AP News in Brief at 11:04 p.m. EDT

Israeli Cabinet approves Trump’s plan for Gaza ceasefire and release of hostages held by Hamas

CAIRO (AP) — Israel’s Cabinet early Friday approved President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all the remaining hostages held by Hamas, a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has destabilized the Middle East.

A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said that, according to the agreement, the ceasefire should begin immediately after government approval. The Israeli military now has 24 hours to pull back its forces to an agreed-upon line.

The broader ceasefire plan includes many unanswered questions, such as whether and how Hamas will disarm and who will govern Gaza. But the sides appeared closer than they have been in months to ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, reduced much of Gaza to rubble, brought famine to parts of the territory and left dozens of hostages, living and dead, in Gaza.

The war, which began with Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.

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Trump gets long-sought Gaza hostage deal with a whole lot of help from Arab and Muslim allies

WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of gridlock, President Donald Trump finally landed a long-sought Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza — an agreement that only came together after a weekslong diplomacy blitz and a whole lot of help from some Arab and Muslim allies.

The breakthrough is designed to bring about a pause in the fighting unleashed by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The group is expected to release 48 hostages — about 20 of them believed to be alive — in the coming days.

The brutal war finally reached a turning point because a badly battered Hamas recognized the hostages had become more of a liability than an asset, according to two senior U.S. officials who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations.

One of the officials said negotiators, led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, believed they finally had an opening when they sensed that “Hamas had enough.”

Still, the way to an agreement had remained complicated, leaving the U.S. administration in the difficult position of negotiating through a thicket of distrust between Israel and its Middle East neighbors that was in danger of further metastasizing.

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Judge blocks National Guard deployment in Illinois for 2 weeks

A judge on Thursday blocked the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago area for at least two weeks, finding no substantial evidence that a “danger of rebellion” is brewing in Illinois during Trump’s immigration crackdown.

It’s a victory for Democratic officials who lead the state and city and have traded insults with President Donald Trump about his drive to put troops on the ground in major urban areas.

“The court confirmed what we all know: There is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois. And no place for the National Guard in the streets of American cities like Chicago,” Gov. JB Pritzker said.

The judge said the administration violated the 10th Amendment, which grants certain powers to states, and the 14th Amendment, which assures due process and equal protection.

It wasn’t clear what the troops will do now, including a small number outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Broadview. Officials at U.S. Northern Command directed questions to the Department of Defense, which declined to comment citing a policy that the department doesn’t comment on ongoing litigation.

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New York Attorney General Letitia James charged in fraud case after pressure campaign by Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday in a mortgage fraud case that President Donald Trump urged his Justice Department to bring after vowing retribution against some of his biggest political enemies.

James, a Democrat who infuriated Trump after his first term with a lawsuit alleging that he built his business empire on lies about his wealth, was charged with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a home purchase in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2020.

The top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia, a former Trump aide, personally presented the case to the grand jury weeks after she was thrust into the role amid the administration’s pressure to deliver charges.

The indictment, two weeks after a separate criminal case charging former FBI Director James Comey with lying to Congress, is the latest indication of the Trump administration’s norm-busting determination to use the law enforcement powers of the Justice Department to pursue the president’s political foes and public figures who once investigated him.

In a lengthy statement, James decried the indictment as “nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.”

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Senators struggle to find a way forward as government shutdown enters ninth day

WASHINGTON (AP) — The consequences of a government shutdown setting in, senators labored Thursday to find a way forward but found themselves struggling to overcome a fundamental lack of trust between the two parties.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Thursday afternoon floated an “off ramp” to the government funding impasse, suggesting that he could hold a later vote on expiring health care subsidies if Democrats would first support a stopgap spending bill to reopen the government.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer quickly dismissed the idea. “It’s nothing new, they say it all the time. It doesn’t do anything to make sure we get health care.”

The exchange showed how congressional leaders remain trapped in a stalemate on the ninth day of the government shutdown despite the growing toll of federal closures. Government offices nationwide have shuttered, hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been furloughed and U.S. military troops and other government employees are on track to miss a scheduled payday.

Thune’s overture suggested one possible path forward, but it was unclear how serious the offer was or whether it would lead to any real negotiations with Democrats. Still, pressure is growing on congressional leaders to reach a deal as rank-and-file lawmakers grew anxious about the lack of progress on ending the shutdown.

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7.6-magnitude earthquake strikes offshore from southern Philippines and may cause tsunami

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — An offshore earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 hit off a southern Philippine province Friday morning, prompting officials to order villagers to evacuate from nearby coastal provinces due to a possible tsunami.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said it was expecting damage and aftershocks from the earthquake, which was centered at sea about 62 kilometers (38 miles) southeast of Manay town in Davao Oriental province and was caused by movement in a fault at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles),

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said hazardous waves were possible within 300 kilometers (186 miles) of the epicenter. It said waves up to 3 meters (10 feet) above normal tides were possible on some Philippine coasts, and smaller waves were possible in Indonesia and Palau.

Office of Civil Defense deputy administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV warned that tsunami waves could hit six nearby coastal provinces from Davao Oriental up to two hours after the earthquake struck at 9:43 a.m. He asked people to immediately move to higher ground or further inland away from coastal areas.

“We urge these coastal communities to be on alert and immediately evacuate to higher grounds until further notice,” Alejandro said in a video news briefing.

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As Tropical Storm Jerry churns in the Atlantic, Priscilla and a nor’easter threaten US with flooding

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Jerry churned Thursday in the Atlantic on its approach to the Leeward Islands as Tropical Storm Priscilla and Tropical Storm Raymond moved along Mexico’s Pacific coast, threatening heavy rain and flooding in their paths, forecasters said.

Tropical Storm Raymond was announced midday Thursday by the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, making it the third system now off the western coast of Mexico. Post-tropical cyclone Octave was also off Mexico’s Pacific coast, but weakening.

Raymond was about 115 miles (190 kilometers) south-southeast of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was traveling west-northwest at 14 mph (22 kph), forecasters said.

Priscilla could bring flash flooding through the weekend across the U.S. Southwest, the hurricane center said.

And off the coast of the U.S. Southeast, a storm without a name along with unusually high King Tides because the moon is closer than usual to the Earth threatened to bring days of heavy winds that could cause coastal flooding, especially along the vulnerable North Carolina Outer Banks and in frequently flooded Charleston, South Carolina.

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What to know about Texas court’s decision to pause Roberson’s execution in shaken baby case

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas court’s pause of the execution of Robert Roberson just days before he was set to die is likely to raise new arguments and scrutiny over cases that rely on the medical science and evidence in a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome.

Roberson would have been the first person in the nation executed in a case tied to shaken baby syndrome. He remains on death row for now, but the pause in his execution — the third since 2016 — not only buys him more time, but also possibly a new trial.

Thursday’s ruling by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals leaned into a decade-old state law that allows courts to review convictions based on science that has changed or been debunked, and a recent court ruling that overturned a conviction in another shaken baby case.

Roberson, 58, was convicted in 2003 in the death of his 2-year-old daughter Nikki Curtis. He had been scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Oct. 16. The ruling did not overturn his conviction or immediately reduce his sentence.

Critical to Roberson’s case was the trial evidence of shaken baby syndrome, which refers to a serious brain injury caused when a child’s head is hurt through shaking or some other violent impact, such as being slammed against a wall or thrown on the floor.

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Dodgers advance to NLCS after Kerkering’s 11th-inning error beats Phillies

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Orion Kerkering made a wild throw past home instead of tossing to first after mishandling Andy Pages’ bases-loaded comebacker with two outs in the 11th inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 Thursday to win their NL Division Series 3-1.

Kerkering hung his head and put hands on knees after his throw sailed past catcher J.T. Realmuto as pinch-runner Hyeseong Kim crossed the plate, advancing the Dodgers to the NL Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs or Milwaukee.

Realmuto had pointed to first when the broken-bat, two-hopper hit off Kerkering’s glove and rolled just in front of the mound.

Kerkering picked up the ball and in one motion made a sidearm throw, 46 feet from the plate. The ball sailed up the third-base line, past Realmuto’s outstretched mitt, and fans in the crowd of 50,563 at Dodger Stadium erupted after spending the final three innings on their feet

“It’s brutal,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s one of those things that it’s a PFP, a pitcher’s fielding practice. He’s done it a thousand times. And right there he was so focused, I’m sure, on just getting the hitter and just sort of forgot the outs and the situation.”

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Judge tosses out Drake’s defamation lawsuit against label over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’

NEW YORK (AP) — A defamation lawsuit that Drake brought against Universal Music Group was tossed out Thursday by a federal judge who said the lyrics in Kendrick Lamar’s dis track “Not Like Us” were opinion.

The feud between two of hip-hop’s biggest stars erupted in the spring of 2024, with the pair trading a series of vitriolic tracks that culminated in Lamar landing the “metaphorical killing blow” with his megahit that May, Judge Jeannette A. Vargas said in her written opinion.

While the track’s lyrics explicitly branded Drake as a pedophile, Vargas said, a reasonable listener could not have concluded that “Not Like Us” was conveying objective facts about the Canadian superstar.

“Although the accusation that Plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that ‘Not Like Us’ imparts verifiable facts about Plaintiff,” Vargas wrote.

After the decision Drake’s legal team said in a statement: “We intend to appeal today’s ruling, and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it.”