News Wrap: Famine spreads to 2 regions of war-torn Sudan

Geoff Bennett:

We start the day's other headlines in the Middle East.

The Red Cross says that Israel transferred the bodies of 45 Palestinians to Gaza today. It comes after Hamas handed over the remains of three Israeli hostages a day earlier. The convoy carrying the bodies arrived in Tel Aviv yesterday. All three were soldiers who were killed during the 2023 Hamas-led attack.

The exchanges marked the latest step in fulfilling the terms of the shaky Gaza cease-fire deal. Another of those conditions is the increase of aid into the territory. Humanitarian groups and locals say that, while supplies are getting in, more is desperately needed.

Nermeen Tramsi, Displaced Palestinian (through translator):

We received this box of aid. Of course, it's not enough to feed us. Our basic needs exceed what this parcel offers. If we compare this to the aid coming in, it's nothing.

Geoff Bennett:

Also today, Gaza's Health Ministry announced plans to vaccinate some 40,000 Palestinian children against diseases like measles and polio. The campaign is set to start next week.

Famine has spread to two regions of war-torn Sudan. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification — that's the leading international authority on hunger crises — says El Fasher and the town of Kadugli are experiencing starvation, extremely high levels of malnutrition and death. The group says 20 other areas are also at risk.

Meantime, relief workers in Northern Sudan are preparing for an influx of displaced people after El Fasher fell to RSF paramilitary fighters last week. A U.S. envoy tells the Associated Press that a truce is being negotiated in the hopes of ending the violence.

Massad Boulos, U.S. Senior Adviser for Arab and African Affairs: What happened to El Fasher in the last 10 days is extremely sad. And it's a city that had been under siege anyway for the last year-and-a-half. Our teams, our respective teams, are working with both sides separately in an effort to finalize the details of this humanitarian truce.

Geoff Bennett:

The U.N. says more than 40,000 people have been killed since fighting started in 2023 between Sudan's military and the RSF. But aid groups say the real number could be much higher.

Nigerian officials are pushing back against any U.S. military operation in the country after President Trump suggested troops may go in, as he put it, guns a blazing. A government spokesperson said such talk is aimed at forcing a conversation about violence in the West African nation.

Donald Trump, President of the United States: They're killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria.

Geoff Bennett:

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One last night, the president reiterated his claim that the Nigerian government allows the persecution of Christians, which the government there denies.

In the Italian capital of Rome, part of a medieval tower collapsed today, trapping one worker inside and seriously injuring another. Firefighters were trying to rescue workers through a window after an initial collapse when the structure gave way again.

The second collapse trapped a worker inside and it took hours for rescuers to save him. The tower, which is undergoing a renovation, dates to the 13th century and is just blocks away from the coliseum.

The Dodgers celebrated their second straight World Series win with a victory lap through downtown Los Angeles today. Aboard a fleet of double-decker buses, the team enjoyed showers of confetti and cheers from tens of thousands of fans who lined the streets. The Dodgers won their third title in six years after beating the Toronto Blue Jays in a decisive game seven this past weekend.

Consumer goods Giant Kimberly-Clark is buying Tylenol maker Kenvue in a deal worth about $48 billion. The pain reliever has been in the spotlight recently amid unproven claims by President Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that Tylenol is linked to autism. Shares of Kimberly-Clark fell more than 14 percent today.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, stocks ended mixed to start the week. The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 200 points. The Nasdaq rose more than 100 points. The S&P 500 also ended a touch higher.

Three-time Oscar nominee Diane Ladd has died.

Diane Ladd, Actress:

You don't want me very much, do you?

Actress:

Not very much, no.

Diane Ladd:

Honey, that's OK. I have been dumped on by kings in my time.

Geoff Bennett:

Ladd was known for roles in Martin Scorsese's "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" and David Lynch's "Wild at Heart." She also appeared in films like "Chinatown" and "Primary Colors,' along with many TV appearances over her six-decade career.

Ladd's passing was announced today by her daughter, Oscar-winning actress Laura Dern, who called her a profound gift of a mother. Diane Ladd passed away at her home in California. She was 89 years old.

And Setti Warren, the director of Harvard's Institute of Politics, has died. He was the first popularly elected Black mayor in Massachusetts' history, leading the city of Newton from 2010 to 2018. An Iraq War veteran, he later ran for U.S. Senate and governor of Massachusetts. Harvard remembered Warren as a visionary and tireless leader. He passed away suddenly at his home in Newton. He was 55 years old.

Still to come on the "News Hour": Israel responds to a leaked video that allegedly shows a view of a Palestinian detainee; Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest on the ongoing government shutdown; and an in-studio performance by Americana artist S.G. Goodman.