Three news stories summarized & contextualized by analytic journalist Colin Wright.

Netanyahu disbands his inner war cabinet

Summary: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has disbanded his multi-party war cabinet, following the departure of two of its six members last week.

Context: This cabinet advised Netanyahu on the invasion of the Gaza Strip, and was meant to serve as a symbol of solidarity in the country following Hamas’ sneak-attack on Israel—an attack that sparked the aforementioned invasion; Netanyahu has come under fire from enemies and allies both within and beyond Israel’s borders for his seeming desire to keep the invasion going, no matter what, and this has strained his relationships with long-time allies, but also raised questions about his political future, as opposition parties have called for new elections and large protests criticizing his actions have become the norm across the country.

—Reuters

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Fire used as 'weapon of war' in Sudan as entire towns and villages burned to the ground

Summary: More than 50 settlements across war-torn Sudan have been repeatedly burned, and more than 235 seemingly intentionally set fires in towns and villages have been tracked since April 2023, when the war began, supporting suspicions that arson is being used as a weapon of war in order to displace civilians, long-term.

Context: A flurry of new data and satellite images has allowed reporters to confirm previous reporting on this aspect of the conflict in Sudan, and while the majority of the violence and settlement destruction has been occurring in the country’s westernmost Darfur region, the capital of its North Darfur region is also under threat, along with the 1.5 million people who live there; this conflict is between Sudan’s military and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, which are led by the military’s commander and the de facto ruler of the country, and his former deputy, respectively—in 2021 they agreed to rule the country together after launching a successful coup, but that alliance crumbled due to disagreements about how to rule, and who should control what.

—NBC News

At least 14 Hajj pilgrims die in intense heat

Summary: At least 14 people have been confirmed killed, and another 17 people have been reported missing while making their pilgrimage to the Hajj in Saudi Arabia from their home country of Jordan.

Context: Jordan’s foreign ministry has said that the 14 people who died suffered sun stroke due to an extreme heat wave afflicting the region, which has brought temperatures exceeding 46 degrees C, which is about 114.8 degrees F—which has made the outdoor, on-foot portion of the rituals performed at the Muslim holy site dangerous, especially for older people, and those suffering from other conditions; last year at least 240 people died from similar ailments at the Hajj.

—BBC News

Intense and dangerous heat is forecast across the US this week, with many high-temperature records at risk and local officials scrambling to remind locals about the dangers of heat stroke and related ailments.

—The New York Times

175,000

Number of marijuana convictions Maryland Governor Wes Moore has said he will pardon.

Those convictions (all of which are low-level possession charges) apply to around 100,000 people in the state, and this marks one of the largest mass-pardons related to this drug in the US so far, though other states have recently seen similar, broad-scale efforts.

—The Washington Post

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