Trump urges negotiators to ‘move fast’ in run-up to Gaza cea...

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Donald Trump has urged negotiators to “move fast” in talks focused on the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and a broader end to the war, as representatives arrived in Egypt for discussions today.

They will focus on the first phase of Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, the Egyptian foreign ministry has said, which is the release of the remaining 48 hostages held by Hamas in return for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

In a social media post yesterday, the US president said talks were advancing rapidly. His encouragement came as Israel continued strikes on Gaza, killing 63 people in the 24 hours to yesterday evening.

What’s happening today? The US envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to join the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, according to Israeli media, in addition to Israel’s negotiators and a Palestinian delegation headed by Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy head of the political bureau of Hamas.
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Judge blocks national guard deployment to Oregon after legal action by Newsom

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying any national guard units to Oregon a few hours after the California governor, Gavin Newsom, announced he would sue the president over the planned deployment of his state’s troops.

Both states sought the temporary restraining order after Trump sent guard members from California to Oregon earlier in the day. On Saturday, the same judge temporarily blocked the administration from deploying Oregon’s national guard troops to Portland.

The ruling by US district judge Karin Immergut said there was no evidence that recent protests necessitated the presence of national guard troops, no matter where they came from. Immergut asked a Trump administration lawyer during a hearing on Sunday night: “How could bringing in federalised national guard from California not be in direct contravention of the [decision] I issued yesterday?”

How long will the ruling last? Immergut’s ruling on Sunday, which will remain in effect until at least 19 October, blocks the Trump administration from sending national guard troops to Portland while Oregon and California seek a longer-term ruling in court.

France’s PM resigns after less than a month amid widespread criticism of new cabinet

France’s political crisis has deepened after the new prime minister dramatically resigned within hours of appointing a government.

Sébastien Lecornu was the third French prime minister in a year, as the country continued to lurch from one political crisis to another. He quit hours before his first cabinet meeting this afternoon. Macron accepted Lecornu’s resignation this morning.

Lecornu had faced furious criticism from opposition politicians when he announced a new government that was virtually unchanged since last month’s ousting of his predecessor, François Bayrou.

What will happen next? The question now is whether the president will decide to dissolve parliament and call another snap election.

In other news …

Louis CK has defended his decision to perform at the Riyadh comedy festival in Saudi Arabia after fellow comedians criticised the big names taking part as whitewashing a regime guilty of human rights abuses.
A Christian legal group will urge the US supreme court to overturn a ban on anti-LGBTQ+ “conversion therapy” tomorrow, in a case that could erode protections for transgender and queer youth across the country.
US forces on Saturday evening struck another vessel illegally carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela, Donald Trump told thousands of sailors yesterday at a ceremony celebrating the US navy’s 250th anniversary. He added that the US would also start looking at drug-trafficking on land.

Stat of the day: Mount Everest rescue under way after snowstorm traps nearly 1,000 people

Rescue efforts are under way on Mount Everest after a snowstorm trapped nearly 1,000 people in campsites on the eastern side of the mountain, according to Chinese state media. Trekkers have described facing “extreme” conditions after an unseasonable snowstorm.

Don’t miss this: A ‘magic pill’ made Israeli violence invisible. We need to stop swallowing it

“Despite two years of carnage in Gaza, and everything the world has learned about Israel’s true intentions, that mode is repeating itself as I write this, with global powers lining up behind a proposal that does little to ensure Palestinians gain any say over their future,” writes Diana Buttu. “Rhetoric without consequence has been the west’s modus operandi for decades. The cost has been catastrophic.”

… or this: Five o’clock dinner crowd – why are young Americans eating so early?

Thought to be the stuff of early bird specials and old folks’ homes, the five o’clock dinnertime could be one of 2025’s most surprising comebacks, as younger generations seem willing to finish meals before the sun goes down. According to data collected by the reservation app OpenTable, 53% of gen Z and 51% of millennials in the US are interested in snagging an early seat.

Climate check: Youth-led US activists widen focus to fight authoritarianism

As the Trump administration cracks down on environmental policies and progressive activism, the Sunrise Movement, the youth-led climate justice organization that popularized calls for a Green New Deal, is widening its mission to fight authoritarianism.

Last Thing: US treasury considers $1 ‘fight, fight, fight’ Trump coin

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the US’s independence, the treasury department is mulling the production of a $1 coin displaying Donald Trump with a clenched fist under a US flag. The words “fight, fight, fight”, which the president said to his supporters immediately after an assassination attempt last year, appear around the edge of the coin.

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