WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – U.S. officials say while ceasefire and hostage negotiations are on pause, the U.S. has publicly began offering stark warnings to Israel about the consequences of the rising civilian death toll in Gaza. And the White House says that Israel is listening. On ABC’s “This Week,” National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby said, “We’ve urged them as they go south, we have said publicly, we don’t want to see them move into the south unless or until they have accounted for that additional civilian population.” He went on to say that Israel “publishing this map online and drop ..read more

NEW YORK (AP) — The Republican National Committee's rules for next year's nominating contest and convention were released this week without addressing a question the GOP could well face next summer: Can the party's delegates vote for a different candidate if the presumptive nominee is convicted of a felony? Former President Donald Trump is under four criminal indictments that will proceed through the GOP primary season, an overlap of legal and political calendars with no precedent in American politics. Fifteen states and American Samoa hold their GOP primaries on March 5,&n ..read more

(The Hill) - Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) cursed out former President Trump in the wake of his removal as Speaker in October, after the former president refused to come to his aid and denounce the removal efforts, The Washington Post reported Thursday. After Trump gave McCarthy a list of reasons why he didn’t support the former Speaker in a phone call, McCarthy let loose, the Post report said. “F‑‑‑ you,” he told Trump, according to two sources McCarthy told about the conversation, the Post reported. McCarthy previously stood by the former president, pledging his support after mult ..read more

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) - A bill being considered by lawmakers would let officers know that a driver has autism with a simple blue envelope. These Massachusetts general laws are the most commonly searched The idea for the bill was developed at UMass Amherst, where Max Callahan now works after graduating from the school's Inclusive Learning program. He worked with UMass Police Chief Tyrone Parham to come up with the blue envelope bill. "When I started meeting with him, we saw eye to eye, and we began working on a survey for police officers if the blue envelope bill would help them," explained Cal ..read more

The Biden administration on Thursday proposed to require drinking water pipes made with lead to be replaced in 10 years.  Under the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) newly proposed “Lead and Copper Rule Improvements,” water systems would have to replace lead service lines in 10 years, with limited exceptions.   The proposal comes nearly a decade after the start of the Flint water crisis, perhaps the nation’s best known lead contamination incident. About 99,000 Flint, Michigan, residents were exposed to lead after a 2014 water supply switch caused lead pipes to corrode and ..read more

BOSTON, Mass. (SHNS)--Massachusetts has more than 1,500 miles of coastline across 78 communities that count nearly 2.5 million people as residents, and the Healey administration on Tuesday mapped out the skeleton of its strategy for preparing those areas to deal with the impacts of a changing climate. The ResilientCoasts initiative will be led by a new chief coastal resilience officer within the Office of Coastal Zone Management, and is expected to "pursue a multipronged approach to identify regulatory, policy, and funding mechanisms to develop focused long-term solutions" to coastal climate c ..read more

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — A tribute service honoring the life of first lady Rosalynn Carter will take place Tuesday at Emory University in Atlanta. Among those expected to attend the service is her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, who is currently in hospice care. "The fact that everything they did, they did together in such a collective way of being supportive of each other is just indicative of a 77-year marriage," said Paige Alexander, CEO of the Carter Center. "She's not just his wife, but she's a force to be reckoned with herself." President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are als ..read more

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - President Biden confirmed 4-year-old American hostage Abigail Idan made it to Israel, following 50 days in captivity.  He says so far, the deal is working. "The proof is little Abigail." The president said hostages freed by Hamas are just the beginning. "We will not stop working until every hostage is returned." Aid trucks continue to flow into Gaza under the protection of the cease-fire, including much-needed fuel. President Biden says he hopes the pause in fighting will extend beyond Monday. "For two purposes. To increase the assistance, get into Gaza civilians wh ..read more

BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP)--This week a set of bills were heard by the state legislature that would expand abortion access in the state. In the last two terms, abortion legislation has gained traction on Beacon Hill, and now advocates are pushing for further access. Even though Massachusetts ranks high when it comes to abortion access, advocates believe there is still plenty of progress to be made. The proposals would allow someone younger than 16 to receive an abortion without first getting parental consent - or a judge's consent. Massachusetts creates Reproductive Justice Unit to protect women’s a ..read more

BOSTON (State House News Service) - Lawmakers are interrupting their session-long push for new gun laws to finally give the public a chance to weigh in on a series of bills. Massachusetts Gun Bill: How your representative voted Senate Democrats plan in the new year to unveil and debate a bill they want to put on Gov. Maura Healey's desk this term, and the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, November 28 on firearms bills that have been idling all year. The committee, chaired by Rep. Carlos Gonzalez of Springfield and Sen. Walter Timilty of ..read more