Israel’s fired defense minister slams Netanyahu on his last day Israel’s ousted defense minister says the military achieved all of its Gaza objectives, and the prime minister held up a cease-fire deal that would have ended the war and freed remaining hostages. Read more on NPR

It was ‘great relief’ for Haruki Murakami to finish his latest novel In the first interview about his new book The City and its Uncertain Walls, the celebrated author also talks with NPR about his age and finding beauty in isolation. Read more on NPR

What to know about Tom Homan, the former ICE head returning as Trump’s ‘border czar’ Homan was the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement from January 2017 to June 2018, where he was a key architect of the Trump administration’s controversial family separation policy. Read more on NPR

Trump taps House Rep. Elise Stefanik as U.N. ambassador Stefanik, who is the House Republican Conference Chair, has been a key ally of Trump’s over the years and was reported to have been a contender as his running mate during the presidential election. Read more on NPR

The fight over control of the House. And, veterans stung by botched home program These races will determine who controls the House. Plus, an NPR investigation found thousands of veterans were pushed into high-cost mortgages and now a rescue plan cannot help them all. Read more on NPR