Today’s read: 3 min 47 sec

Good morning. Just before Israel moved into Rafah with plans to target Hamas militants in Gaza's south, the U.S. and Arab countries proposed a ceasefire to Hamas — without Israel’s involvement.

This agreement would exchange 33 Israeli hostages—believed by Israel to be the only survivors among 132 captives—for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The problem? Hamas said it would return the remains of the hostages, not just living hostages, as part of the deal.

Still, reports and critics have portrayed the situation as Israel turning down Hamas's offer for a ceasefire.

First time here? I’m Ari, and this is Upward News. Every day, we scour 100s of sources to bring you need-to-know news and insights you won’t see in the MSM. Sign up here.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

📱 TikTok is suing the U.S. government over the app ban. Last month, President Biden signed legislation mandating the sale of the social media app TikTok unless its China-based parent company ByteDance relinquishes control. Now, TikTok is suing the government, alleging the law infringes on Americans’ freedom of speech and right to access information.

✋ The Biden administration is blocking arms shipments to Israel. President Biden has delayed two shipments of precision bombs to send a political message to Israel. This marks the first time the U.S. has withheld a weapons shipment to Israel since October 7, as the president grapples with anti-Israel sentiments within his ranks.

💉 AstraZeneca is withdrawing its COVID vaccine. The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID vaccine is being removed from European markets following their acknowledgment of a rare and deadly side effect, also citing low global demand. With at least three billion doses administered globally, data suggests that individuals under 60 face approximately a 1-in-50,000 chance of dying from severe blood clots triggered by the vaccine.

🔎 Congress sheds new light on Brazil’s censorship operation. The House Judiciary Committee discovered that Brazil has specifically aimed to ban, suppress, and censor accounts on Rumble and X that are critical of the government and its electoral practices. The Committee obtained the documents from Brazil out of concern that similar censorship practices are also occurring in the United States.

TRUMP TRIAL WATCH

• Judge Aileen Canon, who is presiding over the classified documents case in Florida, indefinitely postponed the trial, diminishing the possibility that it will occur before the November election.

• Stormy Daniels took the stand in the hush money trial and shared salacious details about her and former President Trump’s sexual encounter.

• The defense questioned Stormy Daniels, attempting to prove she has a financial incentive to see Donald Trump imprisoned.

• Judge Juan Merchan denied Donald Trump’s request for a mistrial in the hush money case.

GEOPOLITICS

Israel pushes forward into Rafah as protests rise

What’s happening: From the U.S. to Europe to even within Israel, protesters are urging a ceasefire deal and the return of hostages, which they believe would be jeopardized by a final military push into Gaza.

• Catch up: Hamas approved a three-phased ceasefire deal that would include the release of dozens of Israeli hostages, but Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the deal was “very far from Israel’s vital demands” and was intended to prevent Israel’s military forces from entering Rafah, which it did not.

In Israel, thousands of demonstrators across the country have been demanding a ceasefire agreement to return the rest of the hostages who have been held by Hamas for seven months. Protesters in Jerusalem marched towards Netanyahu’s residence with a banner reading, “The blood is on your hands.”

In Europe, encampments at universities around the continent, including in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Vienna, are popping up as they did in the U.S.

Harsh words: President Biden has strongly condemned the antisemitism seen at university protests, as have Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle.

• Playing both sides: “My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad, even when we disagree.”

• However, pressure from the anti-Israel faction of the Democratic Party has caused the president to hold up a weapons shipment for the Israelis - a political message to Netanyahu to halt his Rafah invasion.

Why it matters: Israel remains fully committed to its operation in Rafah, with or without a hostage deal. But as the war drags on, Israeli allies have begun to waver in their support as pressure builds to end the war, return the hostages, and rebuild Gaza.

—B.G.

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WHAT WE’RE HEARING

• RFK Jr. penned an open letter to Donald Trump requesting a debate at the Libertarian Party convention, where both will speak later this month.

• NPR’s new CEO, Katherine Maher, is refusing to testify before Congress on Wednesday.

• President Trump reportedly had a phone call with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), causing her to pull back on her efforts to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).

Trudeau Unveils “Halal Mortgages” for Muslims

What’s happening: Canada’s Liberal government recently vowed to increase access to “halal mortgages,” provoking confusion and outrage…

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OUR QUESTION TO YOU

POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY

Should employers boycott all Columbia graduates?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👍 Yes (246)

🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ 👎 No (173)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤔 Unsure (39)

IN THE LOOP

• President Biden forcefully called out the antisemitism at university protests during a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony.

• Pro-Palestine activists disrupted a Holocaust remembrance event at Auschwitz - an event that included 55 Holocaust survivors.

• Nikki Haley secured 21.7% of the vote in the Indiana GOP primary on Tuesday.

• The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name to Scouting America as the group struggles to lift itself from bankruptcy and sexual abuse claims.

• The most clicked link in our last newsletter was the court filings suggesting the FBI tampered with Trump’s classified documents.

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