## Democratic Rep. Khanna says Israeli settlers and IDF soldiers blockaded him in West Bank for over an hour

Authored by cnn.com

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California said soldiers with the Israel Defense Forces joined Israeli settlers with American-made rifles in blockading him for over an hour during a trip to the West Bank earlier this week.

Speaking with CNN on Saturday, Khanna called on the Israeli government to prosecute the IDF soldiers and the settlers.

The incident followed a visit to an elementary school that was destroyed by extremist Israeli settlers, Khanna said.

The congressman said he and his team then contacted the US Embassy and waited for IDF soldiers.

But when four IDF soldiers arrived at the scene, they sided with the settlers, Khanna claimed.

The West Bank has seen a surge of settler violence – some with instances of Israeli soldiers standing idly by – in conjunction with the Israeli government rapidly expanding settlements throughout the territory.

Four settlers were arrested after an attack on CNN and other journalists in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, according to Israeli Police. »

### Patel cancels flight to visit girlfriend for last-minute White House meeting as frustrations mount: report

Authored by independent.co.uk

And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls.

FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly canceled a planned trip to visit his girlfriend in Chicago as his plane was on the tarmac Friday when frustrated White House officials summoned him to Washington for a meeting.

In a social media post, Patel called the report by MS Now “all false except one thing.”. »

### Sightings of humpback whales surge in Rio de Janeiro, fueling demand for whale-watching trips

Authored by abcnews.com

Humpback whales are increasingly spotted off Rio de Janeiro as their population recovers from past commercial whaling.

The species' population has jumped from around 2,000 to around 35,000 in approximately 40 years, close to their population before whaling, said Enrico Marcovaldi, co-founder of the Humpback Whale Project.

It shows that the whales are making a recovery, are healthy and thriving, and hopefully they’ll continue to do so,” said Marcovaldi. »

### Martha Lillard, last US polio patient using iron lung, dies at 78 in Oklahoma

Authored by abcnews.com

Martha Lillard, the last U.S. polio patient using an iron lung, has died at 78 in Oklahoma.

Martha Lillard, last US polio patient using iron lung, dies at 78 in Oklahoma.

Martha Lillard had just turned 5 when she was diagnosed with polio and depended on an iron lung to live. »

### Is Mitch McConnell secretly deceased? | Arwa Mahdawi

Authored by theguardian.com

The mystery deepened this week when Trump ally and far-right influencer Laura Loomer made the explosive claim on Twiter/X that McConnell is “officially brain dead”.

Townsend added that she was camped out at the hospital waiting for McConnell to be taken off life support.

Senate Republican whip John Barrasso and political commentator Scott Jennings have also said they had 20-minute phone calls with McConnell on important topics. »

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