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by Brittney Melton August 8, 2025 Good morning. Avatar series fans, this one is for you. Scientists found a gas giant planet that seems to actually orbit the star Alpha Centauri A in real life. Here’s the news we’re following today: Israel’s Security Cabinet voted early today to authorize the military to expand the war in Gaza and take control of Gaza City. This area is one of the last remaining territories not yet fully under military occupation. According to the United Nations, 90% of Gaza is already under military control or off-limits to Palestinians. The aim of the plan is to disarm Hamas, get hostages back and establish Israeli security control of Gaza before ending the conflict, according to Israeli officials. Before the cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel intends to take over Gaza, but not keep it. Jehad Alshrafi/AP 🎧 Public opinion on the decision is split. Many Israelis want the war to end, NPR’s Emily Feng tells Up First. Some of the most forceful opposition comes from the military. But right-wing Israelis support the expansion. Former peace negotiator Menachem Klein says the Israeli army cannot defeat a guerrilla force in its own territory. Mahmoud Abdel Salam Ahmed, who is preparing to flee Gaza City, says this plan is the worst news he has heard since the beginning of the war.  Vice President Vance traveled to Indiana yesterday to discuss redistricting with Republican state leaders. The battle to redraw new districts to ensure that Republicans win more Congressional seats next year started in Texas. The fight continues to escalate as Texas Democrats remain out of the state to try to block the GOP-led redrawing of the congressional map. GOP leaders, in response, have issued civil arrest warrants for the fleeing Democrats.  🎧 Vance’s discussion about redistricting signals that the White House does not intend to lose the political arms race and wants to stack the deck in their favor, says NPR's Ashley Lopez. Among Republican controlled states, Ohio needs a new map because of state law. Florida’s House speaker announced yesterday a new redistricting committee, and the White House has reached out to Missouri about redistricting. Democratic states have responded by looking into ways to draw more favorable seats for themselves in case GOP-led states are able to redraw their maps.  President Trump instructed his administration yesterday to develop a “new” census plan that would exclude millions of people living in the U.S. without legal status. This would be an unprecedented change to how the country has collected population data since its first census in 1790. The census numbers play a significant role in determining how the president and congressional members are elected.  🎧 The president attempted to exclude U.S. residents without legal status during the 2020 census, but failed, NPR’s Hansi Lo Wang notes. Preparations for the 2030 census are underway and no president can just order a new one. Congress has final authority over the census. Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has proposed a new bill that calls for a new census, a redistribution of House seats and a round of congressional redistricting before next year’s midterm elections. The bill would attempt to exclude people living in the states without U.S. citizenship, including green card holders, and U.S. residents without legal status. Lo Wang says that if the bill or any similar bills became law, they would likely face lawsuits.  Former Jan. 6 defendant Jared Wise is working as a senior adviser for the Department of Justice less than five years after urging rioters to "kill" police at the Capitol. NPR obtained police bodycam footage of Wise berating officers and the transcript of his testimony, in which he tried to explain his actions. Wise was not convicted of any crimes related to Jan. 6, due to Trump's order to end all Capitol riot prosecutions.

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