HAMAS vs. Israel (Shutterstock).

There is “growing pressure” on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the proposed deal to end the Hamas-Israeli war from two sides.

The cease-fire proposal, unveiled by President Joe Biden on Friday, was termed a “non-starter” by Netanyahu, but there was a very large demonstration in Israel – including families of hostages held by Hamas –urging the government to accept the deal.

However, under the parliamentary system in Israel, the chief of state (now Netanyahu) is not elected directly by the public but by the party – or coalition of parties – that has the majority. Netanyahu’s coalition includes a small far-right group without which he would probably be ousted from his office.

He also faces the threat of prosecution for alleged corruption if he were to lose his post as prime minister.

Conviction and the campaign

The question of how former president Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 felony charges of falsifying legal documents will affect the 2024 presidential campaign has come to the forefront.

Will Democrats be able to successfully argue with independents and supporters of Nikki Haley that a convicted felon – even a former president – shouldn’t be the  chief executive of the U.S. government?

Or will Trump’s durable loyalty in the Republican Party and widespread doubt about President Joe Biden’s age be enough to overcome those doubts?

So far, polls show an extremely close race, complicated by the presence of other candidates such as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Angels fall, Dodgers keep winning

The Los Angeles Angels continued to have a rough time in the Pacific Northwest on Saturday, losing 9-0 to the Seattle Mariners.

J.P. Crawford’s grand slam in the fourth inning was more than the M’s needed to send the Halos down to the seventh loss in eight games.

Willie Calhoun had the best day for the visitors, going 2-for-4 and raising his batting average to .286.

Reid Detmers (3-6) had a rough night, yielding five runs in 3.2 innings. He walked four batters and struck out three.

With the loss, the Angels are 21-37 and remain in fifth place in the American League West. They’ll try again on Sunday with Griffin Canning making the start for LAA.

The Los Angeles Dodgers got a strong start from YoshinobuYamamoto Saturday as they defeated the Colorado Rockies 4-1 at home. He worked six innings and yielded seven hits but just one run, striking out seven batters and walking one.

At bat, the Blue Crew banged out 11 hits, including Andy Page with three.

The Dodgers (37-23) have shaken off that five-game losing streak, having now won four of five. They remain atop the National League West by 5.5 games and will wrap up the series with the Rockies Sunday. Gavin Stone will get the start.

Weather: A warmer week

The coming week in our West Orange County will move us into more summer-like weather. Sunday will have morning clouds and afternoon sun with a daytime high of 71 and an overnight low of 61. Monday will warm to 73 (61) with partly cloudy skies. Tuesday will see the return of clouds followed by sun and a high of 76/(62).