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CHICAGO — Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked roadways in Illinois, California, New York and the Pacific Northwest on Monday, temporarily shutting down travel into some of the nation's most heavily used airports, onto the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges and on a busy West Coast highway. In Chicago, protesters linked arms and blocked lanes of Interstate 190 leading into O'Hare International Airport around 7 a.m. in a demonstration they said was part of a global “economic blockade to free Palestine,” according to Rifqa Falaneh, one of the organizers. Traffic in the San Francisco Bay Area was snarled for hours as demonstrators shut down all vehicle, pedestrian and bike traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge and chained themselves to 55-gallon drums filled with cement across Interstate 880 in Oakland. Protesters marching into Brooklyn blocked Manhattan-bound traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. In Eugene, Oregon, protesters blocked Interstate 5, shutting down traffic on the major highway for about 45 minutes. Protesters say they chose O’Hare in part because it is one of the largest airports. Among other things, they’ve called for an immediate cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas. Anti- war protesters have demonstrated in Chicago near daily since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people. Israeli warplanes and ground troops have since conducted a scorched-earth campaign on the Gaza Strip. The Israeli offensive has killed more than 33,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead. O'Hare warned travelers on the social platform X to take alternative forms of transportation with car travel “substantially delayed this morning due to protest activity.” Some travelers stuck in standstill traffic left their cars and walked the final leg to the airport along the freeway, trailing their luggage behind them. Among them was Madeline Hannan from suburban Chicago. She was headed to O'Hare for a work trip to Florida when her and her husband's car ended up stalled for 20 minutes. She got out and “both ran and speed walked” more than 1.6 kilometers (1 mile). She said she made it to the gate on time, but barely. “This was an inconvenience,” she said in a telephone interview from Florida. “But in the grand scheme of things going on overseas, it’s a minor inconvenience.” While individual travelers may have been affected, operations at the airport appeared near normal with delays of under 15 minutes, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Inbound traffic toward O’Hare resumed around 9 a.m. Near Seattle, the Washington State Department of Transportation said a demonstration closed the main road to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Social media posts showed people holding a banner and waving Palestinian flags while standing on the highway, which reopened about three hours later. About 20 protesters were arrested at the Golden Gate Bridge demonstration and traffic resumed shortly after noon, according to the California Highway Patrol. The agency said officers were making arrests at two points on the interstate, including one spot where roughly 300 protesters refused orders to disperse, “Attempting to block or shut down a freeway or state highway to protest is unlawful, dangerous, and prevents motorists from safely reaching their destinations,” the agency said in a statement. Oregon State Police said 52 protestors were were arrested for disorderly conduct following the Interstate 5 protest in Eugene, Oregon, about 177 kilometers (110 miles) south of Portland. Six vehicles were towed from the scene. New York Police made numerous arrests, saying 150 protesters were initially involved in the march around 3:15 p.m., but that number quickly grew. The bridge was fully reopened by 5 p.m. In Chicago, dozens of protesters were arrested, according to Falaneh. Chicago police said Monday that “multiple people” were taken into custody after a protest where people obstructed traffic, but they did not have a detailed count.

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HONOLULU — The Maui Fire Department is expected to release a report Tuesday detailing how the agency responded to a series of wildfires that burned on the island during a windstorm last August — including one that killed 101 people in the historic town of Lahaina and became the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. The release comes one day before the Hawaii Attorney General is expected to release the first phase of a separate comprehensive investigation about the events before, during and after the Aug. 8 fires. The reports could help officials understand exactly what happened when the wind-whipped fire overtook the historic Maui town of Lahaina, destroying roughly 3,000 properties and causing more than $5.5 billion in estimated damage, according to state officials. The Western Fire Chiefs Association produced the after-action report for the Maui Fire Department. After-action reports are frequently used by military organizations, emergency response agencies, government entities and even companies to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of the organization's response to an emergency. A similar after-action report was released by the Maui Police Department in February. It included 32 recommendations to improve the law enforcement agency's response to future tragedies, including that the department obtain better equipment and that it station a high-ranking officer in the island's communications center during emergencies. Hawaiian Electric has acknowledged that one of its power lines fell and caused a fire in Lahaina the morning of Aug. 8, but the utility company denies that the morning fire caused the flames that burned through the town later that day. But dozens of lawsuits filed by survivors and victims’ families claim otherwise, saying entities like Hawaiian Electric, Maui County, large property owners or others should be held responsible for the damage caused by the inferno. Many of the factors that contributed to the disaster are already known: Strong winds from a hurricane passing far offshore had downed power lines and blown off parts of rooftops, and debris blocked roads throughout Lahaina. Later those same winds rained embers and whipped flames through the heart of the town. The vast majority of the county’s fire crews were already tied up fighting other wildfires on a different part of the island, their efforts sometimes hindered by a critical loss of water pressure after the winds knocked out electricity for the water pumps normally used to load firefighting tanks and reservoirs. County officials have acknowledged that a lack of backup power for critical pumps made it significantly harder for crews to battle the Upcountry fires. A small firefighting team was tasked with handling any outbreaks in Lahaina. That crew brought the morning fire under control and even declared it extinguished, then broke for lunch. By the time they returned, flames had erupted in the same area and were quickly moving into a major subdivision. The fire in Lahaina burned so hot that thousands of water pipes melted, making it unlikely that backup power for pumps would have made a significant impact. Cellphone and internet service was also down in the area, so it was difficult for some to call for help or to get information about the spreading fire — including any evacuation announcements. And emergency officials did not use Hawaii’s extensive network of emergency sirens to warn Lahaina residents. The high winds made it hard at times for first responders to communicate on their radios, and 911 operators and emergency dispatchers were overwhelmed with hundreds of calls. Police and electricity crews tried to direct people away from roads that were partially or completely blocked by downed power lines. Meanwhile, people trying to flee burning neighborhoods packed the few thoroughfares leading in and out of town. The traffic jam left some trapped in their cars when the fire overtook them. Others who were close to the ocean jumped into the choppy waters to escape the flames.

SYDNEY —           Australia will work with international security agencies to assess global extremism after a stabbing at a church in Sydney. The attack, in which a 16-year-old boy was arrested, is being treated as an act of terrorism, according to the police. A bishop, a parish priest and several worshippers were injured Monday during a sermon that was being live-streamed. The teenage suspect was subdued by worshippers and arrested by the police. Australian investigators believe the alleged attacker was motivated by religious extremism. Declaring the attack a terrorist incident gives investigators greater powers and resources to probe the precise motivations of the alleged attacker. Australian intelligence agencies will work with their Five Eyes security alliance partners, including Canada and the U.S., to assess the global threat of extremism. Video of the service at the Assyrian Orthodox Church has shown an individual walking toward the altar. The alleged assailant then lunges at a clergyman and appears to stab him several times before churchgoers rush in to help.  There are screams of horror from the congregation at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, a prominent Christian leader, was among those who were injured, along with a parish priest and a small number of worshippers.  None of the victims have life-threatening injuries. Outside the church, a large crowd angry at the attack clashed with the police.  “Bring him out!” they chanted, calling for retribution against the teenage suspect. A group of leaders from different faiths met with government officials and called for calm in the community. Western Sydney is one of Australia’s most culturally and religiously diverse regions. “There is no place for violence in our community. There is no place for violent extremism," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters Tuesday. "We are a peace-loving nation. This is a time to unite (and) not divide as a community and as a country.” Albanese was scheduled to meet with his national security advisers later on Tuesday in Canberra. Australia’s official national terror threat level remains at "possible," the second lowest in a five-category alert system.  A government advisory states that “there are a small number of people in Australia and overseas who want to cause Australia harm.” The church stabbings follow the murders of six people in a separate knife attack in a Sydney shopping center over the weekend. The attacker, a 40-year-old man from Queensland state with mental health issues, was shot dead at the scene by a police officer. Among the injured is a 9-month-old baby girl, who remains in hospital. The infant’s mother was killed in Saturday’s rampage.  It is not being treated as a terrorism-related attack.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

As President Joe Biden hosted Iraq’s prime minister on Monday, all eyes were on Iran, which over the weekend made a historic first strike on Israel. That attack has inflamed concerns of a wider regional war, something the two leaders focused on during their Oval Office meeting. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from the White House.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

International pressure is building on Israel to hold back in responding to Iran’s attacks, but Israel says it will retaliate. Despite the size of the Iranian assault on Israel is Iran really looking to escalate the situation? We talk to Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran program at the Middle East Institute. Ukrainian officials are voicing concern about future military support from the West, especially the United States. A bakery in Gaza City has started operating for the first time in six months with aid from the World Food Program (WFP), providing desperately needed food in a part of the territory where a U.N.-backed report has warned of imminent famine.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives will consider aid to Israel and Ukraine as separate legislation this week, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson said on Monday, more than two months after the Senate passed a bill combining the two. Leaving a meeting of House Republicans on Monday evening, Johnson said the narrowly divided chamber would consider four bills altogether that would also include aid to Taiwan, U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific and U.S. national security priorities. "We know that the world is watching us to see how we react," Johnson told reporters. "They're watching to see if America will stand up for its allies and in our own interest around the globe. And we will." U.S. aid has been delayed by Johnson's unwillingness to consider a $95 billion bipartisan bill the Senate passed in February, including $14 billion for Israel as well as $60 billion for Ukraine. Also included were billions to strengthen allies in the Indo-Pacific, where China is becoming more assertive, and for international humanitarian aid. Johnson said the new House bills provide roughly the same amount of foreign aid as the Senate bill but would include differences including some aid in the form of a loan. Republicans aim to release legislative text as early as Tuesday morning but will observe a 72-hour review period before voting. Johnson said votes on passage could come late on Friday. The push to pass the aid gained urgency after Iran's weekend missile and drone attack on Israel despite fierce opposition in the deeply divided Congress. Three of the four bills Johnson suggested would cover Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific. The makeup of the fourth was not immediately clear. Backers had insisted the broad foreign aid measure passed with 70% support in the Senate would have received similar support in the House. However, Johnson had given a variety of reasons to delay, among them the need to focus taxpayer dollars on domestic issues and reluctance to take up a Senate measure without more information. Johnson also faces a threat from a hard-right Republicans to oust him as speaker if he allows the Ukraine aid to move ahead. Many on the right, especially those closely allied with former President Donald Trump, who has been skeptical of assisting Kyiv in its fight against Russia, fiercely oppose sending billions more dollars to Ukraine. The House Freedom Caucus - a group of Republican hardliners with about three dozen members - released a statement on Monday calling for aid to Israel, but not to Ukraine, and rejecting as "bogus" any suggestion that the attack on Israel should help ease the path toward more funds for Kyiv. Representative Andy Biggs, a Freedom Caucus member, told reporters he liked the idea of separate bills, but had to see them before committing to voting for them. Defense industry watching The issue is closely watched by industry. U.S. defense contractors could be in line for huge contracts to supply equipment for Ukraine and other U.S. partners if the additional funding passes. Aid supporters stress that approving the Ukraine bill would create many American jobs. The White House has been pushing Johnson to allow a vote, as have Senate Republicans and Democrats. "If House Republicans put the Senate supplemental (spending bill) on the floor, I believe it would pass today, reach the president's desk tonight and Israel would get the aid it needs by tomorrow," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in the Senate on Monday. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell told his fellow lawmakers: "It’s also time for Congress to deliver the urgent investments that our industrial base, our forces, and our partners will need to meet and out-compete the growing and linked threats we face." The top House Democrat, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, sent a letter to his caucus on Monday spelling out the need to support Ukraine as well as Israel. "The gravely serious events of this past weekend in the Middle East and Eastern Europe underscore the need for Congress to act immediately. We must take up the bipartisan and comprehensive national security bill passed by the Senate forthwith," Jeffries wrote. Ukraine appealed again to allies on Monday for "extraordinary and bold steps" to supply air defenses to help defend against waves of Russian airstrikes that have targeted its energy system in recent weeks.

The White House — As U.S. President Joe Biden hosted Iraq’s prime minister Monday, all eyes were on Iran, which over the weekend made a historic first strike on Israel.  That attack has inflamed concerns of a wider regional war — a situation that effectively eclipsed the leaders’ already-planned Oval Office meeting, where they wanted to discuss their mutual fight against Islamic State, economic issues and Iraq’s progress toward energy independence and modernization. “The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the enduring strategic partnership between Iraq and the United States, and discussed their visions for comprehensive bilateral cooperation under the 2008 U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement,” the two leaders said in a joint statement after Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met with Biden.  Meanwhile, White House officials disputed reports that Iran delivered a clear warning before the strike. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby called such reports “nonsense.” “Can you imagine a world in which Iran would pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey, we're about to try to schwack Israel with 300 cruise missiles and drones. We just wanted to let you know it's coming. And oh, by the way, here's what we're going to hit.’” “I'm sorry,” he said. “It just didn't happen.” He stressed that Israel’s response is “an Israeli decision to make,” and “we’re going to leave it squarely with them.” Even though the United States is describing Iran's aerial assault as a failure, Iraq’s leader acknowledged that the conflict between Israel and Hamas is of major concern in the region.  “We are actually very eager about stopping this war, which claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, women and children,” Sudani said, sitting beside Biden in the Oval Office. “And we encourage all the efforts about stopping the expansion of the area of conflict."  The two nations have a delicate relationship after decades of U.S. military involvement in Iraq. U.S. anti-aircraft assets in northern Iraq were used to shoot down some of the Iranian missiles. Biden said Iraq — a longtime adversary of Iran — has a role to play in maintaining peace.   “Simply put, our partnership is pivotal for our nations, for the Middle East, and I believe, for the world,” he said.  Earlier Monday, Sudani’s deputy met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, where both men hailed the regional cooperation that thwarted the attack and urged de-escalation.  "I think what this weekend demonstrated is that Israel did not have to and does not have to defend itself alone when it is the victim of an aggression, the victim of an attack,” Blinken said.  “In the 36 hours since, we have been coordinating a diplomatic response to seek to prevent escalation.”  “We call on all parties for self-restraint and respect the rules and also international norms that we set,” said Muhammad Ali Tamim, Iraq’s deputy prime minister. The two leaders announced a raft of bilateral measures Monday, but none directly referenced Iran. “The President and Prime Minister agreed on the importance of working together to advance regional stability and reinforce and respect Iraqi sovereignty, stability, and security,” their joint statement said.  The other agreements centered on the priorities the Biden administration outlined in March ahead of the visit: energy independence, regional security and the “lasting defeat of ISIS.” But analysts say Baghdad should seize every diplomatic opportunity to seek peace.  “Iraq needs to make its preference for reduced escalation clear,” Daniel Byman, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told VOA on Zoom. “And that's both talking to the Iranians, but also talking to other Arab states and talking to the United States, that this is negative from Iraq's point of view, and that it wants all the powers to take responsible action to try to reduce escalation.”  As Israel mulls its response, regional actors are not sitting still. On Monday, Iraq’s president met with King Abdullah II of Jordan. According to Jordan’s royal court, they spoke about the dangers of this conflict escalating further.  

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UNITED NATIONS — The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday that his teams briefly halted inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities this week amid regional tensions between Israel and Iran. “What I can tell you is that our inspectors in Iran were informed by the Iranian government yesterday that all the nuclear facilities that we are inspecting every day would remain closed on security considerations,” Rafael Mariano Grossi told reporters at the United Nations in New York. He said the facilities were to reopen Monday for inspections, but he decided to wait an extra day — planning to resume work on Tuesday — to be sure the situation is “completely calm” before sending his teams back. “This has not had an impact on our inspection activity, but we always call for extreme restraint,” he added. Iran launched an attack Sunday toward Israel with over 300 drones and ballistic and cruise missiles. The massive strike caused only modest damage in Israel and no deaths. Tehran said it was in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy in Syria earlier this month that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers, including two senior commanders. With Israel considering whether to launch a counterattack, and its concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions widely known, some analysts have questioned whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might target nuclear-related sites in Iran. On Sunday, Israel’s U.N. envoy told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss Iran’s strike that Tehran would soon have nuclear weapons capabilities. “Iran’s breakout time to produce an arsenal of nuclear weapons is now weeks — mere weeks,” Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan said. Grossi told reporters that while Iran has a stockpile of enriched uranium at “very, very high levels,” that does not automatically mean they have a nuclear weapon. “As far as the agency is concerned, we don’t have any information or indication that there is a nuclear weapons program in Iran,” Grossi said. “At the same time, while we say this, which we need to say, we are telling our Iranian counterparts that this important accumulation of nuclear material, at levels that are very, very close — technically identical almost to weapons grade level — of course is not irrelevant and raises questions in the international community.” In its quarterly report in February, the IAEA said based on information provided by Iran, it had an estimated total enriched uranium stockpile of 5,525.5 kilograms (about 12,182 pounds), an increase of 1,038.7 kilograms (2,289 pounds) since the previous quarterly report in November 2023. Of that, an estimated 121.5 kilograms (267.8 pounds) of uranium is enriched up to 60% purity, which is one step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for purely peaceful civilian purposes. Grossi said outstanding questions are why it is so important that the Iranian government fully cooperate with the IAEA. Iran has barred several experienced inspectors from monitoring its nuclear program. It has also unilaterally stopped implementing the Joint Statement agreed with the IAEA in March 2023, and there are outstanding safeguards issues under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement that need to be resolved for the IAEA to provide assurances that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful. Grossi said he hopes to visit Tehran soon to put the situation back on track. Some information in this report was provided by The Associated Press.  

pentagon — Israel appears determined to exact a measure of revenge against Iran, just days after the Iranian military and some of its allies across the Middle East launched an unprecedented aerial assault on the Jewish state. Seemingly ignoring pleas by world leaders, Israeli military officials said Monday that Tehran must pay a price for Saturday’s barrage of more than 350 missiles and drones, many launched from Iranian soil. The Iranian attack “will be met with a response,” said Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi. “Iran will face the consequences for its actions,” he said, speaking from Nevatim air base in southern Israel. Israeli military officials did not elaborate on what that response could look like, though Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said it would come “at the time that we choose.” The tough Israeli rhetoric comes even as the country's most ardent backer, the United States, has urged Israel to show restraint, arguing the failure of Iran’s drone and missile barrage to inflict much damage was itself a massive victory. "It's pretty telling that Iran launched over 300 air threats … and 99% of those were knocked down," said Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder. The White House on Monday was even more strident. “Israel today is in a far stronger strategic position than it was only a few days ago," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, noting the range of countries that came to Israel’s aid. Britain, France, Jordan and Saudi Arabia joined with the U.S. and Israel to shoot down the Iranian missiles and drones. "Iran's vaunted missile program, something it has used to threaten Israel and the region, proved to be far less effective,” Kirby said. “Israel's defenses, on the other hand, proved even better than many had long assumed." Senior U.S. officials have said the Iranian attack on Israel, the first ever launched from Iranian soil, involved more than 110 ballistic missiles, 30 cruise missiles and more than 150 one-way, explosive aerial drones. They said Iranian proxy forces in Iraq, Syria and Yemen also took part in the attack. Iran, which described the Saturday assault as a success, described it as a response to a suspected Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed seven officers from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two senior commanders. Some officials from Turkey, Jordan and Iraq said Sunday that Iran shared warnings of the attack ahead of time to avoid mass casualties and to prevent hostilities from escalating further. But Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson rejected such claims during a news conference in Tehran on Monday, saying, "There was no pre-arranged deal between us and any other side.” U.S. officials also disputed reports that the attack by Tehran was meant to be symbolic. “I've seen reporting that the Iranians meant to fail, that this spectacular and embarrassing failure was all by design,” said Kirby, calling such claims, “categorically false.” “Given the scale of this attack, Iran's intent was clearly to cause significant destruction and casualties,” Kirby said. “The aim was to get as many of them [missiles and drones] through Israel's defenses as possible.” Despite Iran’s intent, U.S. President Joe Biden has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the United States will not participate in any Israeli counteroffensive against Iran. But various U.S. officials on Monday said Washington’s support for Israel in the face of Iranian aggression remained “ironclad,” and that U.S. military assets placed in the region to fend off the Iranian barrage remained in place should Tehran try again. Still, concerns persist that the Iranian attack and a potential Israeli response could spark a wider, regional conflict. “We call on all parties for self-restraint,” said Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim during a visit to the U.S. State Department in Washington on Monday. “We hope escalations and tensions in the area will end,” Tamim said, adding Iraq does not want to see the region “dragged into a wider war that will threaten international security and safety.” European officials, likewise, urged caution. "We're on the edge of the cliff and we have to move away from it," Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign policy chief, told Spanish radio station Onda Cero. "We have to step on the brakes and reverse gear." French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that his government would do all it could to avoid an escalation of the situation between Israel and Iran. Speaking to French media BFM-TV and RMC, Macron also urged Israel to pursue isolation of Iran rather than escalation. The White House later Monday confirmed those efforts were already underway, with members of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations, or G7, already working on a new round of sanctions targeting industries that support Iran’s missile programs. The G7 consists of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.

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