In the news today: A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants begins; Trump fills out his economic team; and drought is causing saltwater to creep up the Delaware River which millions rely on for drinking water. Also, where do your cranberries come from?
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Displaced families carry mattresses as they prepare to return to their villages after a ceasefire went into effect in Lebanon. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
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Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire begins
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Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants began a ceasefire Wednesday in a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting as a region on edge wonders whether it will hold. Read more. |
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The ceasefire calls for an initial two-month halt to fighting and requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor compliance.
Israel has said it will attack if Hezbollah breaks the agreement. There appeared to be lingering disagreement over whether Israel would have the right to strike Hezbollah if it believed the militants had violated the agreement, something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted was part of the deal but which Lebanese and Hezbollah officials have rejected.
- The ceasefire does not address the devastating war in Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza.
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Trump fills out his economic team with two veterans of his first administration
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Donald Trump on Tuesday announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. Read more. |
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The president-elect also announced a number of other key personnel choices, including Vince Haley, who led Trump’s speechwriting department in his first term, as director of the Domestic Policy Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring public confidence in the economy.
Trump has said that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” If confirmed, Greer would be responsible for negotiating directly with foreign governments on trade deals and disputes, as well as memberships in international bodies such as the World Trade Organization.
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As director of the White House National Economic Council, Hassett will be a major advocate within the Trump administration for tax cuts. Trump said Hassett “will play an important role in helping American families recover from the inflation that was unleashed by the Biden Administration.” In Trump’s second term, Hassett would join a White House seeking to preserve and expand its 2017 tax cuts at a time when deficit pressures are weighing on federal borrowing costs.
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Drought is causing saltwater to creep up the Delaware River. Here’s what’s being done about it
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Salty oceanwater is creeping up the Delaware River, the source for much of the drinking water for Philadelphia and millions of others, brought on by drought conditions and sea level rise, and prompting officials to tap reservoirs to push the tide back downstream. Read more. |
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The Delaware River provides drinking water for some 14 million people, including most of Philadelphia but also New Jersey and New York.
The salt front or salt line is where saltwater from the ocean and freshwater meet in the river. That boundary is typically somewhere around Wilmington, Delaware, but the recent drought in the Northeast has pushed it about 20 miles north, around Philadelphia International Airport. The farther the line moves upstream, the closer it gets to drinking water intakes, which officials have worked for decades to avoid.
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Workers harvesting cranberries at Rocky Meadow Bog, in Middleborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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Millions will eat cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving. But where do those cranberries come from?
Weeks before Thanksgiving, some of the cranberries that will be on dinner plates Thursday were floating on a bog in Massachusetts. The cranberries turned this pond in coastal Massachusetts a bright color of pinkish crimson and several workers were up to their waists in the water, gently corralling the berries into a truck to be transported to factories that dry them or turn them into sauce or juice.
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AP Buyline: The best advent calendars for counting down to holiday cheer |
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Discover the magic of December with these advent calendars, featuring gourmet treats, fun toys and wellness treasures to help celebrate the holiday season. See our picks here. |
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This content is created by AP Buyline in accordance with AP’s editorial guidelines and is supervised and edited by AP staff. |
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Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Sarah
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