Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou analyze a day of escalation and bloodshed in the Middle East crisis.

• Israel Attacks Qatar: Israel tries and fails to assassinate Hamas ceasefire negotiators leaders in Qatar’s capital, Doha. Qatar condemns the “cowardly” attack as a violation of sovereignty and international law, demanding a high-level UN investigation. The strike kills six other people, including a Qatari security officer, escalating regional tensions.

• US Angry at Israel: The White House says Trump promised Qatar, the mediator for many of the talks between Hamas and Israel, that more strikes won’t happen again. Press Secretary Leavitt says the bombing does not serve US or Israeli interests. Trump says he sees the incident as a potential “opportunity for peace.” But escalation seems likely to make things even worse.

• Nepal in Turmoil: Nepal’s army intervenes after protesters burn government buildings and politicians’ homes, killing 19 plus severe burn injuries to a former PM’s wife, following a reversed social media ban. Prime Minister Oli resigns amid chaos in Kathmandu. The crisis reflects public outrage over corruption and inequality.

• New York City Mayoral Race: Zohran Mamdani leads NYC’s mayoral race with 46% support, driven by his affordability platform, per a Times/Siena poll. Andrew Cuomo trails at 24%, backed by elites, while Eric Adams lags at 9%. The race tightens if Adams and Sliwa drop out but Mamdani still wins.

• Aegean Airlines Kitten Incident: A British couple reports the carrier lost three rescue kittens on a Crete-to-Paris flight, left in the hold. The traumatized cats were returned after two days, with no apology. This marks the airline’s second such incident in 2024.

• France’s Political Crisis: President Macron appoints Sébastien Lecornu as prime minister after François Bayrou’s resignation amid a budget crisis. But the public doesn’t believe there’s a crisis. Facing a divided parliament, Lecornu must navigate “Block Everything” protests set for Wednesday. France’s political instability stems from Macron’s 2024 snap election gamble.