Angela Rae Harris's Blog, page 8

Gov. Polis chooses electric vehicles over the handicapped | CALDARA

Colorado’s governor just made this statement “The market has made it clear, EVs (electric vehicles) are here to stay.”

I agree with him. Electric cars, unlike 8-track tapes and rotary-dial phones, will continue to be available to consumers for a long, long time. Cool. But why he made the statement puzzles me. He did so while touting his decision that the state will increase one of its subsidies to buy a new EV from $6,000 to $9,000.

Wait a second. Which one is it? Has the market made clear electric vehicles are “here to stay”? Or do we need to add a third to the EV subsidy to keep its market alive?

And it begs another question: If the state is in a budget crisis, why spend our very scarce money buying people cars instead of providing core governmental services? Oddly, it’s the governor’s decision alone.

During the recent special session, instead of doing their constitutional job of setting budget priorities, the state legislature booted that power to the governor. This hard-left legislature, that screams President Donald Trump has too much executive authority, just gifted their highest authority to Colorado’s chief executive.

In case you’re blissfully unaware, the left is finally noticing our three equal branches of federal government have become very unequal. The executive branch has gained more and more power because during the last century Congress kept ceding its authority to the president’s office. Colorado has been following that example.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis plugs an electric vehicle into a charging station before announcing executive orders aimed at increasing the number of zero-emission vehicles on state roads at a news conference Jan. 17 in Denver.

But let’s talk electric cars. It’s been nearly a year since I let the taxpayers buy me one. I purchased a brand-new, completely sissy, Nissan Leaf. Although it retails for about $30,000, I got it for less than $14,000.

Can you really declare a product is “here to stay” when people will only buy it if someone else pays for most of it?

Although it’s as masculine as a bejeweled golf cart with a baby seat, I’ve enjoyed driving this little electric car more than I’d like to admit. It drives smoothly, is responsive, and has some get-up-and-go (which rarely matters thanks to traffic because we’ve stop building or even maintaining roads).

The downside? In snow it drives like a garbage dumpster sliding down a hill. It has little space to carry much of anything. Though I’m buying less gas, my electric bill went nuts. But what’s known as “range anxiety,” that’s the worst.

I’ve limped this car home with only 2% battery power left, making it more anxiety-powered than electric-powered. It’s no good for trips that might go long. So, like every other electric car owner, I also have a gas-powered car for, you know, life.

The statistics prove it. Subsidies to buy an EV go to people who already can afford a car.

Any member of the Green Industrial Complex reading this is now yelling, “Hey jerk, this new Colorado EV giveaway is income-dependent!” Indeed, it is. Your income must be 80% or less of your “area median income.”

So, according to the Colorado Energy Office, in my poverty-stricken county of Boulder a household of four can make $120,480 a year and still receive the $9,000 gift. Nice.

Beyond that, the state still gives anyone who buys an EV $3,500 (that will reduce next year) plus and extra $2,500 if the EV has a retail price of under $35,000 (that won’t reduce).

The state predicts this new giveaway of $9,000 will cost more than $28 million through the next three years. That’s not what you’d call a budget-driver, but it does represent more than 11% of the $250 million budget shortfall that’s mostly taken out on Medicaid receivers.

And don’t give me the “oh, this EV money comes from a special fee for clean transportation” crap. Money. Is. Fungible.

Jared Polis, who decided to rescind a 1.6% bump to Medicaid recipients to offset a fraction of the inflation (which is worse in Colorado than most other states), has put middle-class people who want a new plaything ahead of the handicapped dependent on Medicaid.

Of course this is by design. The false narrative is Trump cut Medicaid, thus Colorado will need to raise taxes (or “fees”) next year instead of the truth.

Our leaders want to spend our money on social engineering, not the core functions of state government.

Jon Caldara is president of the Independence Institute in Denver and hosts “The Devil’s Advocate with Jon Caldara” on Colorado Public Television Channel 12. His column appears Sundays in Colorado Politics.

Paul McCartney thrills his fans at Coors Field

In what is likely his last tour, Paul McCartney dazzled a crowd of about 50,000 fans of all ages at Coors Field Saturday night, rocking hard and shredding on guitar.

Kids danced along, teenagers took photos wearing Beatles shirts in front of the stage and older fans sang along to McCartney’s more than 30-track setlist.

Even at 83, McCartney’s set ran almost three hours and included famous Beatles hits like “Hey Jude” and some of his newer solo songs like “Come On to Me.”

Tens of thousands of fans cheered the one-time Beatle Saturday night at Coors Field. (John Moore/The Denver Gazette)

“I can tell you’re going to be a great crowd,” McCartney told Coors Field in the first few songs, met with a stadium of screams.

Denver got McCartney early in the tour, which opened Sept. 29 in Palm Springs and runs through Nov. 25 in Chicago.

Coors Field was a sellout on Saturday night. (John Moore/The Denver Gazette)

Todd Ramirez has been a Beatles fan since John Lennon was shot, he said, and seeing McCartney on what is likely his last tour is so special.

Ramirez has seen McCartney in concert three times, and said he can’t go a day without hearing a Beatles song.

“It always picks me up at work and whenever I’m down,” Ramirez said. “There’s a John Lennon song called ‘Good Morning’ that I sing in the office in the mornings. It’s just so joyful and inspirational.”

One of the younger fans gets a taste of classic rock. (John Moore/The Denver Gazette)

Kim Richmond came with Ramirez, and isn’t a fan, but is still amazed to be in the “presence of a legend,” she said.

“It’s crazy to be able to look down and there’s Paul McCartney. “The longevity of all of these years that people have gone to see him no matter what is awesome.”

Kaidon Salter, CU Buffs offense overcomes second half woes to pull away from No. 22 Iowa State

BOULDER — Deion Sanders put the game on the shoulders of Kaidon Salter.

Despite Salter’s rough showing last week at TCU — three poorly-timed interceptions in a 35-21 loss — the Colorado coach trusted his quarterback to make the biggest play in a must-win game for the Buffaloes.

Facing a third-and-16 with under two minutes to play and with No. 22 Iowa State holding one more timeout, Coach Prime could’ve just opted to play it safe and force the Cyclones to use their final timeout following a run play. 

But that would’ve left ISU a little over a minute and a half to drive down the field for a game-tying touchdown following a punt.

The Buffs decided to be aggressive and try to pick up a first down that would seal the game.

CU got the look it expected from the Cyclones’ defense, and Salter let a pass rip over the middle to Joseph Williams, who hauled it in for a 38-yard gain. A few kneel-downs later, and the Buffs’ 24-17 upset win was sealed.

“I don’t think there was a play in the game bigger than that third-down throw,” Sanders said.

But it was more than just one third-down conversion that helped turn the tide for the CU offense in an encouraging performance that featured the team’s most prolific second-half display of 2025.

Colorado quarterback Kaidon Salter, left, is pulled down by Iowa State linebacker Carson Willich in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

On a third-and-9 early in the third quarter, Salter sensed the blitz and escaped the pocket, eventually muscling his way for a 13-yard gain and a big-time conversion on a drive the Buffs scored a touchdown on a few plays later. 

In the fourth quarter, on another third-and-9, Salter stood in the pocket and delivered a strike to Williams for a crucial 16-yard pickup.

The player who was forced to own his mistakes a week prior was the hero in his team’s signature win of the season to date.

“He stood up and stood out. He did his thing,” Sanders said. “I’m proud of him.”

Salter has had to hear for weeks about the offense’s struggles in the third quarters of games. The Buffs had managed just 14 points total in the third quarters of the first six games of the season. They matched that on their first two drives of the second half with a pair of touchdown passes by Salter.

Colorado wide receiver Omarion Miller pulls in a touchdown pass in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

“The conversation in the locker room was just (that) we gotta go out there and be better,” Salter said. “Everybody’s mentality coming out of halftime is to get points on the board.”

Just like it could be for the team as a whole, Salter’s performance on Saturday could be the turning point he’s been searching for since regaining his spot as the starting quarterback in Week 4. 

While racking up 255 passing yards and two touchdowns to go with 57 rushing yards, Salter recorded his first win over a Big 12 team since joining the Buffs — and he hopes it isn’t his last.

“The rough season we’ve been having and (with) the bye week next week, it’s way better to sit going into a bye week with a win, instead of a loss and just having that on your mind,” Salter said. “It felt great just being able to go out there and execute the game plan, doing everything the coaches wanted us to do.”

Deion Sanders’ quick return from surgery boosts CU Buffs in win over No. 22 Iowa State

BOULDER — All Deion Sanders had to do was show up to practice Wednesday to inspire his team.

Less than 24 hours after his 16th surgery in the last three years, one of many to address ongoing hereditary blood clot issues in his legs, there Coach Prime was as Colorado continued preparation for a pivotal matchup against No. 22 Iowa State on Saturday — one that could send the Buffaloes’ season spiraling if they failed to get a win.

Seeing their coach prove his commitment by bouncing back once again from his health issues was all the motivation the players in the locker room needed to stop their losing streak and get their season back on track.

“It gave us a reason to fight,” said senior linebacker Jeremiah Brown, who has played for Sanders since Jackson State.

The Buffs fought like their season was on the line Saturday afternoon at Folsom Field and came away with one of the signature wins of the Coach Prime era — just their second over a ranked team since the start of 2023.

After blowing two-touchdown leads in each of the last two games, CU (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) found a way to come up with the necessary plays on both sides of the ball to come away with a 24-17 win over the Cyclones (5-2, 1-2 Big 12).

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders signals to decline a penalty against Iowa State in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

“I think them seeing me in practice, knowing what this journey has been for me and not skipping out on them, I think they respected the heck out of that and understood that I’m here,” Sanders said. “I ain’t going nowhere. I don’t care what’s going on; I am here. I got your back. I love those young men for that. I love those guys that call me ‘coach,’ as well as the staff that have supported me as well.”

CU was far from the dominant team in the final game before the program’s first of two bye weeks — Iowa State finished with a 441-395 edge in total yards and had more first downs — but every single one of the key plays in the game was made by Coach Prime’s team, especially defensively.

With the Buffs leading 21-17 early in the fourth quarter and with the Cyclones threatening to retake the lead, safety Tawfiq Byard intercepted a pass by Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht at the goal line.

After Colorado gave the ball back a few minutes later without adding to its lead, the Cyclones pushed all of their chips to the table by going for it on fourth-and-1 at their own 18-yard line. It was Brown and Amari McNeill who combined to stop ISU running back Abu Sama III in the backfield for a turnover on downs.

In that moment, a collective weight was lifted off the shoulders of a Buffs team haunted by multiple close losses in the first half of the season.

Colorado wide receiver Kam Mikell, left, is knocked out of bounds after a short gain by Iowa State linebacker Carson Willich, center, as defensive back Ta’Shawn James pursues in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

“It’s just like relief,” Byard said. “It was a good feeling to get out there and finish today.”

Now, CU has a whole two weeks to celebrate and build off its first win over a Power 4 program in 2025. The next game, two weeks from now at Utah will be a challenge, but maybe the Buffs have finally turned a corner on a cloudy Boulder day in which the skies opened up just in time to bask in a victory. 

There’s no telling how much better a 3-4 record feels, as compared to the 2-5 record Sanders’ team could’ve been staring at had things not gone their way against the Cyclones. But it doesn’t heal old wounds.

“The frustrating part about that is we’re good,” Coach Prime said. “I know that sounds crazy when you (see) our record, but we’re good. We should’ve been winning and we’re still upset with that.”

Not too upset to go out on the town and celebrate, though. 

“Usually I don’t want to be seen after a loss. I might actually go do it,” Sanders said. “I’m so darn happy for these young men and the staff and everybody involved in our program. We fought for this one.

“Hopefully today is the genesis of us getting going in the right direction.”

UNLV 51, Air Force 48 | More from the highest-scoring Falcons game in 20 years

Details from a heartbreaker in Las Vegas, as Air Force scored the most points in a loss in program history.

Air Force Player of the Game

Owen Allen, jr., fullback

The fullback ran for a career-best 192 yards, at times battering his way to yards and at other times running remarkably untouched – like on his touchdown runs of 28 and 21 yards right through the middle of the UNLV defense.

“To go without getting touched, that’s almost unheard of in college football,” Allen said. “I think we have the best O-line in college football.”

Allen averaged 11.3 yards on his 17 carries and even took a pitch on the perimeter for a 43-yard gain.

The 192 yards was the most for an Air Force player since Emmanuel Michel went for 203 in the Armed Forces Bowl in 2023 and came after Allen had rushed just seven times for 18 yards in the three previous games.

What we watched

Revisiting items The Gazette’s Brent Briggeman identified prior to the game.

The breaks in a close game

UNLV, as it has throughout its unbeaten start, made the plays that ultimately mattered. The Rebels forced the game’s lone turnover and capitalized with a touchdown on the next snap. They also hit three field goals (from 45, 32 and 20 yards), while Air Force missed its lone attempt.

But Air Force also might have allowed an opportunity to create its own break slip away when it took the ball with 50 seconds and two timeouts remaining in the second quarter in what was starting to look like a shootout and, even after a 15-yard run on the first play that advanced the ball to their 40-yard line, opted not to use a timeout and let time expire.

“That was a choice we made,” coach Troy Calhoun said.

Third down

Air Force started the game by holding UNLV on 4 of its first 6 third-down attempts, a marked improvement for the Falcons. They entered the game ranked 132nd nationally in that category, allowing opponents to convert on 55% of third-down tries. UNLV was 23rd nationally in converting 49.2% of its tries.

Two of those stops came on UNLV dropped passes.

The Rebels cleaned it up from there, converting on 3 of their final 5 third-downs, finishing 5-of-11.

The bigger problem for Air Force on Saturday was first and second down, as the Rebels only had 11 third-down situations despite scoring on nine possessions.

Air Force’s wide receiver depth

The Falcons had a clear top two receivers through the first four games of the season. Now both are injured.

Tre Roberson hurt a knee prior to the Navy game and has missed the past two weeks, now Quin Smith is out and did not dress on Saturday.

Sophomore Jonah Dawson started at receiver and caught three passes for 79 yards. Behind him, junior Adam Hrynciw saw significant action.

Air Force quarterback Liam Szarka (9)looks to throw a pass while under pressure from UNLV defensive lineman Tunmise Adeleye (30) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

By the Numbers

6

Wins for UNLV in its first 6-0 start since 1974 and making it bowl eligible for the third consecutive season, a first in program history.

10

Points by which Air Force has been outscored 240-230 during its 1-5 start.

48

Points for Air Force, the most in a loss in program history.

99

Combined points for Air Force and UNLV, the most in a Falcons game since 103 vs. BYU in 2005.

1,025

Passing yards this season for Air Force quarterback Liam Szarka through six games (just three starts). It’s the third 1,000-yard season for the Falcons in the past eight years.

1,200

Combined yards of offense (603 for Air Force, 597 for UNLV), which is the fourth-most ever for a Falcons game and trails only the 1,247 vs. Utah State in 2021.

Air Force loses yet another shootout, this time in final minute 51-48 at UNLV

LAS VEGAS – Even while playing out a script that’s growing frustratingly familiar, this ending found a way to be more dramatic and painful for Air Force.

The Falcons put up more than 600 yards of offense, took the lead four times in the second half and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:13 remaining.

They still lost.

UNLV scored on a 19-yard run from quarterback Anthony Colandrea with 37 seconds remaining, then Air Force sophomore kicker Jacob Medina missed wide right from 40-yards as the clock expired and the Rebels stayed unbeaten with a 51-48 victory at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday.

The game saw the teams combine for 1,200 yards of offense.

“I hate it. I hate it for our guys, players and coaches,” Air Force fullback Owen Allen said after running for 192 yards and two touchdowns. “Just, being within those walls of the practice facility and the locker room you know how much guys care and how much it means to them and how hard they work.

“And then week after week seeing the outcome that obviously we’re not hoping for makes me feel for our guys.”

Air Force (1-5, 0-4 Mountain West) has lost five in a row despite averaging 36.4 points in those games as opponents have averaged 45.4.

“We know the offense is doing what they’ve got to do to win games,” said Falcons linebacker Blake Fletcher, who had a team-high 10 tackles. “We know that we have to step up our game. At the end of the day, we’ve just got to produce.”

After a slow start that saw neither team score on its first two possessions, the offenses produced with abandon.

Air Force raced ahead 21-10, then UNLV (6-0, 2-0) scored 16 straight points. Then the lead changed hands 11 times like it was a basketball game. The fourth quarter alone saw six lead changes.

Falcons quarterback Liam Szarka scored with 1:13 remaining to move the Falcons in front 48-44.

“I was hoping they’d score,” Colandrea said, stressing the confidence that his team would be able to respond.

Colandrea threw for 361 yards on 20-of-32 passing with a touchdown and ran for 62 yards and two touchdowns. He’s a strong candidate to become the fifth consecutive Air Force opponent to be named his conference’s offensive player of the week.

Sure enough, Colandrea and the Rebels needed only six plays and 37 seconds to produce what turned out to be the winning touchdown.

Much of the final drive, including the last touchdown, came with three freshmen – cornerback Ehimen Oyamendan, safety Max Mustell and nickel Alexander Perez – in the defensive secondary for Air Force. The other two defensive backs were sophomores.

“We’re going to play the guys that we think have the best chance to help us win,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “Does that change throughout a game? It might. So that’s who we went with.

“What an amazing experience for all of these guys. For those three freshmen on the last drive to be out there, where else can you get that? Where else can you replicate it? You need that.”

The Falcons took possession with 37 seconds remaining and drove 52 yards to set up the 40-yard kick that would have forced overtime.

Medina’s miss made him 2-of-5 this season.

“And they’re makeable kicks,” Calhoun said. “We’ve got to knock that thing right through the middle of the sticks.”

The Falcons ran for a season-high 428 yards. Szarka passed for 175 yards and a touchdown and ran for 136 and two scores.

“Give (Szarka) credit and their receivers credit,” UNLV coach Dan Mullen said. “They made a lot of good, contested plays. There was not one time where they had a guy just running uncovered down the middle of the field, which you see a lot on film.”

Cade Harris added 91 yards of offense (46 receiving, 45 rushing) with a pair of touchdowns.

The 603 yards of total offense were the most for Air Force in a Mountain West game in four years.

“I think we should put up 700 yards and get a win,” said tight end Bruin Fleischmann, whose two catches included an 18-yard touchdown pass over a defender.

UNLV put up 15 plays of 15 or more yards and came up with the game’s lone turnover after the Falcons fumbled a handoff on the first play of the second half.

The Rebels scored on the first play after the turnover, the first of their 38 second-half points.

“I think obviously it’s unfortunate,” said Air Force linebacker Dallas Daley, who had seven stops and swatted away a fourth-down pass in the second quarter – the only time the Falcons kept the Rebels off the scoreboard on their final 10 drives. “We’re going to think about it for a little bit and we’re just going to move on and look at Wyoming for next week.”

Havana denies that Cuban troops are fighting in Ukraine

Reuters

HAVANA • Cuba’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday said U.S. claims that its troops were fighting in Ukraine were unfounded, and released for the first time information on legal proceedings against Cubans for mercenary activity in the war in Eastern Europe.

Communist Cuba has openly sided with its ally Russia in the conflict in Ukraine while also calling for peace talks.

Reports of Cubans on the battlefield first surfaced in 2023, resulting in an investigation in Cuba. Havana later stated that these Cubans were mercenaries.

“In the period from 2023 to 2025, nine criminal proceedings have been presented to the Cuban courts for the crime of mercenarism, against 40 defendants,” Saturday’s statement said.

“Trials have been held in eight cases, of which five resulted in convictions against 26 defendants, with sentences ranging from five to 14 years’ imprisonment. Three processes are pending the Court’s ruling, and one case is pending trial,” the foreign ministry said in the statement.

The United Nations is preparing to vote this month on a non-binding resolution calling on Washington to lift its decades-long embargo on Cuba. The resolution has been passed in the General Assembly with wide margins year after year since 1992.

The General Assembly adopted the resolution last year, with 187 countries voting in favor. The U.S. and Israel were the only countries that voted against it, while Moldova abstained.

A U.S. State Department cable to diplomatic missions lobbying against the resolution states that Cuban soldiers are fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine.

“After North Korea, Cuba is the largest contributor of foreign troops to Russia’s aggression, with an estimated 1,000-5,000 Cubans fighting in Ukraine,” said the cable, which was first reported by Reuters on Monday.

The Cuban foreign ministry statement said “Cuba is not part of the armed conflict in Ukraine, nor does it participate with military personnel there, or in any other country.”

The ministry admitted it did not know how many nationals were involved on either side of the conflict, but said it had “a practice of zero tolerance for mercenarism, trafficking in persons and the participation of its nationals in any armed confrontation in another country.”

No survivors found after Tennessee munitions plant blast

Reuters

Investigators do not expect to find any survivors at the scene of a massive blast at a Tennessee military explosives company that left 18 people missing, officials said on Saturday.

The explosion, which was felt for miles, leveled a building at the 1,300-acre headquarters of Accurate Energetic Systems early Friday morning in Bucksnort, about an hour’s drive west of Nashville.

“More than 300 people have been through almost every square inch of this facility, and at this time, we’ve recovered no survivors,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told reporters. “It’s a great loss to our communities.”

Officials did not offer a precise death toll but have previously said 18 people were unaccounted for. Davis confirmed the operation had shifted from rescue to recovery and that investigators would use DNA testing to confirm the identities of those who died.

Investigators, including agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, were still working to determine the cause of the explosion, officials said. The presence of explosives and other ordnance at the property has made searching the scene complicated.

In a statement on Friday, the company thanked first responders but did not indicate a possible cause.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, co-workers and community members affected by this incident,” the company said.

Accurate Energetic Systems develops, manufactures and stores explosives for “military, aerospace, and commercial demolition markets,” according to the company’s website. The headquarters includes eight production buildings and a quality lab.

A small ammunition explosion at the plant in 2014 killed one person and injured three, according to local news reports.

Gazans stream back home as ceasefire holds

Reuters

GAZA/TEL AVIV • Thousands of Palestinians streamed north along the coast of Gaza on Saturday, trekking by foot, car and cart back to their abandoned homes as a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas appeared to be holding.

“It is an indescribable feeling; praise be to God,” said Nabila Basal as she travelled by foot with her daughter, who she said had suffered a head wound in the war. “We are very, very happy that the war has stopped, and the suffering has ended.”

Israeli troops pulled back under the first phase of a U.S.-brokered agreement reached this week to end the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and left much of the enclave in ruins. 

President Donald Trump will join the leaders of more than 20 countries in Egypt on Monday for an international summit aimed at finalizing permanent peace terms, a spokesperson for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said. The summit will take place in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Hamas is expected to release its remaining Israeli hostages by noon on the same day, in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire.

For many Gazans, the journey back through the enclave’s wasteland led to homes reduced to rubble.

“My house, which I built 40 years ago, was gone in a moment,” said Ahmed al-Jabari, as he stood in the wreckage of a Gaza City street. “I’m happy that there is no blood, no killing (but) where will we go? Will we live 20 years in a tent?”

In Israel, as dark fell, tens of thousands of people gathered in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv that was filled with joyous cheers, after two years of protests dominated by anger and heartbreak.

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump took the stage with U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who played a key role in ceasefire negotiations since Trump took office.

“I dreamed of this night. It’s been a long journey,” Witkoff said. Some yelled, “Thank you, Trump, thank you Witkoff,” and booed when the envoy mentioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Turning to the hostages, Witkoff said: “As you return to the embrace of your families and your nation, know that all of Israel and the entire world stands ready to welcome you home with open arms and endless love.”

Once the Israeli forces completed their redeployment on Friday, which keeps them out of major urban areas but still in control of roughly half the enclave, the clock began ticking for Hamas to release its hostages within 72 hours, by Monday noon.

“We are very excited, waiting for our son and for all the 48 hostages,” said Hagai Angrest, whose son Matan is among the 20 Israeli hostages believed to still be alive. “We are waiting for the phone call.” 

Twenty-six hostages have been declared dead in absentia and the fate of two more is unknown. 

According to the agreement, after the hostages are freed, Israel will release almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, many of them captured during the war. 

Hundreds of trucks per day are expected to surge into Gaza carrying food and medical aid.

UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram said on Saturday the United Nations’ children’s agency expects to significantly scale up supplies of high-energy food for malnourished children, menstrual hygiene supplies, and tents, starting on Sunday.

Witkoff, Kushner, and the U.S. military’s Central Command Admiral Brad Cooper accompanied Israel’s military chief Eyal Zamir in Gaza, the military said in a statement.

Cooper said in a statement that his visit was part of the establishment of a task force that would support stabilization efforts in Gaza, though U.S. troops would not be deployed inside the enclave. 

But questions remain about whether the ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal, the biggest step yet toward ending two years of war, will lead to a lasting peace under Trump’s 20-point plan.

Further steps in Trump’s plan have yet to be agreed upon. These include how the demolished Gaza Strip is to be ruled and the ultimate fate of Hamas, which has rejected Israel’s demands it disarm.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump expressed confidence the ceasefire would hold. “They’re all tired of the fighting.” He said he believed there was a “consensus” on the next steps but acknowledged some details still have to be worked out.

In addition to the Egypt summit, Trump is also expected during his trip to the region to address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, the first U.S. president to do so since George W. Bush in 2008.

Israelis and Palestinians alike rejoiced after the deal was announced to end a war in which more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly civilians, and to return the last hostages seized by Hamas in the deadly attack that provoked it.

During the Hamas attack on Israeli communities, military bases, and a music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, militants killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and captured 251 hostages.

MIT president says she ‘cannot support’ proposal to adopt Trump priorities for funding benefits

WASHINGTON — The president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said Friday she “cannot support” a White House proposal that asks MIT and eight other universities to adopt President Donald Trump’s political agenda in exchange for favorable access to federal funding.

MIT is among the first to express forceful views either in favor of or against an agreement the White House billed as providing “multiple positive benefits,” including “substantial and meaningful federal grants.” Leaders of the University of Texas system said they were honored its flagship university in Austin was invited, but most other campuses have remained silent as they review the document.

In a letter to Trump administration officials, MIT President Sally Kornbluth said MIT disagrees with provisions of the proposal, including some that would limit free speech and the university’s independence. She said it’s inconsistent with MIT’s belief that scientific funding should be based on merit alone.

“Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education,” Kornbluth said in a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon and White House officials.

The higher education compact circulated last week requires universities to make a wide range of commitments in line with Trump’s political agenda on topics from admissions and women’s sports to free speech and student discipline. The universities were invited to provide “limited, targeted feedback” by Oct. 20 and make a decision no later than Nov. 21.

Others that received the 10-page proposal are: Vanderbilt, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, the University of Southern California, the University of Arizona, Brown University and the University of Virginia. It was not clear how the schools were selected or why.

University leaders face immense pressure to reject the compact amid opposition from students, faculty, free speech advocates and higher education groups. Leaders of some other universities have called it extortion. The mayor and city council in Tucson, home of the University of Arizona, formally opposed the compact, calling it an “unacceptable act of federal interference.”

Even some conservatives have dismissed the compact as a bad approach. Frederick Hess, director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute, called it “profoundly problematic” and said the government’s requests are “ungrounded in law.”