National and World News

Living Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners are freed as part of Gaza ceasefire

Living Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners are freed as part of Gaza ceasefire

By WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — All 20 living hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel walked free Monday as…

Israel lays out plans for hostage release and prisoner swap expected on Monday

Israel lays out plans for hostage release and prisoner swap expected on Monday

By SAMY MAGDY, SARAH EL DEEB and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Israel said Sunday that it expected all of the living hostages held in the Gaza Strip to be released Monday, confirming…

Trump directs the Pentagon to use ‘all available funds’ to ensure troops are paid despite shutdown

Trump directs the Pentagon to use ‘all available funds’ to ensure troops are paid despite shutdown

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has directed the Defense Department to use “all available funds” to ensure U.S. troops are paid Wednesday despite the government shutdown, a short-term…

Speaker Johnson keeps the House away as he fights to end the government shutdown

Speaker Johnson keeps the House away as he fights to end the government shutdown

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Mike Johnson is the speaker of a House that is no longer in session. The Republican leader sent lawmakers home three weeks ago after the House approved a bill to fund…

Israeli military says ceasefire takes effect in Gaza, raising hopes for ending the war

Israeli military says ceasefire takes effect in Gaza, raising hopes for ending the war

By MELANIE LIDMAN, WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect in Gaza on Friday, the Israeli military said, hours after Israel’s Cabinet approved a deal to…

Wall Street’s feverish rally takes a break as US stocks and gold pull back from their records

Wall Street’s feverish rally takes a break as US stocks and gold pull back from their records

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street took a pause on Thursday as U.S. stocks and even the price of gold pulled back from record highs following torrid runs. The S&P 500…