Pressure builds for cease-fire deal after 6 hostages killed in Gaza

Calls continue to grow for a cease-fire deal after the bodies of six hostages were recovered in Gaza. And thousands of hotel workers are on strike at major hotel chains across the country. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024.

Pressure builds for cease-fire deal after 6 hostages killed in Gaza

Pressure continues to build in Israel for a cease-fire and a deal to release hostages . It comes just days after the bodies of six hostages , including one Israeli-American, were recovered from Gaza.

When asked by reporters on Sunday, Sept. 1, President Joe Biden criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not making enough progress toward an agreement.

Protests erupted for the third consecutive day in Jerusalem as thousands demanded that Netanyahu secure a cease-fire and negotiate a hostage release. A court has also ordered workers in Israel's largest union to return to work after a strike on Monday, Sept. 2, halted industries nationwide .

The U.S. is increasing its pressure on Netanyahu. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with their hostage negotiation team Monday. Biden indicated he plans to speak with Netanyahu “eventually.”

At a news conference, Netanyahu expressed regret for not being able to bring the hostages back alive but firmly rejected the mounting pressure against him . Netanyahu addressed President Biden directly, urging the international community to focus its pressure on Hamas .

On Monday, thousands gathered in Jerusalem for the funeral of Hersh Goldberg-Polin , an Israeli-American among the six hostages found dead.

In the meantime, nearly 50 Palestinians have been reported killed this week according to health officials, amid ongoing strikes in Gaza and raids in the West Bank.

Netanyahu has vowed that Hamas will face "severe consequences."

The United Kingdom has announced it will suspend some of its weapons exports to Israel due to concerns over potential violations of international humanitarian law. However, the U.K. emphasized that this is not a comprehensive ban, noting that its arms exports to Israel are relatively small compared to those from other countries, like the U.S.

Biden joins Harris in joint campaign event; Walz motorcade vehicles crash

President Biden joined Vice President Harris in their first joint appearance since Harris became the Democratic nominee on Monday. Before Biden and Harris met with supporters in Pittsburgh, Harris was in Detroit speaking to union leaders who are backing her bid for the White House.

While most major unions are supporting Harris, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters remains undecided . Teamsters President Sean O'Brien, who spoke at the Republican National Convention, has stated they will not make an endorsement until Harris meets with their members.

Also on Labor Day, Harris' running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz held a campaign event in Milwaukee. Vehicles in his motorcade collided on the way to the event , resulting in minor injuries to some staffers and reporters, who were taken to nearby hospitals.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump and his running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance are gearing up for a busy week ahead. Trump is scheduled to visit Nevada, North Carolina , and Wisconsin later this week.

Harris will be heading to New Hampshire to prepare for her upcoming debate with Trump.

10,000 hotel workers on strike across the U.S.

Thousands of hotel workers across the U.S. are on strike . The workers want hotel owners to raise their wages and benefits and bring back automatic daily room cleaning , which was scaled back at many hotels during the pandemic.

The dispute has taken center stage during tense contract negotiations in cities across the U.S. this summer, with at least 15,000 members threatening strikes this fall in 12 cities.

The first of the strikes began on Sunday, when thousands of workers in 25 cities walked off the job after contract negotiations with major hotel chains Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott stalled without a deal. Organizers say the strikes are set to last between two and three days.

Judge issues arrest warrant for Venezuelan opposition leader

A Venezuelan judge has issued an arrest warrant for former presidential candidate Edmundo González . It’s part of a criminal investigation into the results of July's election, which both the ruling party and its opponents claim to have won.

The warrant was issued at the request of authorities, who accused González of various crimes including conspiracy, falsifying documents and usurpation of powers. The move is the latest against the opposition since election officials declared president Nicolás Maduro won a third six-year term in office.

Meanwhile, a plane belonging to Maduro is in Florida after being seized by U.S. authorities in the Dominican Republic. The Justice Department says the plane was illegally bought for $13 million and smuggled out of the U.S. in violation of sanctions and export rules.

ESPN and Disney go dark for millions of DirecTV customers

ESPN, Disney, ABC stations, and streaming services like Hulu have gone dark for millions of DirecTV customers. Disney pulled all its services from DirecTV Sunday at a crucial time for sports fans .

ESPN was in the middle of airing the U.S. Open tennis tournament and just minutes away from the start of the college football game between Louisiana State University and the University of Southern California.

The dispute centers on the carriage fees DirecTV pays Disney to broadcast its programming.

DirecTV accuses Disney of "taking an anti-consumer approach" by demanding a new deal include bundled services. DirecTV wants to allow customers to be able to take an a-la-carte approach to subscribing to specific networks, making it easier to lower their costs.

In a statement, Disney said, “We will not enter into an agreement that undervalues our portfolio of television channels and programs."

Joey Chestnut eats 83 hot dogs to win Netflix's livestreaming contest

As Netflix continues to take a bite out of the world of live sporting events, the streaming giant crowned its first-ever hot dog-eating champion during a Labor Day special. Joey Chestnut defeated his competitive eating rival Takeru Kobayashi to win the title in Las Vegas.

Chestnut, a 16-time Nathan’s hot eating contest winner, ate 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes — beating his own world record of 76 which he set in 2021.

Kobayashi totaled 66 hot dogs in what he announced would be his last competition .

In addition to a full stomach, Chestnut walked away with $100,000, a trophy, and a championship belt.

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