The Gaza ceasefire continued to hold, even as disagreements deepened over who will take part in an international military force to provide security in the Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday rejected the participation of the Palestinian Authority or Turkish troops as part of a proposed International Stabilization Force, even as U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Ankara would play a 鈥渃onstructive role.鈥� Islamic Jihad, the hardline Palestinian group that took part in Hamas鈥� Oct. 7 attacks, confirmed for the first time yesterday its commitment to the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
The U.S. struck two more vessels suspected of smuggling drugs, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said yesterday. The eighth and ninth such strikes were the first to take place beyond the Caribbean Sea, in the eastern Pacific. They brought the total reported death toll to 37. Mr. Hegseth compared drug smugglers to Al Qaeda terrorists and vowed 鈥渏ustice,鈥� while lawmakers have pressed for legal justification for the attacks.
All but two of nine universities have rejected a conditional offer of preferential federal funding, three days after the feedback deadline. The 鈥渃ompact鈥� asks schools to adopt policies aligned with the Trump administration鈥檚 values. The University of Virginia, the first public school to decline, said research should be based on merit alone. Vanderbilt鈥檚 chancellor said the school would continue a dialogue with the administration, while the University of Texas at Austin has not responded.
An ultramarathoner is running an extra mile for each day of the U.S. government shutdown. In his viral videos, Rob Perez, a content creator and Navy veteran based in Washington, D.C., runs while explaining a different aspect of the shutdown, such as how it affects federal workers. About 1.4 million employees have been furloughed or are working without pay. Yesterday, Mr. Perez ran 22 miles to mark the 22nd day of the shutdown.
OpenAI launched Atlas, a new artificial intelligence browser. It can scan files, anticipate user needs, and use data to accomplish tasks. The software could help OpenAI earn ad revenue from web search, but challenges remain. Still in startup phase and losing money despite ChatGPT鈥檚 success, OpenAI must compete with Google, which dominates search and is also transforming it with AI.
South Carolina is pushing for state management of the red snapper, a popular sport and eating fish whose stocks have rebounded in recent years. 鈥淪outh Carolina knows its waters, its fishermen, and its economy better than any federal agency ever will,鈥� the state鈥檚 attorney general wrote to the U.S. Commerce Department. The state joins Florida and Georgia in a growing effort to localize regulation. Leaders blame bureaucratic inaction and flawed data for limiting access to the species.
Lifelong pen pals finally met after more than four decades of letter-writing. Sonya Clarke Casey and Michelle Anne Ng, from Newfoundland and Singapore, respectively, first corresponded in 1983 as children. They never stopped. At their first meeting in Canada, the besties sifted through old letters, laughing and reminiscing. The friendship will continue until 鈥渨e grow old together,鈥� Ms. Ng told CBC. 鈥淣othing鈥檚 going to stop us from writing.鈥�
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