![White House refuses to put conditions on weapons for Israel after aid workers killed [Video]](https://usanewsvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/mp_1356926_0_cbsnfusionwhitehouserefusestoputredlineconditionsonweaponsforisraelafteraidworkersthumbnail2805770640x360jpg.jpg)
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby rebuffed questions Tuesday about the United States' continued military assistance for Israel, even after an IDF strike killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza. "You want us to hang some sort of condition over their neck," Kirby said, "And what I'm telling you is, that we continue to work with the Israelis to make sure that they are as precise as they can be and that more aid is getting in. And we're gonna continue to take that approach."
US Fitness
![Israeli strike kills 7 aid workers and halts food charity’s operations in Gaza [Video]](https://usanewsvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/mp_1355784_0_ap2660c29222adc9jpg.jpg)
An Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen, leading the charity to suspend delivery Tuesday of vital food aid to Gaza, where Israels offensive has pushed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to the brink of starvation.Video above: Australian PM Anthony Albanese pays tribute to aid worker killed in GazaShips still laden with some 240 tons of aid from the charity that arrived just a day earlier turned back from Gaza, according to Cyprus, which has played a key role in trying to establish a sea route to bring food to territory. Israel has allowed only a trickle of aid into devastated northern Gaza, where experts say famine is imminent.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that the countrys forces had carried out the unintended strike … on innocent people. He said officials were looking into the strike and would work to ensure it did not happen again.World Central Kitchen said it had coordinated with the Israeli military over the movement of the cars carrying the workers as they left northern Gaza late Monday. Footage of the aftermath showed a vehicle with the charitys logo printed across its roof to make it identifiable from the air. The projectile punched a large hole through the roof. Two other vehicles in the convoy were incinerated and mangled, indicating multiple hits.Other footage showed the bodies, several wearing protective gear with the charitys logo, at a hospital in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah. Those killed include three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian, according to hospital records.The killings threatened to have repercussions on multiple levels. The dead were citizens of some of Israels closest allies, antagonizing them at a time when the country has few friends amid mounting international criticism of its nearly 6-month-old offensive in Gaza.Video below: State Department: Make clear to Israel the US supports free pressThe strike could also set back efforts by the U.S. and other countries to open a maritime corridor for aid from Cyprus that would help ease the growing humanitarian disaster in Gazas north. World Central Kitchen, a food charity founded by celebrity chef Jos Andrs, was key to the new route.Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said Tuesday that ship deliveries would continue. Israel has barred UNRWA, the main U.N. agency in Gaza, from making deliveries to the north, and other aid groups say sending truck convoys north has been extremely difficult because of the militarys failure to either grant permission or ensure safe passage.The strike also underscored what critics have called the Israeli military’s disregard for civilian casualties in its Gaza campaign, which it says is aimed at destroying Hamas after its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.Throughout the war, Israeli forces have shown readiness to inflict widespread destruction when they believe a suspected militant is present or when ground troops see a tactical need to strike.Homes with families sheltering inside are leveled by strikes almost daily. The military has struck ambulances and aid vehicles, saying that armed fighters were in them.In February, troops and a tank opened fire when they felt threatened as thousands of Palestinians crowded to take aid off trucks, and more than 100 people were killed. The military said it did not fire at the convoy and that some victims died in stampeding.More than 32,900 Palestinians have been killed in the war, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. Israel blames Hamas for civilian deaths, saying it operates in populated areas.The U.S., Britain, Poland and Australia called for an investigation or an explanation from Israel over the aid workers deaths. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered the forming of a profession team to investigate the strike and the opening of a joint situation room enabling coordination between the military and aid groups.Andrs whose World Central Kitchen charity operates in several countries wracked by wars or natural disasters said he was heartbroken by the deaths of the staffers.The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon, he wrote on X.Anera, a Washington-based aid group that has been operating in the Palestinian territories for decades, said that in the wake of the strike it was taking the unprecedented step of pausing its own operations in Gaza, where it had been helping to provide around 150,000 meals daily.The escalating risks associated with aid delivery leave us with no choice, it said in a statement.Jamie McGoldrick, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said the strike was not an isolated incident, noting that around 200 humanitarian workers have been killed in the war.This is nearly three times the death toll recorded in any single conflict in a year, he said.The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel in a surprise attack on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage. Israel responded with one of the deadliest and most destructive offensives in recent history.Tensions have soared across the Middle East, and an apparent Israeli strike on Irans consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Monday has ratcheted them up even further. Iran and its allies have vowed to respond to the strike, which killed two Iranian generals.Mondays strike on the aid workers came hours after a new delivery with some 400 tons of food and supplies organized by World Central Kitchen and the United Arab Emirates arrived in three ships from Cyprus, following a pilot run last month.Around 100 tons were unloaded before the charity suspended operations, and the rest was being taken back to Cyprus, Cypriot Foreign Ministry spokesman Theodoros Gotsis said.The dead in the strike included Zomi Frankcom, 44, of Melbourne, Australia, and Damian Sobl of Poland, the two countries’ governments confirmed.Two other Israeli strikes late Monday killed at least 16 Palestinians, including eight children, in Rafah, where Israel has vowed to expand its ground operation despite the presence of some 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom have sought refuge from fighting elsewhere.One strike hit a family home, killing 10 people, including five children, according to hospital records. Another hit a gathering near a mosque, killing at least six people, including three children.Aid groups have repeatedly called for a humanitarian cease-fire, saying its the only way to reach people in need. The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent months trying to broker such a pause and a hostage release, but the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas remain bogged down.Hamas is believed to be holding some 100 hostages and the remains of 30 others after freeing most of the rest during a cease-fire in November in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
![What is Californias mountain lion population? [Video]](https://usanewsvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/mp_1328583_0_9fa6bc8c2687e93872db66d5900e7f50.jpg)
(FOX40.COM) Knowing the population of wildlife is important to gain a full understanding of a speciess health and the health of the environment they live in. But what are researchers supposed to do when the elusive mountain lion is the species in question? The Sequoia National Forest, operated by the United States Department of []
![USA Health to hold medical town hall March 28 [Video]](https://usanewsvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/mp_1321011_0_https3A2F2Fdo0bihdskp9dycloudfrontnet2F032220242Ftfd812773fc804cdaa485bdaf73620470namefile1280x7202000v31jpg.jpg)
USA Health’s Dr. Ashley Williams Hogue discusses the Center for Healthy Communities and the upcoming event.
![Man accused of raping teen at migrant shelter hotel back in court [Video]](https://usanewsvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/mp_1319399_0_coryalvarezarrivesatcourt32265fdaeb0a65ddpng.png)
A man accused of raping a 15-year-old girl at a Massachusetts hotel earlier this month returned to court for a dangerousness hearing Friday. Cory B. Alvarez, 26, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on March 14 in Hingham District Court on one count of aggravated rape of a child with force. According to investigators, the incident happened at about 7 p.m. on March 13 at Comfort Inn on Hingham Street in Rockland. The hotel is being used by the state as a shelter to house migrants.Both Alvarez and the teen are migrants. Alvarez came to the United States legally from Haiti in June 2023 and has been living at the hotel since October while seeking immigration status, according to his attorney.”(Enforcement and Removal Operations) Boston lodged an immigration detainer against Alvarez with the Plymouth County Sheriffs Office on March 14,” said ERO Boston spokesperson James Covington, meaning if Alvarez is released from local custody, federal agents would take him into custody.Alvarez was held without bail after his arraignment last week. He was ordered to surrender his passport and have no contact with the victim while in custody.Through multiple translators, the girl, who speaks French Creole, told investigators that Alvarez raped her in a room while she was getting help with apps on a tablet. She said Alvarez pushed her onto the bed and raped her, investigators said.According to the police report, the girl told investigators, I told him to leave me alone, but he didnt stop. The girl pointed police to the room and pointed him out as her assailant, according to a police report.In October the 110-room hotel was tapped by the state to be used as a shelter. The town said it had no say in the decision.Everybody in this hotel and our emergency shelter and all of the emergency shelters are either American citizens or they’re migrants from other countries that have legally entered the country, Town Administrator Douglas Lapp told the select board at the time. Rockland police said the incident is isolated. Our department provides community outreach to the hotel. We also work in close partnership with the National Guard who are stationed there, and we work to just make it as safe as possible, said Police Chief Nicholas Zeoli.
![Election misinformation is a problem in any language. But some gets more attention than others [Video]](https://usanewsvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/mp_1318586_0_ap265fc6f0402a99jpg.jpg)
Warnings about deepfakes and disinformation fueled by artificial intelligence. Concerns about campaigns and candidates using social media to spread lies about elections. Fears that tech companies will fail to address these issues as their platforms are used to undermine democracy ahead of pivotal elections.Related video above: Putin declared winner of a presidential race that was never in doubtThose are the worries facing elections in the U.S., where most voters speak English. But for languages like Spanish, or in dozens of nations where English isn’t the dominant language, there are even fewer safeguards in place to protect voters and democracy against the corrosive effects of election misinformation. It’s a problem getting renewed attention in an election year in which more people than ever will go to the polls.Tech companies have faced intense political pressure in countries like the U.S. and places like the European Union to show they’re serious about tackling the baseless claims, hate speech and authoritarian propaganda that pollutes their sites. But critics say they’ve been less responsive to similar concerns from smaller countries or from voters who speak other languages, reflecting a longtime bias toward English, the U.S. and other Western democracies.Recent changes at tech firms content moderator layoffs and decisions to roll back some misinformation policies have only compounded the situation, even as new technologies like artificial intelligence make it easier than ever to craft lifelike audio and video that can fool voters.These gaps have opened up opportunities for candidates, political parties or foreign adversaries looking to create electoral chaos by targeting non-English speakers whether they are Latinos in the U.S., or one of the millions of voters in India, for instance, who speak a non-English language.”If there’s a significant population that speaks another language, you can bet there’s going to be disinformation targeting them,” said Randy Abreu, an attorney at the U.S.-based National Hispanic Media Council, which created the Spanish Language Disinformation Coalition to track and identify disinformation targeting Latino voters in the U.S. “The power of artificial intelligence is now making this an even more frightening reality.”Many of the big tech companies regularly tout their efforts to safeguard elections, and not just in the U.S. and E.U. This month, Meta is launching a service on WhatsApp that will allow users to flag possible AI deepfakes for action by fact-checkers. The service will work in four languages English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.Meta says it has teams monitoring for misinformation in dozens of languages, and the company has announced other election-year policies for AI that will apply globally, including required labels for deepfakes as well as labels for political ads created using AI. But those rules have not taken effect, and the company hasn’t said when they will begin enforcement.The laws governing social media platforms vary by nation, and critics of tech companies say they have been faster to address concerns about misinformation in the U.S. and the E.U., which has recently enacted new lawsdesigned to address the problem. Other nations all too often get a “cookie cutter” response from tech companies that falls short, according to an analysis published this month by the Mozilla Foundation.The study looked at 200 different policy announcements from Meta, TikTok, X and Google (the owner of YouTube) and found that nearly two-thirds were focused on the U.S. or E.U. Actions in those jurisdictions were also more likely to involve meaningful investments of staff and resources, the foundation found, while new policies in other nations were more likely to rely on partnerships with fact-checking organizations and media literacy campaigns.Odanga Madung, a Nairobi, Kenya-based researcher who conducted Mozilla’s study, said it became clear that the platforms’ focus on the U.S. and E.U. comes at the expense of the rest of the world.”It’s a glaring travesty that platforms blatantly favor the U.S. and Europe with excessive policy coddling and protections, while systematically neglecting” other regions, Madung said.This lack of focus on other regions and languages will increase the risk that election misinformation could mislead voters and impact the results of elections. Around the globe, the claims are already circulating.Within the U.S., voters whose primary language is something other than English are already facing a wave of misleading and baseless claims, Abreu said. Claims targeting Spanish speakers, for instance, include posts that overstate the extent of voter fraud or contain false information about casting a ballot or registering to vote.Disinformation about elections has surged in Africa ahead of recent elections, according to a study this month from the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, which identified dozens of recent disinformation campaigns a four-fold increase from 2022. The false claims included baseless allegations about candidates, false information about voting and narratives that seemed designed to undermine support for the United States and United Nations.The center determined that some of the campaigns were mounted by groups allied with the Kremlin, while others were spearheaded by domestic political groups.India, the world’s largest democracy, boasts more than a dozen languages, each with more than 10 million native speakers. It also has more than 300 million Facebook users and nearly half a billion WhatsApp users, the most of any nation.Fact-checking organizations have emerged as the front line of defense against viral misinformation about elections. The country will hold elections later this spring, and already voters going online to find out about the candidates and issues are awash in false and misleading claims.Among the latest: video of a politician’s speech that was carefully edited to remove key lines; years-old photos of political rallies passed off as new; and a fake election calendar that provided the wrong dates for voting.A lack of significant steps by tech companies has forced groups that advocate for voters and free elections to band together, said Ritu Kapur, co-founder and managing director of The Quint, an online publication that recently joined with several other outlets and Google to create a new fact-checking effort known as Shakti.”Mis- and disinformation is proliferating at an alarming pace, aided by technology and fueled and funded by those who stand to gain by it,” Kapur said. “The only way to combat the malaise is to join forces.”