As part of the fourth hostage-prisoner exchange with Israel, Hamas claimed in a statement Friday that American Israeli Keith Siegelis is one of the hostages scheduled to be freed on Saturday. Hamas has said that Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon will also be freed. In a video released by Hamas in April, Siegel, 65, was last seen saying he was doing well while speaking directly to his family. Seigel, originally from Chapel Hall, North Carolina, was captured during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, raid on kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of around 1200 people and the kidnapping of nearly 250 others. Bibas, his wife Shiri, and their two kids—Kfir, who was nine months old at the time and would have turned two this month, and their now five-year-old son, Ariel—were all taken c...

Ahmed al-Sharaa, the recently named president of Syria, announced Thursday that he would choose a broad, inclusive transitional government to construct institutions and rule the nation until free and fair elections are held. In his first speech since being named president for the transitional phase by armed factions that overthrew former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning strike last year, Sharaa spoke to the nation on Wednesday. Following 13 years of civil war, the armed group that spearheaded the offensive, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has subsequently established an interim government that has welcomed a constant flow of high-ranking Western and Arab diplomatic delegations eager to assist in stabilizing the nation. Following the dissolution of the Syrian parliament on Wednesday, S...

COLUMBIA, S.C. — As the state works through a backlog of inmates who have exhausted their appeals and the state is unable to locate lethal injection medications, South Carolina is getting ready to execute the third inmate to be put to death since September. The execution of Marion Bowman Jr. is set for Friday at 6 p.m. at a penitentiary in Columbia. Bowman, 44, was found guilty of murder in connection with the shooting death of a buddy whose charred body was discovered in a car's trunk. Since his imprisonment, Bowman has insisted on his innocence. According to his attorneys, he was found guilty based on the evidence of other acquaintances and family members who were offered deals or had allegations against them dropped by the prosecution. Bowman, who has spent more than half of his life on...

A series of fierce wildfires that raged across the Los Angeles area on January 7 were fueled by strong winds and dry conditions. They destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed at least 29 people, some of whom perished attempting to stop the fires from devouring their houses. Two of the fires were linked to an undetermined number of serious injuries, according to a Los Angeles County fire official, while a city official in Los Angeles called the night of January 7 one of the most terrible and catastrophic she had ever witnessed in her area of the city. What we know about the flames is as follows. Where are the fires? On the morning of January 7, a brush fire broke out in Pacific Palisades, a suburb in Los Angeles east of Malibu. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protect...

At Thursday's star-studded benefit, which raised money for individuals impacted by the horrific fires in the L.A. area, more than two dozen musicians serenaded the City of Angels. Over the course of five hours, the FireAid event took place at the nearby Kia Forum and Intuit Dome in the Inglewood neighborhood. Lady Gaga performed a performance from the 2018 movie "A Star Is Born," along with a song she wrote specifically for the charity, to end the show. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Katy Perry, No Doubt, Earth Wind & Fire, Dr. Dre, Joni Mitchell, Alanis Morissette, Stevie Nicks, Anderson Paak, Stephen Stills, Mike Campbell, Olivia Rodrigo, and Graham Nash were among the other performers. The remaining members of Nirvana, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smear, also made an unexpected ...

Karla Sof a Gasc, star of "Emilia Prez," apologized Thursday after her previous social media tweets that seemed to make comments about diversity at the Oscars, Muslims, and George Floyd were revived by online users. In a statement released through Netflix, Gasc, the first openly trans actor to receive an Oscar nomination, stated, "I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt." "As a member of a minority community, I am acutely aware of this suffering, and I sincerely apologize to everyone I have hurt. I've battled for a better world my entire life. "I am convinced that light will always prevail over darkness," she continued. After author Sarah Hagi posted screenshots of Gasc n's alleged previous posts on X, which Google translated, criticis...

According to school officials and cybersecurity experts, the hack of a corporation that assists schools in tracking tens of millions of pupils seems to be the worst leak of personal data involving American children to date. Additionally, according to recordings of internal talks and a copy obtained exclusively by NBC News, a specifically commissioned interim cybersecurity investigation by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike revealed that the corporation had reportedly neglected to take simple safeguards to protect student data. One of PowerSchool's most well-known products is the Student Information System (SIS), which was compromised and is among the most popular education technology packages in the United States. By gathering data such as a student's name, school, birthday, residence, and par...

The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will square off in the Super Bowl on February 9 at 6:30 p.m. ET. In 2023, Patrick Mahomes and company won the Lombardi Trophy with a 38-35 victory in this rematch. There is still a lot of interest in this game even though it features familiar opponents. As Super Bowl week approaches, NBC News and NBC Sports teamed up to preview some of the most important subjects. The biggest thing we learned from the conference title games were ... Greif: Saquon Barkley is not the only offensive component of the Eagles' offense. After passing for less than 130 yards on average in Philadelphia's first two postseason wins and appearing reluctant to take chances with his passes, quarterback Jalen Hurts came under fire. However, he gave Philadelphia's offense ...

Donald Trump issued scores of executive orders to begin his second term as president, many of which addressed contentious culture war themes including abortion rights, transgender concerns, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. It will be primarily the responsibility of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department to enforce the administration's stance on such matters. The Civil Rights Division has experienced significant policy changes during previous transitions between Democratic and Republican administrations. For instance, the division concentrated resources on combating religious prejudice during the George W. Bush administration. Preventing racial and ethnic prejudice became a top priority for the division after Barack Obama assumed office. The anticipated magnitude ...

The UH-60 Black Hawk, regarded as the backbone of U.S. Army aviation, was the military helicopter that crashed into a regional plane close to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing all 67 persons on board. The Army claims to have depended on the helicopter for every significant mission worldwide for more than 40 years. It is an autility tactical transport aircraft that is employed for everything from air assault to relief efforts. According to Timothy A. Loranger, an aviation lawyer and former aircraft mechanic, the aircraft, which was first deployed in the Army in 1979, is widely regarded as safe and has a solid reputation for dependability and survival in both combat and transport operations. Produced by Sikorsky, a division of the massive aerospace and defense corporation Lo...