HOPES for a cease-fire deal may be dimming. Above, an apartment in ruins in Gaza City earlier this year (Wikipedia).

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved his “war cabinet,” a move which observers believe will reduce the chances of acceptance of a cease-fire agreement put forth by the United States.

Control of the conduct of the war is now expected to lie more directly with Netanyahu and his “security cabinet.”

The decision to dissolve the war cabinet came three days after former defense chief Yoav Gallant resigned from that group. He criticized the conduct of the war – begun on Oct. 7 – and urged Netanyahu to accept a cease-fire plan.

All proposed plans involve an exchange of hostages, but the long-term status of the Hamas militants who began the war remains unresolved.

Warning labels for social media?

A WARNING label on social media is called for by the U.S. Surgeon General (Shutterstock).

There are already health warnings on tobacco products and other widely-used goods to caution the public on possible negative impacts.

Now U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is proposing that warning labels be placed on social media, which he said Monday is involved in “the public health challenge of our time.”

He said that social media “has emerged as an important contributor to the youth mental health crisis,” he said, and argued that social media has proved to be harmful to many youngsters, contributing to anxiety and depression.

Teenagers today spend an estimated 4.8 hours a day on social media, he said.

Angels and Dodgers post victories

With Zach Plesac making his first start after being called up from the minors. the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 in Anaheim on Monday. He worked six innings, giving up four hits and three`runs. He struck out one batter and walked two.

Zack Neto had his 10th home run to drive in two runs for the Halos (29-43), who remain in fourth place in the American League West.  Luis Guillorme tripled and singled and drove in a run.

Despite the loss of leadoff batter Mookie Betts to a broken left hand, the Los Angeles Dodgers posted another win on Monday, defeating the Colorado Rockies 9-5 in Denver.  Shohei Ohtani had three hits, including a double and an RBI and Miguel Rojas had three hits as well.

The Dodgers are 45-29, and lead the National League West by 8.5 games over the second place San Francisco Giants.

Weather: Shorts weather taking hold

It’s going to be a pleasantly warm week in our West Orange County area; hot enough for ice cream but not warm enough for tank tops. The forecast for the next few days is for partly cloudy skies and daytime highs in the mid-to-high 70s, ranging from 76 to 78. Overnight lows will linger in the 61-62 range.