Good morning. We're covering the latest from the war in Gaza and President Trump's widening interpretation of presidential power. Plus: Comic gold in the minds of toddlers.
Hamas fired rockets at Tel AvivHamas fired its first barrage of rockets in months into Israeli territory yesterday as Israeli troops expanded ground operations across Gaza, including a raid on part of Rafah in southern Gaza, the military said, as well as actions near Beit Lahiya in the north. After the collapse of a two-month cease-fire, the fighting now looks as if it is escalating back to full-scale war. Despite street protests in Israel, the Israeli government around midnight yesterday approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ouster of the head of the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency. Patrick Kingsley, our Jerusalem bureau chief, shared more insight on the situation. Patrick: We are back in a familiar standoff. Israel's leadership wants both the safe return of Hamas's hostages, as well as Hamas's military defeat. But Hamas won't hand over the hostages without Israel's guaranteeing the group's survival in Gaza. And Israel can't defeat Hamas by force without harming many hostages. The cease-fire that collapsed this week was always likely to fall apart unless one of the sides softened its stance. But neither did. So Israel has returned to war in order to break Hamas's resolve by force. That leaves things roughly where they were before the cease-fire: in a deadlock. Do the protests in Israel feel more impactful this time? For now, Netanyahu doesn't seem swayed by the protesters calling for a new truce to save the hostages. His biggest domestic priority is to pass a state budget by the end of the month. To do that, he needs the support of right-wing lawmakers, many of whom support the return to war and could abandon him if there's another truce. Is President Trump's Gaza plan still on the table? After proposing the expulsion of Gaza's population in January, Trump has said that the idea was only a recommendation and that no Palestinians would be expelled. His aides also said that it was less a definitive plan of action than an attempt to provoke Arab leaders into suggesting a viable alternative. Several Arab leaders, led by Egypt, did later propose their own plan for postwar Gaza — in which the territory would be governed by an apolitical committee as part of a Palestinian state. But the plan was vague, didn't explain how Hamas would cede power and was swiftly rejected by the Israeli government, which seeks to avoid discussion of Palestinian statehood.
Russia and Ukraine traded strikes as talks are plannedUkraine attacked an airfield deep inside Russia, officials said yesterday, as the U.S. worked to iron out a partial cease-fire. In Ukraine, Russian drones killed at least five people and injured 26 others, according to local authorities. The Kremlin said yesterday that preparations were underway for a new round of Russia-U.S. talks to be held on Monday in Saudi Arabia. Ukraine will also send representatives there to meet with U.S. officials. U.S. proposal: President Trump has floated the idea in which the U.S. controls Ukraine's nuclear power plants. What would that mean for Ukraine?
How Trump aims to consolidate powerAs President Trump aims to cement control over the courts, constitutional scholars and historians warn that it may be his most alarming power play to date. Just this week, Trump brushed off a judge's order to halt a deportation flight and then called for the judge to be impeached when he pushed back. Trump's widening interpretation of presidential power has become the defining characteristic of his second term. "The scale and the speed of what's going on is terrifying," one historian said. The latest: A federal judge in Washington edged closer to holding the Trump administration in contempt for possibly having violated his ruling pausing the deportation of scores of Venezuelans under a rarely invoked wartime statute.
Business & Economics
George Lewis is a British comedian who was once warned by fellow comics against talking about his children. Instead, his musings on the absurdities of millennial parenting have won him legions of fans online. In one video on the inner lives of 2-year-olds, a toddler describes his father's disturbing behavior. "He was behaving so erratically," he tells a fellow tot. "He just started shouting, 'Peek-a-boo.'" "'Peek-a-boo?'" his friend replies. "Is he OK, like, mentally?" Lives lived: Hugues Oyarzabal, a deeply accomplished surfer who was among the first to record spectacular feats from inside the curl of a wave using digital cameras, died last month at 39.
The enduring appeal of 'Peep Show'The British series "Peep Show" may not have won the same international renown as its cringe comedy contemporary "The Office," but it deserves its share of the credit for influencing a generation of mortifying shows. The show, which chronicled two spiraling roommates in a grotty London flat who invariably do exactly the wrong thing, is not for the faint of heart. Two decades on, their personal disasters and worse solutions continue to pick up fans. "Fortunately," one of the show's creators said, "self-loathing is pretty universal." We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times.
Cook: Skip the takeout and make a sizzling chicken jalfrezi at home. Watch: "The Alto Knights," a mob movie starring Robert De Niro, carries a lot of weight from its very beginning. Read: John Green's "Everything Is Tuberculosis" is a plea to readers to care about a disease that doesn't directly affect them. Rest: Here's a simple technique to help you fall asleep. Style: Poufy pants have found a wide appeal. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. Have a fabulous weekend. — Natasha Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.
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