Pressure builds for cease-fire deal after 6 hostages killed in Gaza

PRESSURE CONTINUES TO BUILD IN ISRAEL FOR A CEASEFIRE AND A DEAL TO RELEASE HOSTAGES —   

JUST DAYS AFTER THE BODIES OF SIX HOSTAGES — INCLUDING ONE ISRAELI-AMERICAN — WERE RECOVERED FROM GAZA. 

OVER THE WEEKEND — 

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN CRITICIZED ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU FOR NOT MAKING ENOUGH PROGRESS Toward AN AGREEMENT — TALKING TO REPORTERS OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE SUNDAY. 

“Mr. President, do you think it’s time for Prime Minister Netanyahu to do more on this issue? Do you think he’s doing enough?” 

BIDEN: “No.” 

PROTESTS ERUPTED FOR THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE DAY IN JERUSALEM AS THOUSANDS DEMANDED THAT NETANYAHU SECURE A CEASEFIRE AND NEGOTIATE A HOSTAGE RELEASE. 

A COURT HAS ALSO ORDERED WORKERS IN ISRAEL’S LARGEST UNION TO RETURN TO WORK AFTER A STRIKE ON MONDAY HALTED INDUSTRIES NATIONWIDE. 

THE U.S. IS INCREASING ITS PRESSURE ON NETANYAHU. 

PRESIDENT BIDEN AND VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS MET WITH THEIR HOSTAGE NEGOTIATION TEAM YESTERDAY, WITH BIDEN INDICATING HE PLANS TO SPEAK WITH NETANYAHU ‘EVENTUALLY.’ 

AT A NEWS CONFERENCE, NETANYAHU EXPRESSED REGRET FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO BRING THE HOSTAGES BACK ALIVE BUT FIRMLY REJECTED THE MOUNTING PRESSURE AGAINST HIM. 

NETANYAHU ADDRESSED PRESIDENT BIDEN DIRECTLY, URGING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO FOCUS its PRESSURE ON **HAMAS. 

ON MONDAY, THOUSANDS GATHERED IN JERUSALEM FOR THE FUNERAL OF HERSH GOLDBERG-POLIN — AN ISRAELI-AMERICAN AMONG THE SIX HOSTAGES FOUND DEAD. 

IN THE MEANTIME, NEARLY 50 PALESTINIANS HAVE BEEN REPORTED KILLED THIS WEEK ACCORDING TO HEALTH OFFICIALS, AMID ONGOING STRIKES IN GAZA AND RAIDS IN THE WEST BANK. 

NETANYAHU HAS VOWED THAT HAMAS WILL FACE “SEVERE CONSEQUENCES.” 

THE UNITED KINGDOM HAS ANNOUNCED IT WILL SUSPEND SOME OF ITS WEAPONS EXPORTS TO ISRAEL DUE TO CONCERNS OVER POTENTIAL VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW. 

HOWEVER, THE UK EMPHASIZED THAT THIS IS NOT A COMPREHENSIVE BAN, NOTING THAT ITS ARMS EXPORTS TO ISRAEL ARE RELATIVELY SMALL COMPARED TO THOSE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES, LIKE THE U.S.

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL — PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN JOINED VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS IN THEIR FIRST JOINT APPEARANCE SINCE HARRIS BECAME THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE. 

BEFORE BIDEN AND HARRIS MET WITH SUPPORTERS IN PITTSBURGH — 

HARRIS WAS IN DETROIT SPEAKING TO UNION LEADERS WHO ARE BACKING HER BID FOR THE WHITE HOUSE. 

WHILE MOST MAJOR UNIONS ARE SUPPORTING HARRIS, THE “INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS” REMAINS UNDECIDED. 

TEAMSTERS PRESIDENT SEAN O’BRIEN, WHO SPOKE AT THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION, HAS STATED THEY WILL NOT MAKE AN ENDORSEMENT UNTIL HARRIS MEETS WITH THEIR MEMBERS. 

ALSO ON LABOR DAY — 

HARRIS’ RUNNING MATE — Minnesota GOVERNOR TIM WALZ — 

HELD A campaign EVENT IN MILWAUKEE — 

WHERE VEHICLES IN his MOTORCADE COLLIDED, RESULTING IN INJURIES TO SOME STAFFERS AND REPORTERS, WHO WERE TAKEN TO NEARBY HOSPITALS. 

MEANWHILE — 

FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AND HIS RUNNING MATE J.D. VANCE ARE GEARING UP FOR A BUSY WEEK AHEAD. TRUMP IS SCHEDULED TO VISIT NEVADA, NORTH CAROLINA, AND WISCONSIN LATER THIS WEEK. 

AND HARRIS WILL BE HEADING TO NEW HAMPSHIRE TO PREPARE FOR HER UPCOMING DEBATE WITH TRUMP.

THOUSANDS OF HOTEL WORKERS ACROSS THE U-S ARE ON STRIKE. 

THE WORKERS WANT HOTEL OWNERS TO RAISE THEIR WAGES AND BENEFITS — AND BRING BACK AUTOMATIC DAILY ROOM CLEANING, WHICH WAS SCALED BACK AT MANY HOTELS DURING THE PANDEMIC. 

THE DISPUTE HAS TAKEN CENTER STAGE DURING TENSE CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS IN CITIES ACROSS THE U.S. THIS SUMMER, WITH AT LEAST 15,000 MEMBERS THREATENING STRIKES THIS FALL IN 12 CITIES. 

THE FIRST OF THE STRIKES BEGAN ON SUNDAY — WHEN THOUSANDS OF WORKERS IN 25 CITIES WALKED OFF THE JOB AFTER CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS WITH MAJOR HOTEL CHAINS HYATT, HILTON AND MARRIOTT STALLED WITHOUT A DEAL. 

ORGANIZERS SAY THE STRIKES ARE SET TO LAST BETWEEN TWO AND THREE DAYS. 

A VENEZUELAN JUDGE HAS ISSUED AN ARREST WARRANT FOR FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE EDMUNDO GONZÁLEZ — AS PART OF A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE RESULTS OF JULY’S ELECTION… WHICH BOTH THE RULING PARTY AND ITS OPPONENTS CLAIM TO HAVE WON. 

THE WARRANT WAS ISSUED AT THE REQUEST OF AUTHORITIES… WHO ACCUSE GONZÁLEZ OF VARIOUS CRIMES INCLUDING CONSPIRACY, FALSIFYING DOCUMENTS AND USURPATION OF POWERS. 

THE MOVE IS THE LATEST AGAINST THE OPPOSITION SINCE ELECTION OFFICIALS DECLARED PRESIDENT NICOLÁS MADURO WON A THIRD SIX-YEAR TERM IN OFFICE. 

MEANWHILE — A PLANE BELONGING TO MADURO IS IN FLORIDA AFTER BEING SEIZED BY U-S AUTHORITIES IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 

THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAYS THE PLANE WAS ILLEGALLY BOUGHT FOR 13 MILLION DOLLARS AND SMUGGLED OUT OF THE U-S IN VIOLATION OF SANCTIONS AND EXPORT RULES. 

E-S-P-N, DISNEY, A-B-C STATIONS AND STREAMING SERVICES LIKE HULU HAVE GONE DARK FOR MILLIONS OF DIRECT T-V CUSTOMERS. 

DISNEY PULLED ALL OF ITS SERVICES FROM DIRECT T-V SUNDAY — AT A CRUCIAL TIME FOR SPORTS FANS. 

E-S-P-N WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF AIRING THE U-S OPEN TENNIS TOURNAMENTAND JUST MINUTES AWAY FROM THE START OF THE FOOTBALL GAME BETWEEN LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 

THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW E-S-P-N HAS GONE OFF THE AIR DURING THE U-S OPEN. 

THE DISPUTE CENTERS ON THE CARRIAGE FEES THAT DIRECT T-V PAYS DISNEY TO BROADCAST ITS PROGRAMMING. 

DIRECT T-V ACCUSES DISNEY OF QUOTE “TAKING AN ANTI-CONSUMER APPROACH” BY DEMANDING A NEW DEAL INCLUDE BUNDLED SERVICES. 

DIRECT T-V WANTS TO ALLOW CUSTOMERS TO BE ABLE TO TAKE AN A-LA-CARTE APPROACH TO SUBSCRIBING TO SPECIFIC NETWORKS… MAKING IT EASIER TO LOWER THEIR COSTS. 

IN A STATEMENT, DISNEY SAID ” “WE WILL NOT ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT THAT UNDERVALUES OUR PORTFOLIO OF TELEVISION CHANNELS AND PROGRAMS.”

AS NETFLIX CONTINUES TO TAKE A BITE OUT OF THE WORLD OF LIVE SPORTING EVENTS – THE STREAMING GIANT CROWNED ITS FIRST-EVER HOT DOG-EATING CHAMPION DURING A LABOR DAY SPECIAL. 

JOEY CHESTNUT DEFEATED HIS COMPETITIVE EATING RIVAL TAKERU (TUH-CARE-ROO) KOBAYASHI (KOH-BEE-AH-SHEE) TO WIN THE TITLE IN LAS VEGAS. 

CHESTNUT — A 16-TIME NATHAN’S HOT EATING CONTEST WINNER —  ATE 83 HOT DOGS IN 10 MINUTES — BEATING HIS OWN WORLD RECORD OF 76 WHICH HE SET IN 20-21. 

KOBAYASHI TOTALED 66 HOT DOGS IN WHAT HE ANNOUNCED WOULD BE HIS LAST COMPETITION. 

IN ADDITION TO A FULL STOMACH — CHESTNUT WALKED AWAY WITH 100 THOUSAND DOLLARS, A TROPHY, AND A CHAMPIONSHIP BELT.