Today’s Big Story

Israel and Hamas Agree to Ceasefire

The 42-day ceasefire in Gaza is set to start Sunday

After more than a year of painstaking negotiations, Israel and Hamas agreed Wednesday to a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip that, if implemented, would see nearly three dozen Israeli hostages reunited with their families and give hungry and displaced Palestinians a reprieve from months of violence.

Israel’s government still needs to formally approve the deal, in a vote officials say will take place Thursday morning. But the agreement could mark a first step toward ending a 15-month war that has destroyed Gaza and divided Israelis. The truce, mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, would begin on Sunday and cover an initial period of 42 days.

And, according to the New York Times, the deal came about in part through a remarkable collaboration between President Biden and President-elect Donald J. Trump, who temporarily put aside mutual animosity to achieve a mutual goal. “The two presidents directed their advisers to work together to push Israel and Hamas over the finish line for an agreement to halt the fighting that has ravaged Gaza and release hostages who have been held there for 15 months.”

Under the first six-week phase of what mediators hope will evolve into a three-stage process for peace, 33 of the 98 remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza—mainly women, children, the elderly and wounded—will be released from Hamas captivity in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli detention, in a carefully choreographed sequence that will involve humanitarian groups and coordination between Hamas, Egypt and Israel. The first phase will also include a “withdrawal and redeployment of Israeli forces outside densely populated areas,” the Qatari ministry said.

During this phase, the volume of aid entering Gaza is supposed to reach more than 500 trucks per day, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Wednesday—a more than sixfold increase over the average number in December. But the Washington Post reports, even once the bombs stop falling, steep challenges will remain in getting lifesaving assistance to civilians who need it, including abiding lawlessness in Gaza, destroyed roads and onerous Israeli inspection processes for cargoes entering the territory, aid workers say.

A Meta Boycott?

Some users are fleeing Meta platforms to alternatives like Bluesky

Apparently not everyone is ready to live in a post-truth world. In the wake of Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that Meta platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads will ditch professional fact-checkers in favor of a Community Notes-style crowdsourcing approach to accountability, searches for deleting Meta accounts have spiked significantly.

Related searches like “how to quit Facebook” and “how to delete instagram account without logging in” have also achieved breakout trend status, meaning they have seen 5,000% increases or higher in interest, as TechCrunch points out. In the barrage of changes made in recent weeks, updates to Meta’s policy on hateful conduct include that LGBTQ people can now be called mentally ill because of their identities. Meta also disbanded its diversity, equity and inclusion team.

In a reply on Threads, Zuckerberg shrugged off the criticisms, suggesting that those who choose to leave the platforms are merely “virtue signaling.” And, of course, competitors are also seeing a spike in interest. Bluesky saw a nearly 1,000% increase in searches during the same period. But, Gizmodo says that for those looking for a comfortable landing spot, “there aren’t a lot of suitable replacements for platforms like Instagram or Facebook for folks looking to leave the platforms behind as they turn into post-fact AI slop factories.”

FDA Bans the Food Dye Red No. 3

Checking labels is the best way to find out if it’s in your food

The Food and Drug Administration has said it is banning the use of Red No. 3, a synthetic dye that has long been used in the U.S. to color certain foods, such as candies and colored beverages, as well as some oral medicines and supplements. Research shows that Red No. 3 can cause cancer in animals, NBC News reports. Many food safety advocates have been concerned for decades about the substance's presence in the U.S. food system.

The colorant was banned from cosmetics and non-oral medications decades ago because a study showed it caused cancer when eaten by rats. But it kept appearing on the ingredient lists of popular snack foods and other grocery products because it remained approved for use, that is until now.

So what has this red dye in it? Brach’s ‘Conversation Hearts’ and their famed ‘Candy Corn’ both contain Red 3. But some other red candies, like ‘Swedish Fish’ and ‘Wild Cherry Lifesavers’, use Red 40. Check for Red 3 in strawberry-flavored milk, ice cream, frozen yogurt and popsicles. ‘TruMoo Strawberry Whole Milk’ contains Red 3. But ‘Edy’s Strawberry Ice Cream’ and ‘Popsicle’-brand fruit pops both use beet juice for coloring. And if you’re worried about those delicious (and bright red) maraschino cherries, the Associated Press found that most brands (including store house brands) have switched to Red 40 instead of Red 3.

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