Israel moves to invade Rafah
Israel pushed forward with its plans to invade Rafah despite Hamas saying it would accept a cease-fire proposal. A judge threatened Donald Trump with jail time. And the central U.S. braced for the threat of a significant tornado outbreak.
👋 Hey, Monday! Laura Davis here. Let’s get caught up on the news, shall we?
But first: The cicada invasion has begun. 👀 But don't be scared! Why you should greet it with awe, curiosity and humor.
Israel moves to strike Rafah
Hamas said Monday that it had accepted a Gaza cease-fire proposal from Egypt and Qatar, but Israel reacted coolly to the announcement and said its planned assault on the southern city of Rafah would proceed – despite clear U.S. disapproval. Palestinians were warned to evacuate parts of Rafah as Israel began an attack certain to worsen an acute humanitarian crisis. 👉 Here's the latest.
Protest crackdowns: Columbia cancels main commencement ceremony.
Judge threatens Trump with jail time
The fines aren't working. The twelfth day of Donald Trump's New York hush money trial began with the judge threatening the presumptive Republican presidential nominee with jail time. Judge Juan Merchan opened proceedings Monday by telling Trump that the $1,000 fines for gag order violations evidently aren't deterring the former president. "Going forward," Merchan said, he will have to consider jail time.
After a dramatic start: Former Trump Organization financial controller Jeffrey McConney was called to testify about his role in arranging for Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen to be reimbursed for a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. That payment, and Trump's labeling of his subsequent payments to Cohen as legal expenses, is at the heart of Trump's trial for falsifying business records. 👉 Everything that happened in court.
Exclusive poll: Race for White House a dead heat as Biden gains ground among key voters
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Rare 'high risk' warning issued for tornadoes
Batten down the hatches. Forecasters issued dire warnings Monday for a significant tornado outbreak in the central U.S. that could impact millions of people from Texas to the Dakotas. The outbreak of dangerous weather – which could include strong tornadoes, large hail and severe thunderstorm gusts – "is expected over parts of the south-central Plains from this afternoon through evening," the Storm Prediction Center said.
A rare warning: The Storm Prediction Center issued a warning for a "particularly dangerous situation" through 11 p.m., following up on its previous "high risk" warning for portions of Oklahoma and Kansas, which included the Oklahoma City metro area. ⛈️ Here's everything we know.
📸 Wild weather photos: Lightning, tornadoes and storms.
Rolling out the red carpet for the Met Gala
Wake up, beauty! It's almost time for the Met Gala. This year's Costume Institute Benefit (a.k.a. the Met Gala), "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion," starts at 6 p.m. EDT.
Iconic looks – always: The annual event held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City always meets its promise of being the biggest night in fashion with experimental looks, like Zendaya waving goodbye to her Disney roots in a Cinderella ball gown, to Kim Kardashian in Marilyn Monroe’s iconic "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress and Jared Leto "feline" himself as Karl Lagerfeld's famous cat Choupette. 🤩 We've got live red carpet coverage.
📸 See photos: The best Met Gala looks of all time.
A break from the news
🕯️ Just in time for Mother's Day: New Bath & Body Works candles.
💰 Could claiming Social Security early increase your lifetime benefit?
🗺️ Summer travel guide: Where to go (or avoid), how to save.
Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hi: laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel-Hamas war, Trump hush money trial, Met Gala: Monday's news
