The Insider reports: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said that he’s “determined” to continue the offensive in Gaza, rebuffing President Joe Biden’s call for an immediate and significant “de-escalation” in the fighting. Netanyahu said the operation will continue “until its aim is met.” The Israeli prime minister thanked the US for its support, but said the offensive will …

Big Country News reports: Five counties in eastern Oregon voted for becoming a part of Idaho on Tuesday. Voters approved ballot measures in Sherman, Lake, Grant, Baker, and Malheur counties. No counties voted against. On average, voters were 62% in favor of moving borders to include their counties in Idaho. Two additional Oregon counties had already voted in favor in …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Joseph Blount, CEO of Colonial Pipeline Co., told The Wall Street Journal that he authorized the ransom payment of $4.4 million because executives were unsure how badly the cyberattack had breached its systems or how long it would take to bring the pipeline back. “I know that’s a highly controversial decision,” Mr. Blount said in …

Car & Driver reports: We’ve said it before, and we’ll keep saying it for a while: there are no full self-driving cars available for sale today. Completely autonomous vehicles remain a technology from the future. Auto companies that try to promote their driver-assistance features as “full self driving” could run afoul of regulators. See also: Tesla. The California Department of …

The Daily Beast reports: Here’s a shock—Donald Trump doesn’t want to hear any more talk of an investigation into the insurrection that was carried out by his biggest fans right after he whipped them up into a frenzy on Jan. 6. On Wednesday, the House is set to vote on legislation that would set up a 9/11-style bipartisan commission to …

CBS News reports: Fox News Media on Tuesday asked a court in Delaware to dismiss a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed against it by Dominion Voting Systems over false claims about the 2020 presidential election amplified by some of its on-air personalities and guests. In a 61-page filing in the Delaware Supreme Court, lawyers for the media company argued Dominion’s …

The Washington Post reports: The European Union on Wednesday agreed to open its borders to vaccinated Americans and others, after more than a year in which travel into the bloc has been severely restricted, a spokesman said Wednesday. The decision represents a formal turning point away from the eerie, economy-sapping status quo of the pandemic, when major cities — from …

The Hill reports: Sen. Ron Johnson, a vocal supporter of the former President Trump, called the push for a 9/11-style commission to investigate Jan. 6 “a farce.” “I hope no Republicans in the House vote for this,” Johnson said. “I hope nobody in the Senate embraces it either.” Hundreds of Trump supporters overwhelmed Capitol Police on Jan. 6 and invaded …

The Associated Press reports: Senate Republicans are signaling that they will try to block — or at least slow down — a Democratic effort to create a 9/11-style commission on the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, threatening the chances of a deeper, independent look at the siege and how it could be prevented from happening again. Senate …

The Christian Post reports: Just 26% of Gen X and 16% of millennials believe that when they die, they will go to Heaven only because they confessed their sins and accepted Jesus as their savior, compared to nearly half of the generation before them, a new study has found. The American Worldview Inventory 2021, a survey of the philosophy of …

Axios reports: A little-noticed line in a recent criminal filing suggests federal prosecutors consider a popular political fundraising tactic to be legally questionable. Fundraisers often boast of “5x” or other contribution matches to coax small-dollar donations. The Justice Department indicated in a court filing Monday this could amount to “material misrepresentations” if, as critics often contend, there’s no evidence the …

Law & Crime reports: Federal authorities charged a Texas man accused of taking part in the Jan. 6 siege at the U.S. Capitol after he appeared in several photographs and videos taken inside and outside the Capitol building wearing a red hat emblazoned with President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. The FBI said that a person who has …

“A lot of us have felt like this was a process long in the making of conditioning the public. When we realize it was mostly a vulnerable population that was really suffering from COVID, most people would tolerate it quite well. “Nevertheless, these lockdowns persisted. Was this a conditioning process for the next lockdown? “You can’t say we didn’t warn …

Hong Kong’s Apple Daily reports: Shoppers fled Shenzhen’s 71-storey Saige Plaza after the building wobbled on Tuesday afternoon, with the city’s authorities confirming no earthquake and storm had been detected. Dozens of videos circulating on China’s microblogging platform Weibo showed swinging antennas at the top of the building at around 1 p.m., as people ran onto the street in panic …

Mediaite reports: Several Republican members of the House flouted the rule on mask-wearing on the floor of the chamber Tuesday. In a selfie posted on Twitter by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), the freshman member of Congress said, “Masks are oppressive and nothing but a political tool. End the oppression!” Among the maskless were Greene, Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Thomas Massie …

“Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader in the house today did something right. He said he will not support a commission, a 9/11 style commission, to investigate the insurrection of January 6th. “Remember that? When a bunch of middle aged people deep in credit card debt and ‘white supremacists’ teamed up with a guy dressed up like Chewbacca to over throw …

The Detroit Free Press reports: An Antrim County judge dismissed an election fraud lawsuit Tuesday that has served as a vehicle to advance the unfounded conspiracy theory that tabulators manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems switched votes last fall from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Attorney General Dana Nessel said the ruling “should be the nail in the coffin for any …

CNN reports: New York Attorney General Letitia James is joining the Manhattan district attorney’s office in a criminal investigation of the Trump Organization, James’ office said Tuesday. The attorney general office’s investigation into the Trump Organization, which has been underway since 2019, will also continue as a civil probe, but the office recently informed Trump Organization officials of the criminal …

Variety reports: Universal has released the first trailer for the “Dear Evan Hansen” movie, premiering in theaters on Sept. 24. Ben Platt returns in his Tony-winning titular role in the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical hit created by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. “Dear Evan Hansen” follows Evan Hansen, an anxious and isolated high school student who writes letters …

Gothamist reports: In late March of last year, as the pandemic was raging in New York City, Karen Ramirez, a 39-year-old police officer, began wearing a mask to work at the NYPD’s headquarters. The professional consequences, she alleges, were swift. Police leaders — including three sergeants and a lieutenant — “made fun of and retaliated against” her over the health …