HAMAS vs. Israel (Shutterstock).

Israeli forces struck targets in Qatar they believe harbored HAmas leadership on Tuesday.
According to The New York Times, the airstrike did kill at least six people but none of the top Hamas leadership.

The incident has some political snd diplomatic complications, as Qatar is a U.S. ally and a leader in efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict in Gaza between Hamas and Israel.

It’s unclear just how much the U.S knew about the attack in advance, or whether America warned Qatar in advance. The Qatari government denied having received advance warning.

The attack is in an area of the Qatari capital which houses schools and foreign embassies, reports The Times.

Math, reading scores ‘historically low’

American high school students are scoring poorly in math and reading scores, according to United Press International.

ARE SOME STUDENT skills at “historically low” levels”? (Shutterstock).

The annual “report card” the National Assessment of Education Progress  said that stores are at the lowest on decades.

They’ve fallen to the low levels last recorded in 1992.

The report indicated that 32 percent of high school students scored below “basic” level. Twelfth graders were at 45 percent and eighth graders at 38 percent below basic.

The organization behind the testing advocates for a federal school choice tax credit to help parents pay for private schooling for their children.

Fate of Trump tariff’s before court

Are President Donald Trump’s sweeping “emergency tariffs” legal? The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up an appeal of a lower federal court which ruled that the White House had “overstepped” its powers in imposing the levies on exports from most of the world’s nations.

UNITED STATES Supreme Court building (Flickr/Geoff Livingston).

Arguments will be heard by the court in November, according to USA Today.

If the court rules against the tariffs, it could mean the government would have to refund tens of millions of dollars in levies collected under the tariffs. If the court overrules the lower court it would mean a major expansion in presidential authority.

The court has six conservative justices who have generally supported Trump’s executive orders.

Weather: Falling into fall

Ah, autumn appears to be here finally, if a little early. The forecast for our West Orange County cities is for daytime highs in the mid- to upper-70s and overnight lows in the md-60s. The highs will be 78 on Thursday and Saturday; each night will cool to 75. Partly cloudy skies will be in place Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Thursday should be mostly sunny.

Great Thoughts

“Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.”
– Unknown

“A great aim of education is not knowledge but action.”
– Herbert Spencer

“Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.
– Bill Nye