ISRAELI AIR STRIKES In Gaza (Shutterstock).

Crowds estimated at tens of the thousands of Israelis filled the streets of Tel Aviv on Sunday demanding a cease-fire in Gaza. They chanted, “Now! Now!” and urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate with Hamas for the release of hostages still held by that militant group.

The protests came one day after six more hostages – one of them an American – were found dead in Gaza, having evidently been killed by Hamas fighters.

The Hisadrut, the larger Israeli union, has called for a general strike on Monday. It could shut down air travel, banking and non-emergency medical care.

The hostages were seized in the Oct. 7 Hamas raids in Israel. About 1,500 Israelis were killed, but in the war that followed  over 40,000 Palestinians have died.

The final innings for election?

Traditionally, Labor Day is the closing lap of a presidential campaign. Conventional wisdom claims that “Americans don’t really start paying attention to elections” until after that holiday.

This week, former president and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is expected to speak to the national board of the Fraternal Order of Police in Charlotte, North Carolina. On Sunday, Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris  has a scheduled campaign event in Pittsburgh.

So far, the election campaign in relatively close. The average of recent national polls shows Harris leading Trump 49 to 46 percent.

Among the “swing states,” Harris leads Trump 49-47 percent in Michigan and 49-48 percent in Wisconsin. Trump is ahead 49-48 in Georgia, while the two are deadlocked at 48 percent each in Pennsylvania and Arizona.

Angels over M’s; Dodgers beat by D-backs

The Los Angeles Angels defeated  Seattle Mariners 3-2 in Anaheim on Sunday for their second win in a row. They got a stellar pitching performance from rookie Caden Dana in his initial MLB start. He worked six innings, yielding two hits and two runs. He struck out four batters and walked four.

Anthony Rendon drove in two runs with a single, and Taylor Ward doubled and homered as the Angel record improved to 57-80, still fifth in the American League West.

In Phoenix the Los Angeles Dodgers were hammered 14-3 by the Arizona Diamondbacks.The home team scored eight runs in the second inning and totaled 17 hits for the game, including two homers.

The Blue Crew batters were led by Tommy Edman, who went 2-for-4 with one RBI. Despite the loss, the Dodgers (82-55) still lead the National League West by five games over thee D-backs and the San Diego Padres.

USC edges LSU 27-20 with seconds to go

The University of Southern California football team scored a touchdown with seconds to play to defeat LSU 27-10 Sunday evening in Las Vegas. Woody Marks ran for a 13-yard score to give the Trojans (ranked 23) the win over the Tigers (13th). Miller Moss passed for 378 yards and one TD for USC.

Next up for USC (1-0) will be in the Coliseum on Saturday hosting Utah State (1-0).

Weather: Warm and getting hotter

Our West Orange County cities are headed for some sunny and very warm days later in the week. Monday (Labor Day) will have a daytime high of 85 with an overnight low of 67.  Tuesday will rise to 88 (67) and Wednesday to 91 (69). The thermometer will peak at 94 on Thursday and Friday and then begin to drop.