HAMAS vs. Israel (Shutterstock).

Can there be a cease-fire with only one side agreeing to stop shooting?

The Associated Press is reporting that Israel has approved a proposal from the United States for a temporary cease-fire in the conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

In response, Hamas stated that it needed time before making a formal response. Bassem Naim of Hamas told the AP that “the Zionist response, in essence, means perpetuating the occupation and continuing the killing and famine.”

At issue is – in part – the release of hostages which each side holds, and whether any cease-fire agreement would be a temporary or a permanent deal.

Trump gets win on tariff legality

President Donald Trump got a victory Thursday on the issue of whether it’s legal for him to use emergency powers to impose tariffs on foreign trade.

THE U.S. HAS announced import tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China, among other nations (Shutterstock).

The New York Times is reporting that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted a pause on another courts’ ruling that those levies were unlawful.

According to The Times, the bipartisan U.S. Court of International Trade on Wednesday had ordered the Trump administration to halt the collection of its new tariffs within the next 10 days.

At present, there’s a 30 percent tariff on all goods from China and 25 percent from most goods from Mexico and Canada.

All steel and aluminum, cars and car parts imported into the U.S also come with a 25 percent tariff.

Sports: Day off for Angels, Dodgers

The two LA/OC teams in Major League Baseball each had an day off on Thursday. Both will return to action on Friday with the Los Angeles Dodgers opening a series hosting the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels in Cleveland to play the Guardians.

Weather: Warm until the weekend

Our West Orange County cities will enjoy warm weather right through the weekend. The forecast for Friday calls for a daytime high of 84 with an overnight low of 63 with partly cloudy skies. From there, temps will decline slowly to 83 (66) on Saturday and 81 (66) on Saturday – both with mostly cloudy conditions – and into the 70s on Monday at 75 (60) and mostly sunny.