First Thing: Hopes rise for Gaza ceasefire as Blinken says it is ‘closer than it’s ever been’

The secretary of state said that the negotiations were ‘right on the brink’ on Tuesday. Plus, Pete Hegseth grilled on sexual assault and drinking claims

Good morning.

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has described negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza as “right on the brink”, with warring sides reportedly close to inking a deal on Tuesday.

Several deals have fallen through over the course of the war, which has killed at least 45,000 Palestinians and devastated Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. Blinken told the Atlantic Council that the deal was “closer than it’s ever been before”.

Under the first phase of the agreement, which would last 60 days, 33 Israeli hostages would be released, according to Israeli media and reports from the negotiations in Doha, in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. It would also involve a partial Israeli ground withdrawal.

Negotiations on a second phase of the agreement would begin after 16 days, focusing on the release of the remaining 61 hostages. The Israeli military withdrawal would also be completed.

What are we waiting for? According to Blinken, mediators were awaiting Hamas’s response. AP reported that Hamas had accepted the draft ceasefire and hostage deal, citing two anonymous sources. But the group has not publicly confirmed this, and an Israeli official said details were still being finalized.

Pete Hegseth grilled on sexual assault and drinking claims

Donald Trump’s controversial pick for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, defended his reputation in a turbulent Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, acknowledging he was “not a perfect person” as Democrats grilled him about the allegations he faces of sexual assault, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement.

Hegseth, who is a military veteran and Fox News host, dismissed the allegations as a “coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media” and claimed they all came from anonymous sources. This was rejected by multiple Democrats, who pointed to named sources, including his mother, Penelope Hegseth, who once described him as “an abuser of women”, before rescinding the characterization.

The accusations include a 2017 allegation of sexual assault, which Hegseth has denied, though his lawyer acknowledged that the woman was paid a settlement.

How likely is Hegseth to be confirmed? After Joni Ernst, a Republican of Iowa who initially expressed skepticism, backed him, Hegseth’s confirmation appears highly probable.

Los Angeles braces for more fire evacuations

Los Angeles is preparing for further fire evacuations as forecasters warned of another “particularly dangerous weather situation” in the north of the city.

Officials warned residents not to lower their guard as there was “significant risk of rapid fire spread” in Los Angeles and parts of Ventura county to the north, due to the Santa Ana winds, which were predicted to reach near hurricane-force in some areas.

While the “particularly dangerous weather situation” designation is used rarely and only to signal “the extreme of the extremes”, it is the fourth time in recent months that the city has faced it, according to the Los Angeles Times. All three previous warnings preceded major wildfires.

Officials said on Tuesday that at least 25 people have died from the fires. The toll is expected to rise, while at least two dozen reported missing.

What is the cost of the damage? One estimate puts it at $250bn, potentially the most expensive fire in US history.

In other news …

South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has been arrested over his declaration of martial law last month, authorities said, following a standoff outside his residence.

Neil Gaiman has denied all allegations against him after multiple women accused him of sexual assault, sexual misconduct and coercion in a New York Magazine article.

A US financial regulator has sued Elon Musk for allegedly not disclosing his ownership of Twitter stock, allowing him to buy company shares at “artificially low prices”.

Stat of the day: 75% of people in India welcome Trump’s return to the White House

Donald Trump’s re-election has divided opinions internationally. While 50% of people in the UK identified as “never Trumpers”, 75% of people in India said they welcomed his return to the White House, a poll of 24 countries has found. South Korea, Switzerland, the UK and 11 EU nations surveyed felt Trump would be bad for their country and world peace, with fault lines emerging between western and non-western powers.

Don’t miss this: The dark side of family vlogging

When vlogger parents Myka and James Stauffer revealed to their followers that they had “rehomed” their adopted five-year-old son in May 2020, the backlash was understandably swift and severe. People were furious about their treatment of Huxley, who is autistic, and some questioned whether they had adopted him for clicks. A new HBO docuseries dives into the case, unpicking the ethically murky side of what happens when influencers – and ordinary social media users – push their children into social media’s limelight.

Climate check: Big oil lobbied to kill bill that would have made them pay for wildfire disasters

Big oil lobbied hard to stop a bill that would have forced companies to pay for climate catastrophes like the historic wildfires raging in Los Angeles county. Fossil fuel lobbying in California reached record levels during the 2023-24 legislative session, with the “polluter pay” bill in the California senate, which ultimately failed, one of the most targeted pieces of legislation. Amid the fires that have killed at least 25 people and burned 12,000 structures, the industry is already mobilizing to block the bill from being resuscitated.

Last Thing: The origin of the cat screech heard in countless movies

Picture this: a character in a movie chucks something off-camera, and you hear a clatter of trash cans and a cat yowling. You’ve probably heard it dozens of times at least, but may not have realised that it’s the same cat screeching. Amelia Tate digs into how one scrappy feline came to feature in movies ranging from Babe to Pet Sematary to Toy Story.

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