People walk in a camp for displaced people in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip by the border with Egypt on April 28, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (AFP via Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- As the Israel-Hamas war approaches the seven-month mark, renewed negotiations are underway to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, as Israeli forces continue to prepare for an apparent invasion of the southern Gaza town of Rafah.Meanwhile, President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke in a phone call over the weekend, discussing increasing the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and plans for a possible military operation in Rafah, according to the White House.Here's how the news is developing:Apr 29, 4:20 PMWhite House won't get info specifics on cease-fire dealThe White House was careful not to get into specifics on the "extraordinarily generous" cease-fire proposal Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to earlier this morning, refusing to give specifics as they continued to call on Hamas to accept the proposal."I'm not going to characterize the proposal. I'm not going to get into any of the specifics. What we believe is that now is the time for Hamas to take this deal. It is on the table. It is time to, it is way past time to get these hostages home. It is way past time to get to a ceasefire and we need to make sure we continue to get that humanitarian aid," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.Jean-Pierre noted that Israel "has a lot on their plate," but expressed a desire for an in-person meeting to take place, in addition to the two virtual meetings the U.S. and Israel have had in recent weeks."We would like to have an in-person meeting. That is certainly what we would like to do, but in the meantime, we’ve had two important virtual meetings and in the readout, yesterday, we mentioned that the potential Rafah operations did come up between the two leaders in their conversation," she said.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi also spoke to President Joe Biden Monday about ongoing Gaza talks and Egyptian efforts to reach a cease-fire and hostage deal in a phone call, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.The call discussed the risks of an Israeli incursion into Rafah, including the "catastrophic" impact on the worsening humanitarian crisis, and implications for the security and stability of the region, the statement added.-ABC News' Molly Nagle and Ayat Al-TawyApr 29, 3:53 PMIsrael leaders concerned about possible ICC arrest warrants: SourceIsraeli leaders are expressing concern over possible arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against key officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an Israeli official, who spoke under condition of anonymity, told ABC News.It is believed that such potential warrants might be related to charges on the scope of humanitarian aid Israel allowed into Gaza, according to the official.The ICC can charge individuals with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide under its powers.-ABC News' Dana SavirApr 29, 12:20 PM21 killed, 6 injured after strike in GazaAt least 21 people were killed in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike Monday, the Al Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah told ABC News. Six people were injured from the strike, the hospital added.The updated death toll in Gaza is 34,488 killed and 77,643 injured, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.ABC News has reached out to the Israeli army for comment on the strike.-ABC News' Dia OstazApr 29, 8:36 AMBlinken calls for cease-fire in first stop on Middle East tripU.S. Secretary of Antony Blinken, who is currently in Saudi Arabia, notably called for a cease-fire as "the most effective way to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza" during a session with his counterparts of the Gulf Cooperation Council."The most effective way to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to alleviate the suffering of children, women and men and to create space for a more just and durable solution is to get a cease-fire and hostages home, but also not waiting on a cease-fire to take the necessary steps to meet the needs of civilians of Gaza," Blinken said."President Biden is insistent that Israel take specific concrete measurable steps to better address humanitarian suffering, civilian harm and the safety of aid workers in Gaza, including in his most recent call with Prime Minister Netanyahu," he added, referring to a Sunday call with the Israeli leader.Blinken said the U.S. was "focused on addressing the greatest threat to regional stability and regional security -- Iran."Apr 28, 6:00 PMUnited States Central Command and Royal Jordanian Air Force airdrop aid into GazaU.S. Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force conducted a combined humanitarian assistance airdrop into Northern Gaza on Sunday.The combined joint operation included Jordanian provided food and four U.S. Air Force C-130 aircraft.The U.S. C-130's dropped over 25,000 Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), providing life-saving humanitarian assistance in Northern Gaza. Additionally, more than 13,080 meal equivalents of Jordanian food supplies were also delivered.To date the U.S. has dropped nearly 1,110 tons of humanitarian assistance.Apr 28, 5:22 PMAmerican hostage's niece opens up about 'surreal' new videoHanna Siegel, niece of American hostage Keith Siegel, appeared on CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday morning and talked about the "surreal" feeling of seeing a recently released video purporting to show her uncle and talked about the possibility of a deal that would free him and other people thought to still be held by Hamas in Gaza."We've always believed that he was alive. We have to believe he's alive -- and his wife, my aunt, who was held for 52 days, [was] released in the deal that took place in November, she was with him," Siegel said. "When she came out, she told us he was alive, but this is the first time that we're seeing him, hearing him. It's surreal."When asked about a potential hostage deal and temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, Siegel said that she does think an agreement "can be reached" and pointed to an earlier deal that secured the release of her aunt and others during a brief pause in the war late last year.Siegel also said that she believes the new release of purported hostage videos shows that Hamas is signaling they are ready to make a deal.But she said that she is concerned that it might not be in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "political interest to close a deal," though Netanyahu has said his goal is freeing the captives in Gaza as well as dismantling Hamas.Siegel said that the Biden administration should "think about what they can do directly to bring our American citizens home."She also said she has felt the "commitment from the Biden administration to get him back," referring to her uncle.She became emotional talking about how her family missed her uncle during their Passover celebration and had a picture of him to pay tribute."I think there's so much swirling in the political realm that it's easy to forget that these are human beings. Keith is a grandfather, he's a husband, he's a brother, he's an uncle," she said.She was asked whether her family is worried if a potential Israeli invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah, to further target Hamas fighters, could threaten her uncle's safety. She responded that she and her family are "very concerned."Apr 28, 5:10 PMHamas to send a delegation to Cairo for hostage and cease-fire negotiationsHamas will send a delegation to Cairo, Egypt, on Monday to participate in hostage and cease-fire deal negotiations, ABC News has confirmed.Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official also told the Agence France-Presse on Sunday that the organization has no significant problems with the proposed deal."The atmosphere is positive unless there are new obstacles from the Israeli side," the Hamas official said.
Hours after protesters broke into the Portland State University library during a campus protest over the war in Gaza, Mayor Ted Wheeler and other city officials held an extraordinary press conference at 11 p.m. Monday.
tattywelshie/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- It's been nearly one month since California raised the minimum wage at certain restaurants, which has put a spotlight on a course correction that many see as long overdue.But for some -- and not just fast food franchise owners -- the newly raised bar for compensation also marks a pivotal point for restaurants to remain competitive in an already difficult post-pandemic landscape. The industry with famously thin margins is once again being pushed to make monetary and operational adjustments to stay afloat, all without compromising consumer expectations.Some customers have already felt the pinch of costs being passed onto them, as recently reported by the Wall Street Journal, which restaurant owners and executives at chains like Chipotle and McDonald's warned could come as a result of the state voting to increase the minimum from $16 to $20 an hour at restaurant chains with at least 60 locations nationwide.Market-research firm Dataessential provided ABC News with menu price analysis at 70 limited-service restaurants (LSR), which includes both fast-food and fast-casual chains, that showed California eateries have increased prices by 10% overall since September and has outpaced all other states."I know that we are course correcting from a minimum wage that hasn't kept up with the cost of living index and has not kept up with inflation. The pendulum is swung to kind of make up for a lot of inactive and stagnation with wages. But for restaurants to be the first industry to bear the brunt of this is really tough," Briana Valdez, founder and CEO of HomeState in Southern California, told ABC's Good Morning America."Coming out of a time where restaurants, who were essential workers during the pandemic and fought so hard to keep their doors open and to keep teams employed, now have another major impact on our ability to keep our teams happy and to keep our doors open, and to continue to offer affordable options for our diners," she continued. "It's another massive challenge on the heels of just kind of getting our feet back on the ground."Valdez, who's placed equity and wellbeing at the forefront of her business, first brought a taste of Texas food and hospitality to Hollywood, California with house-made flour tortillas, breakfast tacos, queso, and brisket back in 2013 and has since expanded to eight restaurant locations across Southern California with 350 employees.While her restaurant group doesn't meet the same volume as restaurants in the LSR category mandated in the new law, the daughter of first-generation Mexican American parents told GMA frankly that "$20 an hour now it's not competitive -- it's just the starting point now for most restaurants that are competing for the same talent pool.""All things being equal," she said thinking of potential applicants, "most people are going to apply for the job that has a higher rate, so you really start to compete directly with people who are mandated by [AB 1228] to have a $20 an hour starting wage -- It drives everybody's wages up."Valdez, who previously worked in fine dining at Thomas Keller's Bouchon in Beverly Hills, opened "with a pooled house and that was groundbreaking at the time," she said of the equitable pay structure that divides tips between the kitchen and service staff evenly.On average last year, Valdez's employees netted nearly $24 per hour, which is how she said they've "been able to stay competitive." But since that can't be listed as a starting wage due to tips, she's had to get creative with how to present the overall work experience with appealing benefits "to make the work-life balance really healthy," such as telehealth for $5 a paycheck that extends to employees' families, pet insurance, family meal, and two days off in a row.On top of the immediate public-facing challenges that come from this all-at-once financial change, restaurant owners are also left to juggle rising food costs and other variables in the supply chain that can greatly impact a restaurant's overhead and bottom line."Our vendors are all under the same pressures that we are -- they're all fighting to keep their relationships intact with their restaurants -- but their costs are all going up as well," Valdez pointed out. "So as restaurants, we're on the last end of all those commodities and markets that have come before us," such as farmers, harvest labor, transit of crops, food storage, packing, and distribution."We're being as transparent as we can because cost has gone up," she continued, sharing for example that HomeState is "losing money every time we sell a brisket taco."Ultimately, Valdez said this culmination of increased costs for operators have to go somewhere: "It's going to shift the landscape for the diner -- we are going to see increased menu prices and that is just a byproduct of of this."Even Michaela Mendelsohn, who was appointed to Gov. Gavin Newsom's Fast Food Council last fall before AB 1228 was signed into law, is seeing the immediate financial impact on her restaurants.The CEO of Pollo West Corporation, one of the largest franchisees of the fast casual California restaurant chain El Pollo Loco, told GMA they preempted price raises in February before the minimum wage law took effect on April 1 to test the waters and "had a 3% decline in transactions.""It's become really clear to us that our customers are [experiencing] sticker shock and price fatigue," Mendelsohn said. "With inflation, we've had to increase too many times and it's not the answer anymore or else we'll just keep reducing our business to less and less people.""We quickly shifted from being profitable to losing money on April 1," the former president of the El Pollo Loco Franchise Association of nine years said frankly. "We're in a tough position right now where we're pretty much having to accept the fact that we're making no money for a while until we figure this out."To cut costs and stay afloat, Mendelsohn said their restaurants have had to reduce hours by roughly more than 10%, simplify menus, and implement new technologies such as automated ordering kiosks, which she explained can have a long learning curve for customers and hasn't helped save any money in the short term."We're also looking at the possibility of certain stores opening later or closing earlier -- because those fringe hours are often not profitable. And now they've become that much less profit," she added. "AI will be the next big step, we'll be one of the test stores -- to start testing automation in our drive thru," but in the meantime an employee still needs to be on headset to monitor each transaction.Mendelsohn, who's owned El Pollo Loco franchises for 36 years, said this "is a throwback to the recession" when the business "had double digit declines for three years." "This was supposed to be something I was wanting to leave to my kids -- but I'm not sure what's gonna be left. I'm fighting to keep something there that's valuable for them," she said.The mother of five and transgender activist who has worked closely with the California Legislature on an array of business policies, said, "I'm sad to say this law was so ill advised in my eyes and many others to have it just focus on 500,000 fast food workers, but there's 40 million people that live in the state. When you just choose one industry, that's a good size of the state but certainly just a small piece in the totality, why isn't everybody getting $20 an hour and why isn't it being done over a period of time so that everybody can adjust accordingly? I don't see it as a solution."While it's still too early to know how the wage increase has impacted specifics on hiring or staffing, according to a representative from the National Restaurant Association, tangible data will be available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics next month in the April jobs report which can help paint a clearer picture of the new law's inaugu
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has served Farid Abdrakhmanov, the CEO of Russian company NPO Novator, with a notice of suspicion as his company is the main manufacturer of the Kalibr cruise missiles.
The annual National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Collegiate Leadership Advocacy Summit is a multiday event that brings together NAfME Collegiate members from across the nation for leadership learning sessions,