For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Middle East Eye, and to commentary from Z-Network and Al-Shabaka, both via Consortium News, and to a discussion from ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE). — MCM

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Dozens killed in strikes in southern Gaza as preparations for cease-fire talks move forward, by Samy Magdy and David Rising | AP  CAIRO — At least three dozen Palestinians were killed in multiple Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip, officials said today, even as preparations moved ahead for high-level cease-fire talks in the Egyptian capital. Among the dead . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hamas delegation headed to Cairo today to discuss Gaza ceasefire talks. From Reuters. CAIRO — A Hamas delegation headed by its senior official Khalil al-Hayya was to arrive in Cairo today to hear from mediators on the latest round of Gaza ceasefire talks that took place in the Egyptian capital, the Palestinian group said in a statement. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli shelling in Gaza kills 12 Palestinians, Wafa says. From Reuters. CAIRO — At least 12 Palestinians, including two children and a woman, were killed early this morning by Israeli attacks east of Gaza’s Khan Younis and in the Al-Nuseirat camp area, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. rebukes sceptics of ceasefire talks as diplomats meet in Egypt, by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  The Biden administration rebuked sceptics of its efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza on Friday, saying a flurry of media leaks suggesting that negotiations had all but collapsed were “inaccurate”. “The process . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 23  The cant about Israel’s ‘right to self-defense,’ by M. Reza Behnam | Z-Network / Consortium News  Despite the countless atrocities, assassinations and violations of humanitarian and international law, American politicians and the corporate media recite ad infinitum the accepted talking point that Israel has a “right to defend itself.” From their distorted perspective, only the aggressor deserves that prerogative. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 23  The U.S. push for Saudi recognition of Israel, by Tariq Dana | Al-Shabaka / Consortium News  Washington has long aspired for Saudi Arabia to embrace Israel officially. The bipartisan Israel Relations Normalization Act, passed by Congress in March 2022, underscored this objective, mandating the State Department to . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 23  A ‘meaningful’ election where neither candidate condemns U.S.-sponsored genocide? Robert Scheer of ScheerPost “spars” with Jeff Cohen, retired professor of Journalism at Ithaca College and founder of Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting, about, among other things, “whether this year will bring actual change from the Democrats in their support for Israel’s suppression of the Palestinians.” Click HERE to watch and listen and read transcript.

For today, links to 13 reports: from the Agence France-Presse, Reuters, the Associated Press, and C-SPAN; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine says five dead in Russian strike on eastern town of Kostyantynivka. From AFP. Five people were killed and five others wounded today in a Russian bombardment of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, Ukraine’s prosecutor general said. READ MORE . . .

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Kyiv says struck ammunition depot in Russia’s Voronezh region. From AFP. Ukraine said it had carried out an attack today on a Russian ammunition depot in the southern Russian region of Voronezh. READ MORE . . .

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EU review does not recommend sending military trainers to Ukraine for now, media report says. From Reuters. BERLIN — The German weekly Welt am Sonntag reported today that EU’s diplomatic service has called on member states to better adapt a military training mission for Ukraine to Kyiv’s needs but stopped short of recommending the bloc send . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia, Ukraine set to swap 115 prisoners each, UAE official says, by Alexander Cornwell | Reuters  DUBAI — Russia and Ukraine were set to exchange 115 prisoners each today after negotiations mediated by the United Arab Emirates, an Emirati official said, the first such prisoner swap since Ukraine launched its offensive inside Russia this month. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AFP.

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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy signs anti-Russia laws to mark Independence Day. From Reuters  KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed several laws targeting Russia today as his country marked independence day, including ratifying a statute that paves the way for Ukraine to join the International Criminal Court. READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE, HERE  and HERE for reports from AP, AFP, Kyiv Post and the Kyiv Indpendent.

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FROM AUG. 23  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he’s suspending his presidential bid and backing Donald Trump, by Jonathan J. Cooper, Ali Swenson and Gabriel Sandoval | AP  PHOENIX — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his independent campaign for president Friday and endorsed Donald Trump. He cited free speech, the war in Ukraine and “a war on our children” as among the reasons he would try to remove his name from the ballot in battleground states. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM AUG. 23  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes presidential campaign announcement. From C-SPAN. In publicly suspending his candidacy for president and endorsing former President Trump’s candidacy, Kennedy said one of his primary reasons was ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. That six- or seven-minute portion of his roughly 50-minute address begins about 19 minutes in. Click HERE to watch and listen.

For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, Le Monde, the Anadolu Agency, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Baby paralysed in Gaza’s first case of type 2 polio for 25 years, WHO says, by Tala Ramadan | Reuters  DUBAI — A 10-month-old baby in war-shattered Gaza has been paralysed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the territory in 25 years, the World Health Organization said on Friday, with U.N. agencies appealing for urgent vaccinations of every baby. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for earlier reports from AP and Le Monde.

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Displacement by Israel in Gaza hampers aid operations, warns senior UN official, by Ahmet Gencturk | Andolu Agency  ATHENS — The displacement of Palestinians by Israel in Gaza hampers aid operations, a senior UN official warned on Thursday. “Successive mass evacuation orders issued by Israeli forces amid hostilities have displaced . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel could ‘collapse within a year’ if war of attrition continues, warns retired general. From Anadolu Agency. Retired Israeli Maj. Gen. Yitzhak Brik warned Thursday that Israel could face “collapse within a year” if its current war against Palestinian group Hamas and Lebanese movement Hezbollah continues. In an opinion piece published by the Israeli daily Haaretz . . . READ MORE . . .

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What are the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors and why do they matter? by Rayhan Uddin | Middle East Eye  Negotiations for an end to the ten-month-long war in Gaza have recently centred around two buffer zones controlled by Israel’s military. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Moscow Times, Tass, the Associated Press, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Indian Prime Minister Modi offers to bring peace to Ukraine ‘as a friend.’ From AP. KYIV — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today offered his role “as a friend” to bring peace to Ukraine in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a brief visit that many in Ukraine hope will pave the way for an Indian role in peace mediation. READ MORE . . .

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Russia suspends ferry service to Crimea after Ukrainian port attack. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia has suspended a ferry service between southern Russia and Crimea after a Ukrainian attack the previous day hit a vessel loaded with rail cars carrying fuel, Russia’s Transport Ministry said today. Ukraine’s Navy said today it had . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from the Moscow Times and Tass.

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Ukraine says it has recaptured land in the Kharkiv region, reversing some Russian gains there. From AP. KYIV — Ukrainian forces say they have recaptured territory in the eastern region of Kharkiv, where Russia launched a large offensive in the spring that brought initial gains but the operation soon stalled. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Russian ambassador to U.S. says Putin has plan of action for Kursk incursion. From Reuters. Russian President Vladimir Putin has formulated a response to the ongoing Ukrainian incursion in the Kursk region and those responsible for attacking Russia will be punished, Russian ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov said late Thursday. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to five reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, and the Anadolu Agency, and to commentary from Indian Punchline and Peoples Dispatch; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli tanks push deeper into Gaza, as Biden urges peace, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli forces pressed deeper into areas of the central and southern Gaza Strip as they battled Hamas fighters, while Palestinian health officials said on Thursday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 22 people across the enclave. The new escalation . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for Aug. 21 report from AP.

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Israeli strikes kill at least 16 in Gaza, Palestinian officials say. From AP. Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes have killed at least 16 people in the Gaza Strip. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital received the bodies, including the remains of a woman and three children, after strikes overnight and into today. An Associated Press reporter at the hospital counted the bodies. READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu insists on full control of Philadelphi Corridor ahead of Gaza cease-fire talks in Egypt, by Abdelraouf Arnaout | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still insists on maintaining control over the Philadelphi Corridor in the southern Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt, the public broadcaster KAN said today. READ MORE . . .

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Blinken ‘sentenced ceasefire talks to death’ with Hamas, Netanyahu remarks. From Middle East Eye.  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sentenced the Gaza ceasefire negotiations to death by implying Hamas was the obstacle to a deal and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted it, Israeli officials told local media. Blinken’s comments . . . READ MORE . . .

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Iran will hit Israel, ball is in U.S.-Israeli court, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  Tehran’s grit to push back western bullying is at an all-time high level. Iran will not submit to western diktat. In today’s circumstances . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 20  Why Palestinians question the recent U.S. proposal, by Aseel Saleh | Peoples Dispatch  For many, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s current tour in the region, his ninth with the stated purpose of ending the Israeli aggression in Gaza, has proved to be propaganda to serve Israel’s strategic goals and interests, and to place the blame on . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to 10 reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, Agence France-Presse, the Anadolu Agency, Tass, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from ScheerPost; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine conducts drone attack on Russian airbase in Volgograd region, source says. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine conducted a drone attack on Russia’s Marinovka military airfield in the southern Russian region of Volgograd, striking a storage site for fuel and glide bombs, a security source in Kyiv said today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from AP and the Moscow Times.

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Ukraine captures new settlement in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Zelensky says while visiting border, by Martin Fornusek | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine captured another Russian settlement in Kursk Oblast, as well as Russian prisoners of war, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 22 while visiting the border areas in Sumy Oblast. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from AFP and the Anadolu Agency.

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Russian forces destroy U.S.-made Abrams tank in borderline Kursk area — commander. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed a U.S.-made Abrams tank of the Ukrainian army in the borderline Kursk Region, Deputy Head of the Russian Armed Forces’ Main Military-Political Department, Akhmat Special Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Apty Alaudinov said today. READ MORE . . .

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Zelenskyy says Ukraine needs frozen Russian assets for ‘real defense assistance,’ Burç Eruygur | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday his country needs the Russian assets confiscated in the West for “real defense assistance.” In June, leaders of the Group of Seven agreed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Poorly trained recruits contribute to loss of Ukrainian territory on eastern front, commanders say, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — While Ukraine presses on with its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, its troops are still losing precious ground along the country’s eastern front — a grim erosion that military commanders blame in part . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 21  On a river between Ukraine and the EU, border guards search for draft evaders. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Hanna Palamarenko | NPR  The Ukrainian military is managing troop shortages through the mass conscription of men ages 25-60. Though draft-age men are banned from leaving the country . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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Zelensky’s misadventures in Kursk, by Patrick Lawrence | Original to ScheerPost  It has been three weeks since ground units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine crossed into the Kursk province in southwestern Russia, surprising — or maybe not surprising — the U.S. and its clients in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Two days later . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Middle East Monitor, and to commentary from Common Dreams via Consortium News; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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NEWER  Key mediator Egypt expresses skepticism of Gaza cease-fire proposal as more details emerge, by Samy Magdy | AP  CAIRO — Key mediator Egypt expressed skepticism today as more details emerged of the proposal meant to bridge gaps in cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas, a day before negotiations were expected to resume in Cairo. The challenges . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza after Blinken ends visit with truce deal still elusive, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie | Reuters  CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Israeli airstrikes across Gaza killed at least 50 Palestinians in the past 24 hours, Palestinian health authorities said today, as the military said troops continued to target militants and seize weapons and ammunition. As last-ditch diplomatic . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP.

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Hamas slams U.S. statements as ‘coup’ against 2 July agreement. From Middle East Monitor. The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, on Tuesday condemned claims by U.S. President Joe Biden that it is backing away from a Gaza truce deal, hours after his Secretary of State, Antony Blinken called on the movement to accept the new proposal. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 20  Biden’s cruel & Orwellian remarks on Gaza at the DNC, by Norman Solomon | Common Dreams / Consortium News  President Joe Biden’s speech about Gaza at the Democratic convention Monday night was a journey into an alternative universe of political guile. Six days earlier he had approved sending $20 billion worth of more weapons to Israel. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to seven reports: from the Moscow Times, the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from AP; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine says destroyed Russian army pontoon bridges in Kursk Region. From the Moscow Times. Ukrainian special forces said today that they destroyed several Russian military pontoon bridges along a river in the Kursk region, coming days after authorities in Russia said Kyiv’s military blew up three bridges spanning the waterway.  READ MORE . . .

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Moscow sees one of Ukraine’s largest drone attacks as fighting rages in Kursk and eastern Ukraine. From AP. MOSCOW — Moscow came under one of the largest attacks yet by Ukrainian drones since the start of fighting in 2022, Russian authorities reported Wednesday, saying they destroyed all of those headed toward the capital. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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In Kursk Region, Ukraine forces regroup, suffer losses. From Tass. MOSCOW — Ukrainian troops lost up to 300 servicemen and 26 armored vehicles in the Kursk area over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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Attack on Kursk Region a priori cancels possibility of talks with Kiev — Russian MFA. From Tass. MOSCOW — Ukraine’s attack on the Kursk Region a priori reduces to nothing the chances of any negotiations with the current regime in Kiev, according to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. READ MORE . . .

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What does Ukraine’s incursion into Russia say about a so-called ‘red line’? Reported by Steve Inskeep | NPR  Former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Evelyn Farkas, now at the McCain Institute, talks about Ukraine’s incursion into Russia, and implications for U.S. and allied policy. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM AUG. 20  Ukraine civilians try the army for a week. Reported by Polina Lytvynova | NPR  Ukraine needs more soldiers as its troops hold the defense on Ukrainian territory and carry out an offensive in Russia. An elite Ukrainian military unit offers civilians a one-week tryout as soldiers. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Putin’s slow response to the Kursk attack could test the patience of some of his backers in Russia, by Emma Burrows | AP  Russian President Vladmir Putin has a history of responding slowly to various crises in his tenure, and he has so far played down Ukrainian forces’ attack in the Kursk Region. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to a report from the Associated Press, and to commentary from nader.org and, via Consortium News, Telegram; other articles may accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died, by Julie Carr Smyth | AP  Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre that brought success to Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others, has died. He was 88. Dubbed “the king of . . . READ MORE . . .

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On the passing of Phil Donahue (1935-2024), by Ralph Nader | nader.org  Given the frequency of his programs and the size of his live television audiences, Phil Donahue gave early national voice to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Remembering Phil Donahue, by Scott Ritter | Telegram / Consortium News  I got to know Phil in 2002, when he returned to the television talk show circuit on MSNBC as the host of “Donahue.” America was, at that time . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to eleven reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and Middle East Monitor, and to a profile from The New Yorker; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Blinken visits Gaza mediators in pursuit of cease-fire deal. From AP. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar as he pressed ahead today with the latest diplomatic mission to secure a cease-fire in the war in Gaza. Hamas in a new statement called the latest proposal presented to it . . . READ MORE . . .

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Blinken in Egypt seeking progress towards Gaza ceasefire deal, by Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters  ALAMEIN, Egypt — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed for progress towards a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal as he visited Egypt today, but major areas of dispute are still to be resolved in talks planned for later this week. He flew to Egypt from Tel Aviv, where . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli military retrieves bodies of six hostages from Gaza, by Maytaal Angel | Reuters  JERUSALEM — Israel has retrieved the bodies of six hostages from the Khan Younis area in southern Gaza, the military said today, as negotiations continued in an effort to bring back more than 100 who remain in the besieged enclave. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP.

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FROM AUG. 19  Blinken says Israel OKs a plan to break the cease-fire impasse and urges Hamas to do the same, by Matthew Lee | AP  TEL AVIV — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge differences holding up a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza, and he called on Hamas to do the same, without saying whether concerns cited by the militant group had been addressed. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 19  The latest on Blinken’s cease-fire negotiations in Israel. Reported by Michele Kelemen and Kat Lonsdorf | NPR United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel pushing for a cease-fire in Gaza as soon as possible. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Blinken heads to Egypt and Qatar to try to seal Gaza cease-fire deal. Reported by Kat Lonsdorf and Steve Inskeep | NPR  Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel has agreed to a cease-fire proposal for the war in Gaza. That announcement came after he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu in Jerusalem. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read.

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Why is Israel demanding control over 2 Gaza corridors in the cease-fire talks? by Joseph Krauss | AP  Israel’s demand for lasting control over two strategic corridors in Gaza, which Hamas has long rejected, threatens to unravel cease-fire talks aimed at ending the 10-month-old war, freeing scores of hostages and preventing an even wider conflict. Officials close to . . . READ MORE . . .

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What is happening in Gaza is not a war, but massacres committed by the Zionists, Algeria says. From Middle East Monitor. Algeria is ready to build three field hospitals in Gaza if the border between Egypt and the enclave is reopened, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Sunday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 3  The life of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, by David Remnick | The New Yorker  In the archives of Israel’s military courts, there is a six-page document, handwritten in Hebrew, that records an interrogation of Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar, the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip. The document . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE to report from NPR.