Secretary of State Antony Blinken is making waves in the Middle East as he continues his diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. In his latest trip to Saudi Arabia, Blinken urged Hamas to accept Israel’s latest offer of a cease-fire and hostage release. Israel has indicated a willingness to release a lower number of hostages in exchange for an initial cease-fire agreement.
Blinken’s visit comes amidst escalating violence in the region, with at least 22 people reported killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza overnight. Additionally, Houthi rebels are believed to be responsible for a missile attack on a cargo ship in the Red Sea, further complicating the situation.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris is on a tour of Atlanta, Georgia, as part of her nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour. She is meeting with small business owners to highlight the administration’s efforts to support and grow small businesses. Harris notes that last year, over $178 billion in federal contract spending went to small businesses, and this year the Small Business Administration plans to double the number of loans to small businesses.
In other news, the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by Elon Musk against an order by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding his use of Twitter to post about Tesla. Musk had reached an agreement with the SEC to stop posting about Tesla after the SEC deemed his posts fraudulent and affecting the stock price.
And in a surprising turn of events, veteran journalist Dan Rather has made a comeback to CBS after an 18-year absence. Rather, who was forced out of the network for presenting a report based on a fake document, expressed his joy at returning to CBS in an interview on CBS Sunday Morning. A documentary on Rather’s life will be released on Netflix starting Wednesday.