Blinken arrives in Israel as the Gaza cease-fire with Hamas is extended another day The secretary of state said the U.S. is committed to seeing the release of all Hamas hostages. Meanwhile, gunmen killed three Israelis in an attack on the outskirts of West Jerusalem early Thursday. Read more on NPR

‘Deluged’ child welfare systems struggle to protect kids amid calls for reform More than 3 million U.S. children were involved in an intervention for suspected abuse or neglect in a single year. Advocates say a disproportionate impact on families of color makes reform urgent. Read more on NPR

Ballot shortages are rare in U.S. elections, but here’s why they sometimes happen Sometimes polling places run out of ballots for voters. It’s rare, but it happens. It happened in Mississippi earlier this month, causing serious issues for voters. Here’s a look at why it happens. Read more on NPR

Newsom to debate DeSantis in a match that could benefit his political ambitions Two of the nation’s most high profile governors will debate Thursday night in Georgia, even though only one of them is actually running for president in 2024. Read more on NPR

Holy Mole-y: A sniffer dog helps rediscover a rare mole The De Winton’s Golden mole was last spotted in 1936. But with the help of a mole-sniffing dog and new environmental DNA analysis, researchers are taking it off the most wanted lost species list. Read more on NPR