the ranks of the unemployed rose by 221,000. “A notable deterioration in U.S. labor market conditions appears to be underway,” said Scott Anderson, chief U.S. economist at BMO Capital Markets. “We have been forecasting this since the tariff and trade war erupted this spring and more restrictive immigration restrictions were put in place. Overall, this report highlights the risk of a harder landing for the labor market.” Economists have been warning that the rift with every U.S. trading partner will begin to appear this summer and the Friday jobs report appeared to sound the bell. “We’re finally in the eye of the hurricane,” said Daniel Zhao, chief economist at Glassdoor. “After months of warning signs, the July jobs report confirms that the slowdown isn’t just approaching—it’s here.” U.S. markets recoiled at the jobs report and the Dow tumbled more than 600 points Friday. Revelations in the new data raise questions about the health of the job market and the economy as President Donald Trump pushes forward an unorthodox overhaul of American trade policy. Trump has discarded decades of U.S. efforts to lower trade barriers globally, instead, imposing hefty import taxes — tariffs — on products from almost every country on earth. Trump believes the levies will bring manufacturing back to America and raise money to pay for the massive tax cuts he signed into law July 4. Mainstream economists warned that the cost of the tariffs will be passed along to Americans, both businesses and households. That has begun. Walmart, Procter & Gamble, Ford, Best Buy, Adidas, Nike, Mattel, Shein, Temu, Stanley Black & Decker, have all hiked prices due to U.S. tariffs. Economists at Goldman Sachs estimate that overseas exporters have absorbed just one-fifth of the rising costs from tariffs, while Americans and U.S. businesses have picked up the lion’s share of the tab. Trump has sowed uncertainty in the erratic way he’s rolled the tariffs out — announcing, then suspending them, then coming up with new ones. Overnight, Trump signed an executive order that set new tariffs on a wide swath of U.S. trading partners to that go into effect on Aug. 7, and that comes after a flurry of unexpected tariff-related actions this week. “There was a clear, significant, immediate, tariff effect on the labor market and employment growth essentially stalled, as we were dealing with so much uncertainty about the outlook for the economy and for tariffs,” said Blerina Uruci, chief U.S. economist for the brokerage T. Rowe Price. Still, Uruci said the data suggests we could be past the worst, as hiring actually did pick up a bit in July from May and June’s depressed levels. “I’m not overly pessimistic on the U.S. economy based on this morning’s data,” she said, though she does think that hiring will remain muted in the coming months as the number of available workers remains limited due to reduced immigration and an aging population. “Because of immigration policy, labor supply growth has nearly ground to a halt,” said Guy Berger, senior fellow at the Burning Glass Institute, which studies employment trends. “So we’re going to have very weak employment growth. And we look like southern Europe or Japan.” Still, with fewer workers available, the economy doesn’t need to generate many jobs to soak up the unemployed. That could keep the unemployment rate from climbing much, Berger added. Trump has sold the tariffs hikes as a way to boost American manufacturing, but factories cut 11,000 jobs last month after shedding 15,000 in June and 11,000 in May. The federal government, where employment has been targeted by the Trump administration, lost 12,000 jobs. Jobs in administration and support fell by nearly 20,000.

2025-08-01 18:00:42.384

President Donald Trump reinstated the Presidential Fitness Test for American children, a program that was discontinued during the Obama administration. The test, which includes a 1-mile run, sit-ups, and stretching exercises, was described by Trump as a "wonderful tradition." The re-establishment of the test is part of a broader initiative by Trump to promote sports and fitness among young people. He also signed an executive order to revitalize the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, appointing a council comprised of athletes and sports figures, including controversial figures such as former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, a registered sex offender. The council will develop criteria for a Presidential Fitness Award and address issues in college athletics, such as the transfer portal. The announcement comes as the US prepares to host major sporting events, including the 2025 Ryder Cup, 2026 FIFA World Cup, and 2028 Summer Olympics. The original Presidential Fitness Test, introduced in 1966, was replaced by the Youth Fitness Program in 2012, which shifted focus from athletic performance to overall student health. The program's evolution was partly influenced by Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative aimed at reducing childhood obesity. Among those appointed to the council are Bryson DeChambeau, Annika Sorenstam, and Paul "Triple H" Levesque. The inclusion of Taylor and Butker, who have made controversial statements, has generated criticism.

2025-08-01 12:00:31.675

Celeste, the British soul singer who took the world by storm in 2020, has returned with her sophomore album, Woman of Faces. Her Glastonbury performance, where she appeared in a striking leather and feather ensemble, set the stage for the album's release. The album's title, she explains, is a reflection of her own complexity, shaped by her unique upbringing – born in California to a British mother and Jamaican father, she moved to England as a child, experiencing a sense of displacement that influenced her music. The five-year gap between albums was filled with both triumphs – a No. 1 debut album, a Brit Award, and an Oscar nomination – and challenges, including the pandemic and a period of personal heartache. Her journey to create Woman of Faces was intensely personal, influenced by the death of her father, a difficult romantic relationship, and the pervasive influence of social media. The album's sound, described as symphonic jazz with a cinematic feel, is a departure from her earlier pop-soul work. She collaborated with the London Contemporary Orchestra and drew inspiration from composers like Bernard Herrmann. The album's first single, "On With the Show," reflects her struggle to overcome heartbreak and rediscover her purpose as a musician. Celeste also explores the impact of technology on relationships in songs like "Could Be Machine." Despite the challenges, Celeste expresses happiness and a sense of empowerment, embracing her age and her artistic journey. Woman of Faces is a testament to her resilience and her unique creative vision.

2025-08-01 12:00:31.666

One morning, the author's husband had a nightmare about crashing his car on the Hewitt Avenue Trestle bridge and having to choose which child to save. Two weeks later, while driving her children to preschool, she smelled burning plastic and saw a "STOP" warning flash on her dashboard. Smoke filled her car as she drove onto the bridge, and soon flames erupted from the hood. With no shoulder on the long bridge, she managed to pull over, but the fire intensified. She frantically tried to get her children out, calling AAA but finding her membership had expired. A stranger heroically intervened, taking one child from her arms as flames engulfed the car. The mother grabbed her other child and escaped just as the car became completely engulfed in fire. The quick thinking and the stranger's help saved them all. The mother struggled with the trauma afterward, but EMDR therapy helped her cope. While the cause of the fire remains unknown, the experience left her eternally grateful and highlighting the importance of intuition and the unexpected kindness of strangers.

2025-08-01 12:00:31.653

Professor Rashid Khalidi, a renowned scholar of modern Arab studies, has cancelled his course on modern Middle East history at Columbia University due to the university's adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. He argues that this definition conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism, making it impossible to honestly discuss topics such as the creation of Israel and the ongoing Palestinian conflict. Khalidi contends that Columbia's decision, made in collaboration with the Trump administration, infringes on academic freedom and creates a climate of fear and self-censorship. He describes the university's actions as a capitulation to anti-intellectual forces and an attempt to cover up the ongoing genocide in Gaza. He plans to offer a public lecture series on the same topic, with proceeds going to Gaza's universities.

2025-08-01 00:00:28.972

The author, a former professional chef with extensive experience cooking rice, reviews 17 rice cookers. The review focuses on rice quality, multi-functionality, and durability. Cookers were tested using short-grain Kokuho rice, assessing factors like gelatinization, consistency, even cooking, and the ability to cook other foods. The review highlights top picks across different categories: best overall (Zojirushi Induction Rice Cooker NP-HCC10), best budget (Green Life 1.5 quart rice cooker), best for impatient people (Cuckoo Electric Pressure Rice Cooker), best dispenser (KitchenAid Grain and Rice Cooker), best high-end (Zojirushi Pressure Induction Rice Cooker NW-YNC10), and best stainless steel (Tatung 11 cup electric rice cooker). Additional recommendations are provided based on specific needs, such as multi-cooker functionality, cooking different rice types, carb reduction, and indestructibility. A Q&A section addresses common questions about rice cooker types, Persian rice cookers, GABA rice, measuring cups, capacity needs, materials, cleaning, and models not included in the review.

2025-08-01 00:00:28.966

Thousands of starving Palestinians wait for hours in extreme heat for meager aid, a scene repeated at Gaza's few remaining distribution centers. The World Food Programme has ample food, but Israel's months-long blockade prevents delivery, causing widespread starvation and death. Over 100 humanitarian organizations have condemned this as a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. While Israel allows a trickle of aid, weapons imports continue unabated, largely supplied by the US, according to a UN report. This report, "From economy of occupation to economy of genocide," details how major American corporations profit from Israel's actions in Gaza. Companies like Lockheed Martin, Palantir, and Caterpillar are implicated in providing technology and equipment used in attacks causing immense civilian casualties. Google and Amazon are also criticized for providing cloud computing services to the Israeli military. The Trump administration has responded with denial and sanctions against the UN reporter. However, prominent Jewish and Israeli figures agree with the report's assessment, describing the situation as genocide. Progressive US lawmakers call for an end to arms transfers to Israel, while a bipartisan consensus among voters opposes Israel's actions. Grassroots organizing against weapons exports and corporate boycotts are suggested as avenues for change.

2025-08-01 00:00:28.956

Guy Pearce, the acclaimed actor known for roles in Memento, LA Confidential, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, recently participated in a Q&A session where he revealed fascinating insights into his career and personal life. He addressed a hypothetical brain surgery scenario, joking about his preference for control, and discussed his experiences working with high-profile actors. He humorously described which of his characters he'd sit next to (and avoid!) at a dinner party, revealing a preference for Andy Warhol and a strong aversion to the more violent characters he's portrayed. Pearce also addressed a fan's concern that their partner prefers "Mike from Neighbours" to him, suggesting that watching some of his more villainous roles might change their mind. He detailed the experience of receiving and understanding the backwards script for Memento, praising Christopher Nolan's masterful construction. Furthermore, he gave updates on the Priscilla sequel, admitting to some apprehension about wearing a dress again. He shared a funny anecdote about his Madame Tussauds wax figure and his reluctance to be depicted as he was in 1993. He also reflected on the filming of LA Confidential, revealing that he didn't anticipate its success at the time. Pearce discussed his involvement in Radiohead's music video and most importantly, expressed gratitude that his 80s pop career never took off, allowing him to pursue a more fulfilling acting career. The interview concludes with a reflection on his journey from Neighbours to Hollywood, highlighting his growth and success.