News Wrap: Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah whether there’s a cease-fire deal or not

Amna Nawaz:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed again to invade Rafah in Southern Gaza whether there's a cease-fire deal or not. He spoke as efforts to reach a deal with Hamas appeared to intensify after a new Israeli proposal.

That came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in neighboring Jordan. He did not respond directly to Netanyahu's warning.

Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State: Our focus right now is on getting a cease-fire and the hostages home. That is the most urgent thing. And it's also, I think, what is achievable. No more delays. No more excuses. The time to act is now.

Amna Nawaz:

Secretary Blinken later arrived in Israel.

Meantime, Egyptian reports said a Hamas delegation left cease-fire talks in Cairo today and that the group will return with a written response.

The U.N.'s top court refused today to order a halt on German arms exports to Israel. Nicaragua made an emergency request, arguing that Germany is enabling genocide. The world court judges ruled the necessary legal conditions were not met, but they allowed the case to go forward and said they will hear arguments on the merits.

In New York, former President Trump was found in contempt of court today for violating a gag order in his hush money trial. He was fined $9,000 and was warned he could wind up in jail. The ruling came soon after Mr. Trump entered the court, nine violations for making statements about witnesses, jurors and others in the case.

Judge Juan Merchan wrote that — quote — "If necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, the court will impose an incarceratory punishment if the violations continue."

In Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson's job appears to be safe after Democrats announced today they will oppose efforts to remove him. Johnson had come under fire from far right members in his own Republican Conference after pushing through aid for Ukraine. Today, he said moves to declare his post vacant are misguided.

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA):

What the country needs right now is a function in Congress. They need a Congress that works well, works together, and does not hamper its own ability to solve these problems. And so we saw what happened with the motion to vacate the last time. Congress was closed for three weeks. No one can afford for that to happen.

Amna Nawaz:

Democrats said they will back Johnson because it's time to move past what they called Republican obstruction.

Investigators in Charlotte, North Carolina, spent this day asking how four officers were surprised and killed on Monday while trying to catch a fugitive. It was the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since 2016.

Laura Barron-Lopez has our report.

Johnny Jennings, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina, Police Chief:

The past nearly 24 hours have been heavy, heavy on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the Marshals Service, but heavy on our community and heavy on our country.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

Charlotte, North Carolina, is grieving one day after a search warrant raid turned into a deadly shoot-out.

Kiashia Williams, Charlotte Resident:

It was like, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, and then by the time I could turn in, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow. I heard the gunfire and just ambulance, police, everything just everywhere, just started rushing down.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

On Monday afternoon, a U.S. Marshals task force carried out a search warrant for Terry Clark Hughes, a felon wanted for illegally possessing a firearm.

As they approached the house, Hughes opened fire from the second floor. When he stepped out, officers shot him and pronounced him dead on the scene. Four officers were shot and killed in the exchange, Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks and veteran Officers Sam Poloche and Alden Elliott. The fourth officer, Joshua Eyer, died hours later after being rushed to the hospital. Four other officers were injured.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.

Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC):

Dangerous assignments are part of the job, but they step up and do it anyway to protect our communities and protect our families.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

It's been more than five years since a U.S. Marshal was killed in the line of duty. And Monday's incident was the deadliest for Charlotte's police force in decades. According to the Fraternal Order of Police, 136 officers died on the job in 2023, a decrease of nearly 40 percent from the year before; 47 of those deaths were by gunshot, but 378 officers were shot, the highest number on record.

In a statement, President Biden called the Charlotte officers heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice. He also called on Congress to ban assault weapons and pass more police funding. Police seized an AR-15 rifle from the residence. Additional evidence is still being collected in an ongoing investigation.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Laura Barron-Lopez.

Amna Nawaz:

An official said today they're still investigating whether a second gunman might have been involved.

In London, meanwhile, a man is in custody tonight after slashing passersby and police with a sword and killing a 14-year-old boy. Four other people were wounded in the incident in an East London suburb. Officials said the incident wasn't being treated as a targeted attack.

There's word that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is ready to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. Reports today said the shift would move marijuana out of the Schedule I category, which includes heroin and LSD. It would also cite medical uses of cannabis. The proposal is subject to review and then public comment.

An influential scientific panel, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force, has formalized a new recommendation breast cancer screening. The group said today that women with average risk should begin regular mammograms at the age of 40. That reverses the panel's controversial guidance in 2009 that screening could wait until the age of 50.

The Environmental Protection Agency finalized a ban today on a chemical used in consumer-grade paint strippers that's believed to cause cancer. Methylene chloride emits a toxic vapor. It's blamed for at least 88 deaths since 1980. The chemical will continue in some commercial uses with worker protections.

And on Wall Street, inflation worries weighed down stocks after news that workers' pay and benefits jumped in the first quarter. Major indices were down 1.5 to 2 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 570 points to close below 37816. The Nasdaq fell 325 points, and the S&P 500 was down 80.