海角大神

The Supreme Court cleared the way for mass federal layoffs. The justices on Tuesday overrode lower court orders that temporarily froze the Trump administration鈥檚 cuts, led by the Department of Government Efficiency. So far, tens of thousands of federal workers have been fired, left their jobs via deferred resignation programs, or been placed on leave. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only dissenting vote. 鈥� The Associated Press

Israel outlined plans to relocate Palestinians. Local media report that the country鈥檚 defense minister is planning to pack hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into a closed zone of the Gaza Strip along the border with Egypt. Officials say the aim is to separate the civilian population from Hamas. Critics say the plan would amount to forcible displacement in violation of international law. 鈥� AP
Our coverage: We look today at where President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu are in tune 鈥� and where they diverge.

Houthi rebels resumed attacks on the Red Sea. An attack by Yemen鈥檚 Houthi rebels on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea killed three mariners and wounded two others, a European Union naval force said Tuesday, highlighting the danger of the group鈥檚 renewed campaign targeting a key maritime route for international trade. On Monday, rebels forced another vessel鈥檚 crew to abandon ship, and the boat later sank. The assaults are the first Houthi attacks on shipping since late 2024. 鈥� AP

AI was used to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The State Department is warning diplomats of the threat after an impostor posing as Mr. Rubio tried to reach foreign ministers and U.S. politicians. It鈥檚 the latest instance of a high-level figure being targeted by an impersonator, with a similar incident revealed in May involving President Trump鈥檚 chief of staff, Susie Wiles. Several potential solutions have been put forward to the growing misuse of AI for deception, including criminal penalties and improved media literacy. 鈥� AP

Tensions continue in Mexico City. Heated protests on July 4 were fueled by an influx of digital nomads, a lack of affordable housing and regulation around Airbnb, and even President Donald Trump鈥檚 targeting of Latino communities in the United States. Mexico鈥檚 president 鈥� who as the city鈥檚 mayor in 2022 worked to attract outsiders 鈥� has condemned the protests as 鈥渪enophobic.鈥� But just as phrases like 鈥渉ousing is a right, not a product鈥� remain splashed on park structures, frustrations with rising prices and a growing number of English-only speakers are evident. 鈥� Staff

China eased its visa rules. Citizens from 74 countries can now enter the country visa-free for up to 30 days, aiming to boost tourism, the economy, and China鈥檚 global influence. In 2024, over 20 million foreign visitors entered without visas, more than double the previous year. A separate policy allows travelers from ten other countries, including the U.S. and the United Kingdom, to stay for 10 days under specific conditions. Major African nations remain excluded. 鈥� AP

You can now keep your shoes on at airport security. The change ends a requirement introduced almost two decades ago, following 鈥渟hoe bomber鈥� Richard Reid鈥檚 failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in 2001. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday a pilot program showed the Transportation Security Administration had the equipment needed to keep airports and aircraft safe while allowing shoes to remain on at most airports. 鈥� AP

A correction: In the Tuesday news briefs, we misspelled the name of Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan.

The days since floodwaters surged July 4 have blurred as residents of Kerrville 鈥� an escape into nature for generations of Texans 鈥� continue to process one of the deadliest natural disasters in state history. People have reached to their faith and their community 鈥� donating food, clothing, and time to those who lost more than them 鈥� and corralled donations from around the country and the world. The generosity has been striking, residents say. So has the fortitude. Creeping past mounds of soaked possessions in his truck, Erik Muncy focuses instead on the unity around a will to recover. 鈥淎ll of this,鈥� he says, 鈥渋s Texas.鈥�

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offer different visions of both Gaza and Iran. They appeared harmonious at a White House dinner Monday night, and they have persistently made efforts to emphasize their cooperation. That does not mean the two leaders are perfectly in tune, some regional and national security analysts say. We look at some areas of misalignment 鈥� and at the limits of applying pressure when two nations鈥� perceptions of their own interests ultimately appear intertwined.

Mount Everest draws money to Nepal鈥檚 Himalayan region. It also brings problems. Experts and local officials have long called for Nepal鈥檚 government to help balance sustainability and safety with the insatiable interest in the world鈥檚 tallest peak. Now, the Nepal National Assembly has introduced a bill with a host of new restrictions. For some here, it鈥檚 a long-awaited win. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been at this for decades,鈥� says Dawa Steven Sherpa 鈥� who, like many people native to this region, uses Sherpa as a surname. The CEO of Asian Trekking, Nepal鈥檚 oldest mountaineering company, he helped craft the bill back in 2017, but his work goes back decades. Here at the roof of the world, he says, 鈥淵ou have to keep knocking on that door.鈥�

In Pakistan, where even allusions to sexual abuse are taboo, raising awareness about child safety is far from straightforward. For the staff at small schools, the most difficult aspect of this kind of teaching can be finding the appropriate words. That鈥檚 where the Pakistani nonprofit Rozan 鈥� named after the Farsi word for 鈥渨indow鈥� 鈥� comes in. Its trained facilitators run sessions that gently draw out children on experiences that their parents are unable to address. Rozan also teaches young men to dissociate violence with masculinity. Says the group鈥檚 managing director, Babar Bashir, 鈥淲e believe that violence and development are incompatible.鈥�

To fans of edgier superheroes, Superman is a fuddy-duddy 鈥� invincible, sure, but boring. A new film and comic give the caped do-gooder a twist. They explore how an unauthorized 鈥渁lien鈥� attempts to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human assimilation. That theme echoes the character鈥檚 real-life origin story, when his creator, Jerry Siegel, the rise of Nazism made him feel 鈥渢he world desperately needed a crusader, if only a fictional one.鈥� In our times, when the world seems to have a lot of meanness in it, there may be little that is edgier than a defender of kindness and goodness.

With the Middle East very much in flux after Israel鈥檚 military campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, it is worth noting this small step for peace: A group of competitive video gamers from Israel is in Saudi Arabia for the Esports World Cup that got underway Monday.

Even more noteworthy is this: Few in the region even know, let alone care, about Israelis being in the Muslim country during the seven-week event.

Saudi Arabia is still a long way from officially recognizing Israel. Yet its young people can certainly relate to all the talented gamers at the cup. An estimated two-thirds of Saudis identify as 鈥済aming enthusiasts,鈥� according to a 2021 report by Boston Consulting Group.

In addition, the Saudi government is spending big to build a domestic esports industry that can be an economic pillar to provide jobs for young people and diversify away from oil. In two years, the kingdom will play host to the Olympics鈥� first venture into esports as an official sporting event 鈥� relying only on nonviolent video games as well as ones that live up to Olympic values.

Saudi Arabia will, in fact, be the site of all Olympic Esports Games for a 12-year term. Its people might as well get comfortable now with having Israeli visitors.

As in many Mideast nations, Saudi leaders are racing to keep one step ahead of restive youth by implementing reforms. More than two-thirds of Saudis are younger than 35 years old. 鈥淢ost young Saudis ... grew up in a Saudi Arabia where fun was a dirty word,鈥� wrote journalist Karen Elliott House in a new book, 鈥淭he Man Who Would Be King: Mohammed bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia.鈥�

鈥淭hanks to the internet, these young Saudis saw 鈥� and sought 鈥� lives like youth elsewhere in the world,鈥� she stated.

By some estimates, the global video gaming market is larger than the movie box-office and music industries combined. Yet for those who help organize the competitions, such as the Global Esports Federation, the sport is seen as a people connector.

According to federation officials, esports is 鈥渁 force for good across diverse cultures.鈥� It is also 鈥渁mong the most inclusive and accessible ways for young people to build skills and communities, transcending borders and backgrounds.鈥� That may be why the mingling of Israeli players with other gamers in the Saudi capital of Riyadh is no big deal. It might even be an inkling of a different Middle East.