Plus: Netanyahu Agrees To Trump Gaza Peace Plan

Good evening,

Who else is excited? Bad Bunny will headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show on Sunday, February 8, in the Bay Area of California.

The 31-year-old Puerto Rican rapper — born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — has shattered streaming records, won three Grammys, and become one of the biggest artists in the world.
- He just wrapped a two-month residency in San Juan, Puerto Rico — that kept showing up on my Instagram “For You” page, making me want to book a flight. The shows had a massive economic impact on the island.
He said the Super Bowl performance will be “for my people, my culture, and our history.”
- This will be Bad Bunny’s only concert in the continental U.S. next year, over fears ICE would target his concerts.

More than 130 million people watched rapper Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show last year, and the event (including the football, of course) is consistently the most-watched television program of the year. In recent years, Jay-Z and Roc Nation have overseen the NFL’s entertainment strategy.

My Uncle Doug, who reads this newsletter <3, usually posts something on Facebook every halftime show along the lines of: What is this music? Well, Uncle Doug, get ready for great vibes and not understanding a single word — Bad Bunny’s music is all in Spanish, with plenty of slang.

Lauren
Producer

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Iraq War Vets Behind Separate Deadly Shootings At MI Church, NC Restaurant

At least four people were killed and eight others injured Sunday in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan when a man drove his vehicle through the front doors of a church and opened fire. The night before, a gunman opened fire into a waterfront restaurant in Southport, North Carolina, killing three people and injuring several more.

Authorities are describing both attacks as “targeted,” though not connected. Both of the 40-year-old suspects were Iraq War veterans — reigniting a discussion over gaps in veteran mental health care.

THE LATEST
Officials identified the suspect in the Michigan shooting as Thomas Jacob Sanford. Police say he was “neutralized” in an exchange of gunfire with responding officers after opening fire in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. FBI acting special agent Reuben Coleman called it a targeted act of violence, but did not say specifically who Sanford was targeting.

Authorities said they believed Sanford also intentionally set fire to the church. Victims ranged in age from 6 to 78.
- Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said Monday everyone has now been accounted for.

While Michigan officials would not indicate a suspected motive, the White House said the shooter was an “individual who hated people of the Mormon faith.”

The suspected gunman in the North Carolina shooting has been identified as 40-year-old Nigel Max Edge, a Marine veteran wounded in Iraq in 2006. He has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and multiple attempted murder counts .

“We understand this suspect identifies as a combat veteran. He self-identifies. Injured in the line of duty is what he’s saying, he suffers from PTSD,” officials said.

BIGGER ISSUE
About a quarter of mass shooters in the U.S. have military background, despite only making up about 7% of the population. That being said, only a small sliver of people with military backgrounds commit mass shootings.

From the Lewiston, Maine bowling alley shooting in 2023 (18 killed), and the 2018 Thousand Oaks bar shooting (12 killed), to early this year car attacks at the Trump hotel in Las Vegas and on Bourbon Street in New Orleans — similar cases of people with military background have surfaced in recent years.
- Studies show there’s rarely a single cause behind these acts of violence. Mental health challenges often play a role, sometimes beginning during military service. Struggles with reintegration into civilian life and post-traumatic stress disorder can compound those issues.

“People with a military background are overrepresented as mass shooters in our data,” James Densley, co-founder of The Violence Project, told CBS News. “It bears saying that the vast majority of people who serve in the military go on to lead incredibly successful lives, and obviously, we’re incredibly grateful for that service. And so, this is not a case that joining the military turns you into a mass shooter.”

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🚨 ONE THING WE’RE WATCHING

Netanyahu Agrees To Trump Gaza Peace Plan — Will Hamas?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to President Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza during a meeting at the White House on Monday.

It calls for the release of hostages, both living and deceased, the disarmament of Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and a ban on Hamas holding political power in Gaza. The prime minister of Qatar and the chief of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service said late Monday that Hamas negotiators pledged to review Trump’s proposal in good faith and respond.

The plan was negotiated with Arab and Muslim leaders — including from Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt — who all said in a statement Monday they welcomed Trump’s “sincere efforts” to end the Gaza War.
“I believe that today we’re taking a critical step toward both ending the war in Gaza and setting the stage for dramatically advancing peace in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said.

INSIDE THE PLAN
The White House released its proposal shortly before the press briefing, outlining a 20-point framework to end Israel’s war in Gaza and achieve peace in the region.

Immediate Ceasefire & Hostage Release: If accepted, the war ends immediately, military operations are suspended, and all Israeli hostages (alive and deceased) are released within 72 hours. Israel will begin a phased withdrawal tied to Hamas disarmament.
Prisoner Exchange & Amnesty: Israel will release 250 life-sentence prisoners and 1,700 Gazans detained since Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas members who disarm and commit to peaceful coexistence will receive amnesty or safe passage abroad.
Governance & Oversight: Gaza will be run by a temporary “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” under an international “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump, with oversight from global partners. Hamas will have no role in governing Gaza.
Aid, Security & Redevelopment: Humanitarian aid and reconstruction will flow into Gaza, overseen by the UN and Red Crescent. An International Stabilization Force will secure Gaza and train Palestinian police. Gaza will be rebuilt with international investment and developed into a “terror-free” zone.
Netanyahu still opposes any type of two-state solution, but the plan does appear to open the door to dialogue “between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.”

Trump warned that if Hamas rejects the plan, the U.S. will back Israel’s continued military offensive. Netanyahu took a much harsher tone, saying, “If Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President, or if they supposedly accepted and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself. This can be done the easy way or the hard way.”

In recent weeks, the Israeli military has pushed its ground offensive into Gaza City, the densely populated urban center where roughly half the enclave’s residents live.

MORE FROM THE MEETING
Netanyahu also issued a rare public apology to Qatar after Israel’s strike in Doha earlier this month. Netanyahu stressed the target was Hamas, not Qatar, and expressed regret for the loss of a Qatari security officer.

The public apology was a key Qatari demand for reopening Doha’s mediation with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage deal. Hamas’ top political leadership lives in Doha and survived the strike.

Trump is pushing a trilateral framework with Israel and Qatar to resolve grievances and advance his Gaza peace plan. Qatar has significant influence over Hamas.

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

Trump announces new tariffs on furniture and foreign films (THE HILL)
Oregon sues to block Trump from deploying state’s National Guard in Portland (POLITICO)
Dems not budging on government shutdown demands ahead of high-stakes Trump meeting, Jeffries suggests (FOX)
Eric Adams drops out of New York mayoral race (NBC)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine kills at least 4 people and wounds 70 (AP) while Moldova’s pro-EU party wins clear parliamentary majority, defeating pro-Russian groups (AP)
Taliban shuts down internet across Afghanistan in latest crackdown (CBS)
Singapore denies entry to exiled HK pro-democracy activist, Nathan Law (BBC)
Iran executes another alleged Israeli spy amid surge in death penalties (EURO NEWS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

Labor Dept. will not release Friday’s key jobs report, other data if government shuts down (CNBC)
Startup founder Charlie Javice sentenced to 7 years in prison for $175M fraud (ABC)
Electronic Arts to be bought in largest-ever private equity buyout at $55 billion (AP)
Anthropic’s latest Claude AI model can work for 30 hours on its own (AXIOS)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban separate after 19 years of marriage (PEOPLE)
Dolly Parton postpones Las Vegas residency, citing ‘health challenges’ (THE GUARDIAN)
J.K. Rowling brands Emma Watson “ignorant” in lengthy post defending anti-trans stance (THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
Rory McIlroy responds to ‘abusive’ crowd behavior after historic Ryder Cup win over US team (ABC)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… The tallest bridge in the world – standing at 2,050 ft in elevation – opened to traffic and the public in China on Sunday. According to Chinese state media, it is also the world’s longest bridge within a mountain range, stretching 4,600 ft across.

The bridge took nearly four years to construct. It cuts down travel time between the canyon’s two sides from two hours to two minutes.

The structure also has tourist attractions: A high-speed glass elevator that can send visitors to a coffee spot 2,600 feet above the river, a glass walkway, and bungee-jumping.