The Week Evening Review
Israel-Hamas ceasefire framework, Biden's new AI rules, and Cabinet nominee confirmation delays

 
THE EXPLAINER

Israel and Hamas reach long-awaited Gaza ceasefire

The brutal war between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in Gaza appears to be coming to an end. Officials today have readied a ceasefire agreement that would order a cessation of the violence that has rocked the world for the past 15 months.

News of the ceasefire agreement, the details of which are still being hammered out, was met with celebration and trepidation. For Israelis, the expected return of dozens of hostages still held in Hamas custody marks a new phase in an ongoing internal struggle that has pitted protesters against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Some activists claim his administration used their missing loved ones as a pretext for war. For Gazans, the proposed ceasefire means not only an end to the death and destruction that has dominated their lives but also the start of a long process of rebuilding toward, many hope, political independence.

Hostages and humanitarian relief
The agreement reached is "similar to a three-phase framework publicized by President Joe Biden in late May," said The New York Times. The first phase would involve not only a ceasefire but also the release of "33 hostages seized from Israel during the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023," said CNN. In return, Israel will "free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners." 

The Israeli hostages will be "released over the course of seven weeks," said Haaretz. It's unclear the exact number of Palestinian prisoners that will be released, as Hamas has "not updated which of the Israeli hostages will be released alive." Israeli troops will meanwhile "pull back into a buffer zone" inside the Gaza Strip. The cessation of fighting is to be accompanied by "600 trucks carrying humanitarian relief " scheduled to "enter Gaza daily," said the Times. 

'Stay committed'
"Several unresolved points in the framework remain," Netanyahu said today. "We hope these details will be finalized tonight." Barring last-minute derailment, the agreement is expected to go into effect on Sunday.

Israelis and Palestinians must "stay committed to this agreement" until "everyone has been returned," said the families of American hostages still held by Hamas to The Washington Post. The ceasefire is the product of "dogged and painstaking American diplomacy," said Biden.

 
 
QUOTE OF THE DAY

'The 21st century will be defined by what happens between the United States and China.'

Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) during his confirmation hearing today to be Donald Trump's secretary of state. He called China the "most potent and dangerous near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted." 

 
 
TALKING POINTS

Will Biden's AI rules keep the genie in the bottle? 

The world's major powers are locked into an artificial intelligence arms race. But new rules announced by the White House on Monday seek to guarantee American supremacy in that race. The Biden administration's "unprecedented new export controls" restrict the sale of AI-capable chips to "most countries in the world," part of an effort to keep China from repurchasing American-made chips sold to third-party countries, said The Washington Post. 

The U.S. "leads the world in AI now," said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. And it's "critical that we keep it that way." Biden is "rushing" to restrict AI chip exports because recent developments suggest Beijing is "catching up in the race" to create massively powerful AI systems, said Time. 

'Contest for geopolitical superiority'
The U.S. and China are in "grim competition" with each other, and both "intend to be prepared for war," said The New York Times. AI superiority is now seen as "central to both sides of the conflict." But calls for restraint in the AI arms race will probably take second place to the "contest for geopolitical superiority." 

The new rules "strangle competition" in the tech marketplace, Chris Stokel-Walker said at Fast Company. Banning exports to China "makes sense, given how integral AI will be to shaping our future." But blocking exports to 120 other countries is harder to justify. That seems less about protecting the U.S. and "more like an overtly protectionist trade policy." 

How long will the US lead last?
It's not just chip exports. Biden signed an executive order yesterday to ensure that AI data centers and clean-power facilities that supply them energy can be "built quickly and at scale," said The Associated Press. "We will not let America be out-built" in the AI industry, said Biden.

American chipmaker Nvidia and the EU have "expressed their displeasure" with the new rules, said Karl Freund, the founder and an analyst at Cambrian-AI Research, at Forbes. The winner? Beijing. China's chips are slower, but at least "you can get them." For AI developers worldwide, the rules mean Chinese technology might "become your best and perhaps only choice." The new rules will slow down China's AI development. "But for how long?"

 
 

Statistic of the day

430: The number of Grand Slam matches played by Novak Djokovic — the most in tennis history, overtaking Roger Federer's record. Djokovic's record-breaking match gets him through to the third round of the Australian Open during his 21st Grand Slam season. 

 
 
IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Some Trump Cabinet picks face confirmation delays

Confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees began this week. But it won't be easy sledding for some of the candidates. Just a "small handful" of Trump's Cabinet choices are on track for a quick confirmation, said Politico. 

The problems aren't just political opposition. Trump and his allies want many nominees "confirmed on Day One," but paperwork delays like FBI background checks and financial disclosures are slowing down the process. Those issues are "sparking tensions" between Senate Republicans and Trump's team. 

How will Democrats handle the confirmation hearings?
Senate Democrats will use their question time to "rough up some of the nominees on their qualifications," said Time. Pete Hegseth, Trump's choice to lead the Defense Department, kicked things off with his confirmation hearing yesterday, receiving questions regarding his past alcohol use, alleged mismanagement of nonprofit organizations, and sexual assault allegations. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's choice for director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the pick for top health official, will also face heavy skepticism. Their hearings are not yet scheduled. 

Democrats don't expect to be able to "derail" all of Trump's nominees, said Time. But they do have "reasonable expectations that they could ding a few" enough that the new president rethinks his choices.

But Trump's nominees have "good chances of winning confirmation" despite that opposition, said The Hill. Republicans, after all, have a 53-seat majority in the Senate. Cabinet nominees would have to lose the support of at least four GOP senators to be defeated. GOP senators are inclined to "let the president have his team, absent some extraordinary circumstances," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).

Who will be quickly confirmed?
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is trying to "game out" which nominees can move forward quickly, said Politico. Nominations for "national security space are awfully important," he said. That group includes Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Trump's pick for secretary of state who had his hearing today, and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), the choice for ambassador to the U.N. whose hearing is on Tuesday.

But the delays are mounting. A confirmation hearing for Doug Collins, Trump's pick to run the Veterans Affairs, was supposed to start yesterday, said Military Times. It was instead pushed to Tuesday because of "missing background paperwork." And Gabbard's nomination is "in limbo" because senators are still waiting on necessary documents, said The Washington Examiner.

 
 

Good day 🖼️

… for an art collector. A watercolor painting submitted to Christie's online appraisal service was identified as "The Approach to Venice or Venice from the Lagoon" by J.M.W. Turner, a British Romantic landscape painter. The previously misattributed painting will be auctioned in New York City next month for an estimated $300,000 to $500,000.

 
 

Bad day 🐟

… for big-mouth buffalo fish. The world's longest-lived freshwater fish is facing extinction. The North American species, which can weigh over 50 pounds, has a lifespan that can exceed 125 years and does not appear to decline with age biologically. Researchers fear the big fish is heading for a population crash after discovering that, for unclear reasons, no new generations in Minnesota's Rice Lake have made it to adulthood in over 60 years.

 
 
Picture of the day

Harbor lights

Clutching celebratory flares, skipper Yoann Richomme enters the French port of Les Sables d'Olonne to secure a second-place finish in the 10th annual Vendée Globe around-the-world solo sailing race. After 65 days alone at sea, Richomme arrived 22 hours behind the record-breaking winner Charlie Dalin.
Sebastien Salom-Gomis / AFP / Getty Images

 
 
Puzzles

Test your general knowledge with The Week's daily crossword, part of our puzzles section, which also includes sudoku and codewords

 
 
The Week recommends

El Salvador may have less than 200 miles of coastline, but it "features dozens of world-class waves crammed within its shores," said Surfer. El Zonte is one of the laid-back beach towns attracting visitors seeking great surfing conditions, sunshine and a respite from the grind.

Surf's up 
Expect small waves between November and early April and medium and big wave conditions from April to November (which coincides with the rainy season of May to October). When the waves are small, it's "beautiful," Marcelo Castellanos, the owner of Puro Surf in El Zonte, said to Surfer. "The water is clear, the skies are blue, and we get some offshore winds and cold fronts."

Time for pupusas and horchata
When in El Salvador, eat as many pupusas — thick, stuffed corn cakes — as possible. Pupuseria Jeisi is an El Zonte staple, with fans saying it's the best pupusería in the country. Family-owned and -operated, prices are affordable, with dinner for four coming in at under $20.

'New era' of tourism
A civil-war-ravaged El Salvador from 1979 to 1992 and "decades of instability and violence chipped away at the country's reputation abroad," said Lonely Planet. Under President Nayib Bukele, there has been a drop in gang-related activity and crime numbers, and these recent strides have "set the stage for a new era of tourism." The lower crime rates come "with a cost" though, said CNN, as some constitutional rights, including due process, have been "suspended under emergency measures."

 
 

Poll watch

Among Americans whose jobs can be done at home, 75% work remotely at least some of the time, according to a Pew Research Center survey. The poll of 2,315 adults found that nearly half (46%) of these workers say they probably wouldn't stay at their jobs if their employer no longer let them work remotely. 

 
 
INSTANT OPINION

Today's best commentary

'Nippon Steel: why we're suing Biden' 
Takahiro Mori at The Wall Street Journal
Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel filed a lawsuit after the president's decision to "block our companies' partnership" because the government "failed to meet the most basic requirements of due process and fairness," says Takahiro Mori. Japan is "one of America's staunchest allies," and "major companies in allied nations want to invest in the U.S. and employ Americans. Now they wonder if they will be treated as partners or political pawns." If politics can "dictate the process, it erodes trust."

'The FBI monitored Latinos for years. Why Biden should make the agency release its records.'
Natalia Reyes at the San Francisco Chronicle
President Joe Biden should "make the FBI publicly release any materials pertaining to the surveillance of the Latino civil rights movement," says Natalia Reyes. It's "not only knowledge of the history of oppression in this country that we stand to gain from the release of the records." These records "might also inadvertently reveal potential pathways for seemingly disparate communities to move forward together." Biden "stands to bring these stories to light."

'Texas web-porn law protects kids without harming adults' 
Clare Morell and Meg Leta Jones at Bloomberg
A Texas Supreme Court case argues that the government can "restrict children's access to online pornography without harming the free speech rights of adults," and Americans "should hope the justices will see that new technologies can lead them to find Texas' effort constitutional," say Clare Morell and Meg Leta Jones. "Two decades of experience have made clear that filters aren't working." Parents have been "fighting on their own against a relentless tide of pornography supplied by adult sites."

 
 
WORD OF THE DAY

fatberg

An accumulated lump of fat from cooking oils and other food waste that people put down the drain. U.K. scientists are using fatbergs to make a pine-smelling chemical that can be used in perfumes. The development of the technology to "perform this apparent alchemy" is being described by some as a "new industrial revolution," said the BBC. 

 
 

Evening Review was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Joel Mathis, Summer Meza, Rafi Schwartz and Anahi Valenzuela, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Amir Levy / Getty Images; Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images; Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images; Marvin Recinos / Getty Images