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In the news today: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize; New York Attorney General Letitia James was charged with fraud after a pressure campaign by US President Donald Trump; and the Israeli military says a ceasefire agreement in Gaza has taken effect. Also, a woman in Texas helped out NASA after she spotted a boxy piece of scientific equipment about the size of a sport-utility vehicle land in her neighbor’s wheat field.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado addresses supporters during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro the day before his inauguration for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 9. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

WORLD NEWS

María Corina Machado of Venezuela wins the Nobel Peace Prize 

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, winning recognition as a woman “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.” Read more.

What to know:

• The former opposition presidential candidate in Venezuela was lauded for being a “key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided — an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government,” said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee. “In the past year, Ms Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.”

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• Trump’s quest for Nobel Peace Prize falls short despite high-profile nominations
  
  
• Your phone rings, and it’s a number from Sweden. Do you answer? A Nobel Prize winner didn’t

POLITICS

New York Attorney General Letitia James charged in fraud case after pressure campaign by Trump

New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday in a mortgage fraud case that President Donald Trump urged his Justice Department to bring after vowing retribution against some of his biggest political enemies. Read more.

Why this matters:

• James, a Democrat who infuriated Trump after his first term with a lawsuit alleging that he built his business empire on lies about his wealth, was charged with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a home purchase in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2020. In a lengthy statement, James decried the indictment as “nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.”

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• Former Republican election official buys Dominion Voting — a target of 2020 conspiracy theories

   

• Troops will miss paychecks next week without action on the government shutdown

   

• US Senate unanimously endorses repeal of 2002 Iraq war resolution

   

• Republicans vote to roll back Biden-era restrictions on mining and drilling in 3 Western states

   

• Who is Adelita Grijalva and what is the controversy over her being sworn in to Congress?

   

• Judge blocks National Guard deployment in Illinois for 2 weeks

   

• Judge orders ICE agents to wear badges, stop using tear gas on journalists

   

• FACT FOCUS: Trump paints a grim portrait of Portland. The story on the ground is much less extreme

   

• Oklahoma’s GOP governor opposes sending out-of-state troops to states that don’t welcome them

   

• Most states with National Guard troops in DC plan to withdraw this fall

   

• New US sanctions target 50 people, companies and ships for allegedly aiding Iran’s oil and gas trade

   

• US buys Argentine pesos, finalizes $20 billion currency swap

   

• 5 executions in 8 days: Why the death penalty is being used more in the US this year

   

• United Nations ambassador is no longer Cabinet-rank

   

• Judge upholds North Dakota’s ban on gender-affirming care for kids

   

• New California law aims to stabilize insurance for people who can’t get private coverage

   

• Arizona sheriff’s office misused millions meant to remedy racial profiling, report reveals

   

• North Carolina state House member charged with sex crimes

   

• Pope urges news agencies to stand as bulwark against lies, manipulation and post-truths

   

• In CBS role, Bari Weiss goes from critic of mainstream news to one of its gatekeepers 

   

• Cindy McCain suffers a mild stroke and will take leave from World Food Program

WORLD NEWS

Israeli military says ceasefire agreement in Gaza has taken effect

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect in Gaza on Friday, the Israeli military said, hours after Israel’s Cabinet approved a deal to pause the fighting and exchange the remaining hostages for Palestinian prisoners. Read more.

What to know:

• A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office early Friday said the Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial. An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the withdrawal, said the military would control around 50% of Gaza in their new positions.
  
  

• The ceasefire marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, reduced much of Gaza to rubble, destabilized the Middle East and left dozens of hostages, living and dead, in the territory. Still, the broader plan advanced by U.S. President Donald Trump includes many unanswered questions, such as whether and how Hamas will disarm and who will govern Gaza.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• US sending about 200 troops to Israel to help support and monitor ceasefire deal in Gaza
  
  
• Palestinians in Gaza express relief and caution as ceasefire deal raises hopes of ending the war
  
  
• Trump gets long-sought Gaza hostage deal with a whole lot of help from Arab and Muslim allies

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