Aid comes to Gaza as U.S. increases military presence
Aid convoy trucks made their way into Gaza on Saturday for the first time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, carrying food, water and medicine. And Sunday, a second convoy of 14 trucks entered through the Rafah border crossing.
At the same time, the U.S. increased its military presence in the Middle East to help defend Israel if necessary, the Defense Department announced.
Humanitarian groups applauded the trucks of supplies that entered Gaza but say the aid falls dangerously short of what is needed to help civilians on the ground. Because many in the region are without clean water, an already vulnerable population is at risk of infectious diseases from tainted water.
One grieving woman in Gaza lost her mother, father, brother and other relatives in a blast at a building in Al Shati refugee camp Saturday.
"I have no one left — all my family is gone," Muna Habil said, crying. "They killed them."
As of Sunday, 1.4 million people have been displaced across the Gaza Strip, a United Nations agency said, and about 200,000 Israelis have been evacuated from their homes because of the threat of attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah, according to the Israeli prime minister's office.
The release of two hostages held by Hamas, with the help of the government of Qatar, gave some hope that more would be released. But on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed skepticism over Hamas' statement that it may release two more.
Follow NBC News' live coverage here.
American Jews' safety fears
The deadly terrorist attack in Israel and the torrent of social media threats that followed have forced many American Jews to reconsider their long-held stances against owning or using guns.
Firearms instructors and Jewish security groups across the country say they have been flooded with new clients in recent weeks, while gun shop owners in Florida say they've seen more Jews purchase firearms than ever before.
A 41-year-old woman living in Miami Beach said she is pro-gun control and has no desire to use a firearm. But after she received death threats on Instagram, where she had posted about being Jewish, she signed up for training sessions.
"I have no choice. It's a very sad thing," she said.
A new crop of speaker candidates
Kevin McCarthy's out. Both Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan withdrew from the speaker's race. So where does the Republican House majority go from here?
On Sunday afternoon, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York announced that nine candidates have joined the race, including Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the No. 3 Republican in leadership, and Mike Johnson of Louisiana, the GOP conference vice chair.
McCarthy has given his support to Emmer but acknowledged Sunday on "Meet the Press" that the past few weeks of infighting have been "embarrassing for the Republican Party" and the nation.
The former speaker pointed the finger at the eight Republicans who voted to oust him for the dysfunction keeping the House paralyzed without a speaker for 19 days.
Business travel risks
Business travel is clawing its way back to 2019 levels, but employers and event organizers face a new set of threats to employees' safety outside the office as some states tighten abortion restrictions and pass anti-LGBTQ laws.
While most businesses now have protocols to handle Covid exposures, some are just starting to wrestle with other scenarios: What if a pregnant employee has a medical emergency while traveling in an anti-abortion state? Or a trans employee faces a confrontation some place without public accommodation protections for gender identity?
The CEO of one consultancy firm said it is thinking "critically about who we are sending where" and asking employees whether they're comfortable going to certain states.
"We could be putting someone's physical and psychological safety on the line in some of these states," she said.
Meet the Press
Former Vice President Mike Pence had an unusually quiet week on the campaign trail after recent reporting of money troubles.
On "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Kristen Welker brought up his fundraising woes and struggling poll numbers to ask Pence directly, "If you don’t qualify for this next debate, will you drop out of the race?"
Pence said he's working hard to qualify for the debate, arguing: "I don't have the most money in this campaign. But I do have the most experience."
He also weighed in on former President Donald Trump's legal challenges and stood by his previous criticisms that Trump was taking advice from "crackpot lawyers" in his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.
You can watch the full interview here.
The rising cost of buying a home
About 4 million homes are expected to sell this year. But to a shocking extent, rising mortgage rates and the shortage of homes for sale — which feed rising prices and bidding wars — have weakened buyers' financial positions.
Overall, a homebuyer's dollar goes about half as far as it did at the end of 2020, new data analyzed by NBC News shows, and the yearly income needed to afford a median-priced home now exceeds what the average median-income household can afford.
“If you don’t make six figures, it's going to be really tough” to afford a home in many markets," said Lawrence Yun, the chief economist for the National Association of Realtors.
Culture & Trends
Christopher Rooney, known as "Uncle Chris" to the 5.7 million who follow his TikTok account theyeetbaby, went missing after experiencing a manic episode. He later checked into an inpatient program, where he was diagnosed with bipolar I disorder.
Last week he spoke out about his struggles and how he "ended up in the psych ward for 17 days."
In an interview with NBC News, Rooney said he was manic for around 30 days, during which he went "off the rails at a casino" and destroyed all of his belongings.
"I was basically begging for help. I knew something was wrong," he said.
Rooney hopes going public will encourage his followers to learn and share more information about bipolar I.
In case you missed it
- The president of a Detroit synagogue was found fatally stabbed outside her home Saturday morning, and a police investigation is underway.
- The manhunt for a suspect wanted in connection with the killing of a Maryland judge continued through the weekend, and a $10,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to his arrest.
- Michigan State University issued an apology after images of Adolf Hitler were displayed on the video boards at its football stadium as part of a pregame quiz.
- A 23-year-old au pair was arrested and charged with second-degree murder more than six months after two people were killed at a Virginia home, authorities said.
- Armita Gerevand, the 16-year-old Iranian girl who fell into a coma after allegedly suffering a "severe physical assault" at a subway station, is brain-dead, state media reported Sunday.
- Unusually warm waters in the Caribbean Sea are causing alarming levels of coral bleaching, stoking fears among scientists of a catastrophic coral die-off.
- Adhering to a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, fruits and fish may help reduce or stave off symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, new research finds.
- Major League Baseball made an unprecedented change to its rules before the 2023 season that is helping a handful of long-struggling teams hit and run their way to more wins.
- The creator of the new play "Jaja's African Hair Braiding" describes it as a love letter to the West African immigrant women who run the salons of Harlem.
- Are "yellow pillows" gross?
