Israel and Hamas were expected to swap more hostages for Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, the second such exchange since a ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip last weekend and another test for the deal.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, faced hours of questioning yesterday during his Senate confirmation hearing. A vote to decide whether he will lead the Pentagon — a department with three million employees and an $849 billion budget — could come as soon as Monday. Read more.

Who advanced: The Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills won in blowout matches, while the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders eked out wins — with the Commanders’ victory coming by a last-minute field goal. [CNN]

The proposed phased agreement to end the Gaza conflict was preceded by the Oct. 7, 2023, mass killing and hostage-taking by Hamas militants that triggered the Israel-Gaza war and Israel’s attacks on Gaza. The ceasefire goes into effect Sunday, with saying on Wednesday that he hoped the “details will be finalized tonight.”

Hours before Jan. 19, after the Supreme Court upheld a law that would require TikTok be sold to a U.S.-held company in order to remain active in the country, a nationwide ban of the popular video sharing app officially went into effect. Pets were rescued from shelters in LA to help alleviate the overcrowding happening after the fires.

Mediators say Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire agreement following weeks of negotiations, pausing a destructive 15-month war in Gaza. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says details have yet to be finalized.

(“Cease-fire between Israel and Hamas begins with hostages being handed ... At least do not call these trades “deals.” Jesa Kreiner, Los Angeles To the editor: Donald Trump is starting ...

Officials representing Israel and Hamas said today that the two sides had agreed to a 42-day cease-fire that would coincide with the release of Israeli hostages who have been held captive in Gaza. The final details are still being worked out, but the tentative agreement raised hopes that there could soon be an end to the war.

Israel long demanded it keep control over Palestinians’ movement to ensure Hamas does not move weapons back to northern Gaza close to Israeli communities. Throughout the war, the Israeli ...

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he will issue an executive order to increase the availability of water in California, following disastrous wildfires that recently tore through several Los Angeles neighborhoods.

Burn scars left by the recent fires in Los Angeles are becoming hotbeds for flash flooding, mudslides and debris flows as rainfall drenches the area.

Firefighters scrambled Sunday to make further progress against wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed 24 people in Los Angeles.