Nation and world news in brief for August 13

Hamas says one Israeli hostage killed, two women captives ‘seriously wounded’

(Reuters) — One Israeli male hostage was killed by his guard and two women captives were seriously wounded in two separate incidents in Gaza, the spokesperson for Hamas’ armed al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, said on Monday.

Abu Ubaida blamed the incident on what he described as Israeli “massacres” against Palestinians.

“The enemy government [Israel] bears full responsibility for these massacres and the resulting reactions that affect the lives of Zionist prisoners,” Abu Ubaida said in a statement posted on Telegram.

He said a committee has been formed to investigate, and findings will be announced later, adding efforts are underway to save the two wounded hostages.

Former Cornell student sentenced to 21 months in jail for threats against Jews

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — A former Cornell University student who in April pleaded guilty to posting online threats, including of death and violence, against Jewish students on campus, was sentenced on Monday to 21 months in prison, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Patrick Dai, 22, was charged late last year for making online threats against Jewish students at the Ivy League school in Ithaca, New York. His 21 months in prison will be followed by three years of supervised release, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Earthquake of magnitude 4.4 strikes Los Angeles area

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 struck the Los Angeles area on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The quake hit near the LA neighborhood of Highland Park, northeast of downtown, and was at a depth of 12.1 km (7.5 miles). The shaking was felt throughout the Los Angeles area.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said it went into “Earthquake Mode” and reported that “there are currently no initial reports of structural damage or injuries.”

Trump lies about huge Harris rally crowd being AI-generated

(TNS) — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump falsely claimed the large crowd that turned out to greet Kamala Harris last week in Detroit was generated by artificial intelligence.

“Has anyone noticed that Kamala CHEATED at the airport?” he wrote on his Truth Social media platform. “There was nobody at the plane, and she “A.I.’d” it, and showed a massive ‘crowd’ of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXIST!”

Numerous images from that Aug. 7 gathering indicate the Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport was teeming with enthusiastic supporters for the Democratic party nominee, who recently pulled ahead of Trump in polling in key swing states including Michigan.

According to Trump, who famously obsesses over crowd sizes and has been known to exaggerate his own, an airport maintenance worker claimed one photo making the rounds didn’t reflect what that person saw on the ground.

Iran’s vice president resigns, signaling deep divisions as cabinet takes shape

(NYT) — Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, ran as a reformist candidate. But when he announced Sunday that his Cabinet nominees included several conservatives and only one woman, he faced a fierce backlash, with a high-profile vice president resigning and political allies accusing him of abandoning campaign promises to bring change.

The resignation Sunday of Mohammad Javad Zarif, who had been appointed vice president for strategy and had led a search committee for Cabinet nominations, shocked Iran’s political circles. He had been a prominent face of Pezeshkian’s campaign, traveling across the country and telling voters to give change a chance.

Now, he was abandoning the government in a public display of deep divisions before it was even formed.

In a post on his Instagram account, Zarif said it had become clear to him that he could not bring about the kind of domestic change that people had expected.

Immigrants becoming US citizens at fastest clip in years

(NYT) — SAVANNAH, Ga. — The federal government is processing citizenship requests at the fastest clip in a decade, moving rapidly through a backlog that built up during the Trump administration and the coronavirus pandemic.

At ceremonies in courthouses, convention centers and sports arenas across the country, thousands of immigrants are becoming new Americans every week — and becoming eligible to vote in time for the presidential election this fall.