Carving through the headlines: A fragile truce between Israel and Hamas broke down leading to the resumption of hostilities; political debates range from funding concerns to key gubernatorial debates; cultural highlights include an atlas of Es Devlin’s stage designs and a variety of weekend media recommendations.

Reviving Israel-Hamas conflict: Following the collapse of a ceasefire deal, hostilities resumed between Israel and Hamas resulting in the reported death of over 30 Palestinians.
* The collapsed deal had allowed the release of over 100 hostages taken by Hamas militants and hundreds of Palestinians from Israeli jails.
* Both Israel and Hamas blame each other for the breakdown in talks.
* U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had urged Israel to announce safe zones in Gaza, which Israel ostensibly did via an interactive online numbered map, but it’s unclear if the map was actually used to warn residents.

Political Challenges: As President Biden calls for more Congressional funding for Ukraine and Israel, House Republicans express willingness to approve an aid package only if it’s tied to U.S. border security measures.
* Asylum rules are in the spotlight as discussions veer toward making it harder for asylum seekers to remain in the U.S. during case deciding.
* NPR’s Franco Ordoñez attributes Republicans’ shifting stance on Ukraine to declining U.S. support for the war.

Newsom-DeSantis debate: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and California Governor Gavin Newsom take on controversial topics like books in schools during a recent debate.
* DeSantis called out Newsom on a page from a graphic novel with blocked out imagery of sexual acts allegedly found in California schools.
* The debate is seen as a wave maker that could indicate the nature of the next presidential cycle.

Arts and Entertainment: Stage designer Es Devlin’s new book and featured work, streaming shows like “Slow Horses” and Grammy nominee Jon Batiste’s new documentary are among the featured weekend entertainment options.
* AI analyst Joy Buolamwini’s new book is an exploration of the social impacts of technology biases.
* NPR also features a news quiz on differentiating puppets from politicians.
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