AP The Morning Wire May 6, 2024 by Sophia Tulp - An expected assault in the southern Gaza city of Rafah; the re-emergence of Donald Trump’s ex-campaign manager as an AI evangelist; and the volunteers who escort school children through San Francisco’s most notorious neighborhood. Also, Madonna transforms Rio’s Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor.

 

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By Sophia Tulp May 6, 2024

Good morning, I'm Sophia Tulp, filling in for Sarah Naffa. In the news today: An expected assault in the southern Gaza city of Rafah; the re-emergence of Donald Trump’s ex-campaign manager as an AI evangelist; and the volunteers who escort school children through San Francisco’s most notorious neighborhood. Also, Madonna transforms Rio’s Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor. Israeli soldiers drive a tank near the border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR The Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Rafah ahead of an expected assault The Israeli army has ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to begin evacuating, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion could be imminent. Even as the U.S., Egypt and Qatar have pushed for a cease-fire agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated last week that the military would move on the town “with or without a deal.” Read more.

Why this matters: Israel's plan to invade Rafah has raised global alarm. It has the potential for harm to more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering there. The announcement complicated last-ditch efforts by international mediators to broker a cease-fire. Hamas and Qatar have warned that an invasion of Rafah could derail the talks. Israel has described Rafah as the last significant Hamas stronghold after seven months of war, and its leaders have repeatedly said they need to carry out a ground invasion to defeat the Islamic militant group.

Related coverage ➤  Israel has briefed US on plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians ahead of potential Rafah operation A senior UN official says northern Gaza is now in 'full-blown famine' A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7 ELECTION 2024 Trump’s former campaign manager helped him win in 2016 using Facebook ads. Now he’s back, and an AI evangelist Brad Parscale was the digital campaign operative who helped engineer Trump’s 2016 presidential victory with the heavy use of Facebook ads. Parscale is back working for Trump, and vows that his new, AI-powered platform will dramatically overhaul not just polling, but campaigning. Read more.

Why this matters: Parscale says his suite of AI-powered tools can spin up customized emails, parse oceans of data to gauge voter sentiment and amplify social media posts of “anti-woke” influencers to help conservative candidates. Parscale was the digital guru who teamed up with scandal-plagued Cambridge Analytica and helped propel Trump to the White House. But his personal life unraveled in public and he later texted a friend that he felt “guilty” for helping Trump win after the Capitol riot. Parscale’s ability to use AI to micro target supporters and tap them for cash could prove critical for Trump’s campaign. They have seen a falloff in contributions from smaller donors and a surge in spending on attorneys defending the former president.

Related coverage ➤ Nervous about falling behind, Democrats are wrestling with how to use AI Prosecutors move deeper into Trump’s orbit as testimony in hush money trial enters a third week Warren Buffett says AI may be better for scammers than society. And he's seen how U.S. NEWS With a vest and a voice, helpers escort kids through San Francisco’s broken Tenderloin streets The Tenderloin neighborhood is notorious for its open-air drug use and congested sidewalks. But it's also home to thousands of school children and parents working toward a better life. Mothers in 2008 launched the Safe Passage program to shepherd their children to and from school. It’s still going strong today. Read more.

Why this matters: The Tenderloin neighborhood is home to the highest concentration of kids in San Francisco: an estimated 3,000 children largely from immigrant families. The San Francisco Police Department seized nearly 440 pounds (200 kilograms) of narcotics in the area since last May, and of a record 806 overdose fatalities last year, about 20% were in the Tenderloin. Amid the chaos is a vibrant community that has found ways to protect its most vulnerable and deliver hope. Officials have declared a mayoral emergency and vowed to crack down on drugs, but change is glacial.

Related coverage ➤ Most stolen books from San Francisco libraries are about addiction. The city wants to offer them for free The Rev. Cecil Williams, who turned San Francisco's Glide Church into a refuge for many, dies at age 94 California’s population grew in 2023, halting 3 years of decline, state estimates ADVERTISEMENT IN OTHER NEWS READ Slain tourists: 3 bodies in Mexican well identified as Australian and American surfers killed for truck’s tires Panama election: Panama’s new president-elect, José Raúl Mulino, was a late entry in the race Airlines: Commercial jet maker Airbus is staying humble even as Boeing flounders. There’s a reason for that ABC News shakeup: Kim Godwin out as ABC News president after 3 years as first Black woman as network news chief Obituary: Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79 Today in History: In 1937, the Hindenburg crashes in flames in New Jersey, killing 97 WATCH Brazil floods: Floods in southern Brazil kill at least 75 people over 7 days, 103 missing Israel-Hamas war: Thousands of Israelis take to streets of Tel Aviv to demand cease-fire and Netanyahu’s resignation D-Day veteran: In Normandy, 19-year-old medic Charles Shay was ready to give his life. He actually saved many Cinco de Mayo: Annual recreation of Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo victory over French is part of family history for some May the fourth be with you: Watch ‘Star Wars Day’ celebration at Taiwan’s Sunghan Airport ADVERTISEMENT A CHANGE OF PACE Madonna performs on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) Madonna’s biggest-ever concert transforms Rio’s Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor Madonna put on a free concert in Rio de Janeiro, turning the vast stretch of sand of Copacabana beach into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans. The performance Saturday night was the last show of The Celebration Tour, her first retrospective, which kicked off in October in London. ADVERTISEMENT

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