skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A potent winter storm is thumping 1,500 miles of the US. Two more are right behind it; Amid scientists' warnings, Trump admin. sued over medical research cuts; Mississippi communities find local solutions to rural education challenges; CT groups rally against gas pipeline expansion.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Donald Trump approves 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum. Democrats who oppose dismantling the agency have been denied access to the Department of Education. And some places buck policy trends on sex education and immigration.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Medical debt, which tops $90 billion has an outsized impact on rural communities, a new photography book shares the story of 5,000 schools built for Black students between 1912 and 1937, and anti-hunger advocates champion SNAP.

CA Jewish, Muslim leaders praise Gaza ceasefire deal

play audio
Play

Thursday, January 16, 2025   

Leaders of California's Jewish and Muslim communities say they're relieved that Israel and Hamas have taken the first steps toward ending their brutal war in Gaza. In the first phase of the agreement, Hamas has agreed to release an initial batch of 33 hostages and Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian detainees and implement a ceasefire.

Joy Sisisky, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund of the Bay Area, said she remains concerned about the 65 hostages who will still remain captive after this first six-week phase of the agreement.

"Even the return of all of the hostages is not the end, because they've been held in captivity, many of them for 467 days, and that there is a long road to recovery for not just the hostages but for their families, for their friends, and for many of us here too, who consider them like friends and family," she contended.

Many Californians have personal connections to the conflict, on both sides. The war started when Hamas militants crossed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 more. Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza has killed approximately 46,000 Palestinians.

Teams from the Biden administration and the Trump camp worked together to press both sides to agree to a deal.

Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations San Francisco, said the ceasefire announcement is bittersweet because it is so long overdue.

"Right now, the international community needs to prioritize accountability, upholding human rights and providing urgently needed relief to the people in Gaza and the West Bank who have suffered incomprehensibly for more than a year now," Billoo said.

The second phase of the deal would see Israel withdraw from Gaza, as Hamas releases all remaining hostages. The third phase would address reconstruction.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
While states such as North Dakota stand to lose roughly $3 million in medical research funding cuts under a Trump administration budget cutting move, neighbors like Minnesota could lose a lot more, with an analysis projecting more than $117 in funding losses. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A lawsuit has been filed against the Trump administration over its budget-cutting plans targeting medical research led by colleges and universities…


Environment

play sound

Connecticut groups are rallying today against a natural gas pipeline expansion. Project Maple would extend Enbridge's natural-gas pipeline …

Social Issues

play sound

In rural Mississippi, where education disparities run deep, community leaders are stepping up to fill the gaps left by limited resources and …


The Nuclear Regulatory Commission emphasized the need for thorough safety evaluations and regulatory approvals before the Palisades plant in Michigan can be safely restarted. (Holtec International)

Environment

play sound

Environmental groups are raising alarms as the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Covert Township moves closer to becoming the first decommissioned nuclear pl…

play sound

A January survey of Montanans showed a large majority support workers' rights, even as several bills that could affect them move through the state …

Social Issues

play sound

A recent online survey revealed strong opposition among Tennessee voters toward expansion of the state's private-school voucher program. More than 50…

Social Issues

play sound

A northwest Texas family is waiting to hear from agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a recent traffic stop. Jose is in the country …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021