AP News in Brief at 6:04 a.m. EDT

The second day of indirect negotiations in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh are focused on a plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump last week that aims to bring about an end to the war in Gaza.

After several hours of talks Monday, an Egyptian official with knowledge of the discussions said the parties agreed on most of the first-phase terms, which include the release of hostages and establishing a ceasefire. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meetings.

The plan has received widespread international backing and Trump told reporters on Monday that he thought there was a “really good chance” of a “lasting deal.”

“This is beyond Gaza,” he said. "Gaza is a big deal, but this is really peace in the Middle East."

A divided Israel marks 2 years since Oct. 7 attack as war in Gaza grinds on and hostages languish

REIM, Israel (AP) — Thousands of people converged on southern Israel on Tuesday to mourn the dead as the nation marked two years since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack plunged the region into a devastating war, while Israel and Hamas pressed on with indirect peace talks in Egypt.

The main memorial is being organized by the bereaved families, separate from a ceremony that the government will hold on the anniversary next week according to the Hebrew calendar. The split reflects deep divisions over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s leadership, which many blame for the failure to secure a ceasefire that would free the remaining hostages held by the militants.

In the Gaza Strip, where Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed tens of thousands of people and razed entire towns and cities, those who can are fleeing another Israeli invasion of Gaza City while others are sheltering in place. Many are unable to make the arduous and costly journey south.

It’s been two years since thousands of Hamas-led militants poured into southern Israel after a surprise barrage of rockets. They stormed army bases, farming communities and an outdoor music festival, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, including women, children and older adults.

They abducted 251 others, most of whom have since been released in ceasefires or other deals. Forty-eight hostages remain inside Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to still be alive. Hamas has said it will release them only in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until all of the captives are returned and Hamas has been disarmed.

Chicago and Illinois sue to stop Trump’s Guard deployment plan after Portland ruling

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois leaders went to court Monday to stop President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops to Chicago, escalating a clash between Democratic-led states and the Republican administration during an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the nation’s third-largest city.

The legal challenge came hours after a judge blocked the Guard's deployment in Portland, Oregon.

The lawsuit in Chicago also raised the stakes after a violent weekend: Authorities said a woman was shot by a federal agent when Border Patrol vehicles were boxed in and struck by other vehicles. The city's police superintendent rejected suggestions that his officers were on the government's side in volatile situations like that one.

The Trump administration has portrayed the cities as war-ravaged and lawless amid its crackdown on illegal immigration. Officials in Illinois and Oregon say military intervention isn’t needed and that federal involvement is inflaming the situation.

The lawsuit alleges that “these advances in President Trump’s long-declared ‘War’ on Chicago and Illinois are unlawful and dangerous.” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said a court hearing was scheduled for Thursday.

What we know about National Guard deployments in Chicago and Portland

Illinois has followed California and Oregon in filing lawsuits to stop President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops to Democrat-led big cities.

The lawsuit filed Monday by Illinois and Chicago alleges Trump's authorization to deploy 300 troops to the Windy City is "unlawful and dangerous.” Trump continues to flex federal power and claims the troops are needed to protect federal immigration enforcement efforts and crack down on crime.

In Oregon, a federal judge on Sunday temporarily blocked a deployment of troops, hours after that state's governor said California National Guard members had arrived, with more on the way and headed to Portland.

Sending the National Guard to states over their governor’s objections is not a new idea in Trump’s inner circle.

Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, said in November 2023 that a second Trump administration would order the Guard in sympathetic Republican-led states to Democrat-run states that refuse to cooperate with his drive for mass deportations.

Trump says he's open to health care deal but government must reopen first

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump cracked the door slightly to negotiations with Democrats on the health care subsidies they've made central to the shutdown fight, then abruptly closed it Monday, leaving the two sides once again at a seemingly intractable impasse.

Democrats are conditioning their support for a short-term funding patch on extending the health subsidies that lessen the cost of plans offered under the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare.

“We have a negotiation going on right now with the Democrats that could lead to very good things,” Trump told reporters. “And I’m talking about good things with regard to health care.”

The comments were one of the few hopeful signs Monday as the government shutdown hit its sixth day. Negotiations between the two parties have been virtually nonexistent since the start of the shutdown despite the impact on federal services.

But Trump later followed up those comments on his social media site to reinforce what GOP leaders in Congress have been saying: The shutdown must end. And work on extending the enhanced tax credits for health insurance would take place separately.

The Supreme Court begins a term that will examine Trump's expansive claims of presidential power

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday began a new term that will have a sharp focus on President Donald Trump's robust assertion of executive power.

Pivotal cases on voting and the rights of LGBTQ people also are on the agenda. On Tuesday, the justices will hear arguments over bans passed by nearly half of U.S. states on therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.

Chief Justice John Roberts formally opened the term Monday as the court rejected more than 800 pending appeals, including a challenge by Ghislaine Maxwell to her conviction for luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein.

In its first arguments, the court also appeared to be inclined to rule against a criminal defendant from Texas in a case about the constitutional right to a lawyer. Approaching an overnight break in the defendant's testimony, the trial judge ordered defense lawyers not to talk to their client about his testimony.

A major thrust of the next 10 months, however, is expected to be the justices' evaluation of Trump's expansive claims of presidential power.

Supreme Court rejects appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell, imprisoned former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein.

On the first day of their new term, the justices declined to take up a case that would have drawn renewed attention to the sordid sexual-abuse saga after President Donald Trump’s administration sought to tamp down criticism over its refusal to publicly release more investigative files from Epstein’s case.

Lawyers for Maxwell, a British socialite, argued that she never should have been tried or convicted for her role in luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein, a New York financier. She is serving a 20-year prison term, though she was moved from a low-security federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas after she was interviewed in July by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

As is their custom, the justices did not explain why they turned away the appeal.

Trump’s Republican administration had urged the high court to stay out of the case.

Democrats could have a slight shot at flipping a US House seat in Utah under a new congressional map

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah’s Republican-led Legislature approved a revised congressional map Monday that could give Democrats an improved chance at flipping a seat as they fight to topple the GOP’s slim majority in the U.S. House. But in a state dominated by Republicans, it remains a long-shot that Democrats could win a district next year.

Republicans currently hold all four of Utah’s House seats.

In the court-ordered redraw, two districts become slightly competitive for Democrats — one more than the other — but all four still lean Republican. The map places Salt Lake City in a single district that stretches into rural areas, instead of splitting the heavily Democratic city among multiple districts.

Redistricting experts say it's the least competitive proposal lawmakers considered, and likely Republicans' best bet at safeguarding their seats. But Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said he sees “a prime pickup opportunity.”

The districts still must be reviewed by a judge, who is expected to approve a new map by November.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyers want him sent to a New Jersey federal prison that offers drug treatment

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers want the hip-hop mogul sent to a low-security federal prison in New Jersey to serve his four-year, two-month prison sentence, telling a judge Monday that the facility’s drug treatment program will help him stay clean.

In a letter, Combs’ lawyers urged the judge presiding over his case, Arun Subramanian, to “strongly recommend” that the federal Bureau of Prisons place Combs at FCI Fort Dix, a massive prison located on the grounds of the joint military base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

FCI Fort Dix, one of several dozen federal prisons with a residential drug treatment program, will best allow Combs “to address drug abuse issues and to maximize family visitation and rehabilitative efforts,” Combs lawyer Teny Geragos wrote.

Also Monday, President Donald Trump told reporters that Combs had asked him for a pardon. Trump, referring to Combs by the nickname “Puff Daddy,” did not say if he would grant the request. Messages seeking comment on Trump’s remarks was left for Combs’ lawyers and his publicity team.

Combs’ sentencing Friday on charges he transported people across state lines for sexual encounters capped a federal case that featured harrowing testimony about violence, drugs and so-called “freak-offs,” and exposed the sordid private life of one of the most influential figures in music.

ICC makes the first conviction over past atrocities in Sudan's Darfur

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court on Monday convicted a leader of the feared Janjaweed militia of playing a leading role in a campaign of atrocities committed in the Sudanese region of Darfur more than 20 years ago — including ordering mass executions and bludgeoning two prisoners to death with an ax.

It was the first time the court has convicted a suspect of crimes in Darfur. The three-judge panel ruled that the atrocities, including mass murders and rapes, were part of a government plan to snuff out a rebellion there.

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, wearing a suit and tie and listening through a headset, showed no emotion as Presiding Judge Joanna Korner read out 27 guilty verdicts. He will be sentenced at a later date. He faces a maximum life sentence.

He was convicted of crimes for leading Janjaweed militia forces in Darfur that went on a campaign of killing and destruction in 2003-2004.

“He encouraged and gave instructions that resulted in the killings, the rapes and destruction committed by the Janjaweed,” Korner said, adding that the verdicts were unanimous.