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Chapter 1: What are the latest updates on the Gaza ceasefire negotiations?
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Live from NPR News, I'm Janine Hurst. Qatar, a key mediator between Hamas and Israel, says formal negotiations still haven't begun for the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire. NPR's Daniel Estrin has more from Doha, Qatar.
One last Israeli hostage body needs to be handed over from Hamas to Israel, and then the ceasefire's second phase can begin, says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That phase would include Hamas laying down its weapons and Israeli troops withdrawing. But Majid El-Ansari, advisor to the prime minister of Qatar, told reporters talks haven't started yet.
I cannot tell you that these talks will begin tomorrow. I cannot tell you they will begin next week. But the communication that is taking place between all the parties is based on applying pressure in order to move to stage two.
He said the Trump administration is applying pressure on Israel to move forward on the ceasefire.
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Chapter 2: How is the suspect in the Capitol pipe bomb case connected to conspiracy theories?
Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Doha, Qatar.
The suspect, accused of planting pipe bombs near the U.S. Capitol in 2021, told federal investigators he believed conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was stolen from then-President Trump. He also expressed views supportive of Trump. Empire's Mara Lyson reports the account comes from a person familiar with the investigation who wasn't authorized to speak publicly.
For years, Trump supporters, including Dan Bongino, who is now the deputy FBI director, have claimed that the pipe bombs were an inside job. But the suspect was apparently a Trump supporter who told law enforcement that he believed the lie that Trump won the 2020 election. Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox, Bongino explained why the facts are at odds with what he used to say as a paid podcaster.
I was paid in the past, Sean, for my opinions. That's clear. And one day I'll be back in that space. But that's not what I'm paid for now.
Now Bongino says, quote, I'm paid to be your deputy FBI director and we base investigations on facts. Mara Liason, NPR News.
Policymakers at the Federal Reserve meet this week to talk about interest rates. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the central bank is expected to lower its benchmark rate by a quarter percentage point.
The Fed lowered interest rates at each of its last two meetings, but policymakers were divided on whether a third straight cut would be warranted this coming week. Inflation is still well above the Fed's 2% target, which would ordinarily suggest keeping rates higher. But the central bank is also concerned about a softening job market, which could be cushioned with lower interest rates.
Investors think those job market worries will take priority at this week's meeting, and the rate-setting committee will opt for another quarter-point cut, but the decision is not likely to be unanimous. The six-week government shutdown added to the uncertainty by delaying some key economic reports until after this week's meeting. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
US futures contracts are trading in mixed territory at this hour. You're listening to NPR News.
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Chapter 3: What are the Federal Reserve's plans regarding interest rates?
A federal judge has dealt a setback to Justice Department efforts to seek a new indictment against former FBI Director James Comey. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kolar-Cotelli this weekend temporarily barred prosecutors from using evidence they'd relied on when they initially secured criminal charges.
The ruling doesn't stop the government from trying again soon to indict Comey, but it does suggest prosecutors may have to do that without citing communication between Comey and a close friend and associate, Columbia University law professor Daniel Richman. The godfather, a godfather of Puerto Rican music, Rafael Itier has died at 98.9.
For decades, he led the island's most celebrated salsa orchestra. And here's Isabela Gomez Sarmiento has more.
Rafael Itier founded El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico in 1962. Que tĆŗ me tienes temblando de noche y de dĆa. The Korean War veteran served as El Combo's principal pianist and director. He turned the orchestra into one of Latin America's premier salsa institutions, ushering in a golden age for the genre.
Chapter 4: What recent legal challenges has James Comey faced?
For over six decades, El Gran Combo not only served as an informal training grounds for dozens of salsa musicians, it also influenced global superstars like Bad Bunny, who sampled one of their songs in his latest album. Puerto Rican Governor Jennifer Gonzalez Colon announced that the island will soon hold an official date of mourning for Itier. Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, NPR News.
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