After 11 days of fierce fighting, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire beginning in the early hours of Friday morning. But will the quiet last? In July, China’s Communist Party will mark the 100th anniversary of its victory in the revolution that brought it to power.
But it’s not easy for a dictatorship to celebrate a revolt. And, we look back at the life of Asfaw Yemiru, an Ethiopian educator who transformed the lives of more than 120,000 children.
May 20, 2021: Israel and Gaza, House approves Capitol probe, Abortion in Texas, U.S travel changes, and South China Sea
1. Diplomatic moves towards a ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict gathered pace after President Joe Biden called for a de-escalation.
2. The U.S. House of Representatives voted to create an independent commission to probe the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by former President Donald Trump’s supporters. One in six Republicans defied party leaders’ attempts to block it.
3. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law a ‘fetal heartbeat’ abortion bill that bans the procedure after about six weeks of pregnancy and grants citizens the right to sue doctors who perform abortions past that point.
4. The Biden administration weighs changes to sweeping travel restrictions that bar much of the world’s population from coming to the United States.
5. China said a U.S. warship illegally entered its territorial waters in the South China Sea and was expelled by its forces, an assertion the United States denies.
As international calls for a cease-fire grow and Gaza death tolls rise, there seems to be no clear end in sight. WSJ’s Gerald F. Seib explains why this recent outbreak may be a sign that the old dynamics are still in place in the decades-long conflict between Israel and Palestinians. Photo illustration: Todd Johnson
NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest political news, including race relations in America, investigating the Capitol riot, and U.S. response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East.
Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and mortars. During the recent conflict, it has been used to destroy more than 200 rockets bound for Israeli cities. Here’s how it works. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images
Five stories to know for May 17: Israel-Gaza fighting continues, Los Angeles blaze, train derails in Iowa, CDC mask guidelines, and coronavirus in India.
1. Israel bombed what it said were underground tunnels used by Hamas and Palestinian militants fired rocket barrages at Israeli cities as fighting spilled into a second week.
2. A wildfire in Los Angeles, California, gained momentum on Sunday and about 1,000 residents were put under evacuation orders. Two suspects were detained as arson investigators and police looked into the cause of the blaze.
3. A Union Pacific train hauling hazardous materials derailed and then caught fire in the city of Sibley, Iowa, authorities said.
4. New U.S. guidance allowing people to go without masks in most places provided one more topic of disagreement among Americans who have found little common ground throughout the pandemic.
5. India reported a further decline in new coronavirus cases on Monday but daily deaths remained above 4,000, and experts said the data was unreliable due to a lack of testing in rural areas where the virus is spreading fast.
A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week: ten million reasons to vaccinate the world, Israel and the Palestinians (9:48) and musical plagiarism (15:35).
New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including what the Isreali-Palestinian conflict and the CDC’s new mask guidance means for President Joe Biden, as well as the Republican shakeup in the House of Representatives.
A.M. Edition for May 13. WSJ’s Felicia Schwartz discusses what is behind the fighting unfolding in Israel. The Colonial Pipeline restarts operations after a cyberattack.
WSJ’s Caitlin Ostroff has more on Tesla’s decision to suspend bitcoin payments. Marc Stewart hosts.
Dozens are dead as violence between Israelis and Palestinians intensifies. Israel launched more devastating airstrikes in Gaza as Hamas continues to respond with rockets.
House Republicans will meet this morning to vote on whether to remove Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney from her leadership role. And, price hikes for consumer goods are stoking fears of inflation.
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