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Let the Games begin again!

Laura L. Davis   Paste BN

The 2024 Paris Paralympics are about to begin. A reported fracas at Arlington National Cemetery has some veterans reacting with alarm and disgust. And Israel is ramping up military operations in the West Bank.

👋Howdy! Laura Davis here. We've made it to Wednesday! Now, let's get you caught up on the news.

But first: Hello, there! 🌌 NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has detected six wandering rogue planets.

Paris Paralympics getting underway

The torch has arrived in the heart of Paris, and with a spectacular Opening Ceremony, the 2024 Summer Paralympics are officially underway.

What to know: The Games will take place in Paris, just a little after two weeks since the conclusion of the 2024 Paris Olympics. It's the first time a Summer Paralympic Games will be held in France. The events will take place at many of the same venues that saw Olympic action, while others are being converted for the Paralympics. 🏅 Here's everything you need to know.

Altercation at cemetery draws disgust

Some veterans reacted with alarm to reports of an altercation Monday between a member of Donald Trump's entourage and a top official at Arlington National Cemetery, the country's largest military cemetery.

What happened? A member of Trump's team pushed past the cemetery's director of public affairs after she tried to stop them from recording in a part of the cemetery known as Section 60, where photography is prohibited, according to sources. 👉 Here's what we know.

What they're saying: "I truly cannot think of something more repugnant than starting a political fracas on land where Gold Star families mourn," said retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, a senior adviser at the progressive political action committee VoteVets, who called the campaign's actions "nauseating." 🗣️ More reactions.

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Israeli military takes aim at West Bank

The Israeli military conducted a massive operation in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, killing at least nine people in a string of fierce gun battles across Jenin and other major cities as tensions heightened in a war that already has laid to waste most of Gaza.

What's been happening: Israel is ramping up its efforts in the West Bank while continuing operations in Gaza, clashing with Iran-backed Hezbollah on its northern border with Lebanon. At the same time, commercial ships − some with Israeli ties − have been under threat from Iran-backed, Yemen-based Houthi militants. 👉 See the latest on the conflict.

Mexico hits pause

Angered by U.S. criticism of a proposed judicial reform, Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has declared "a pause" in relations with the U.S. embassy.

How it happened: U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar publicly criticized López Obrador's push to reform the country's constitution for the election, not the appointment, of judges to the country's judicial branch. López Obrador is in the midst of a major judicial strike, with judges across the country refusing to go to work in opposition to his proposals. On Tuesday, Mexico's Supreme Court justices suspended its sessions in solidarity with the protests. 👉 What we know so far.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at Paste BN. Say hi: laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to Paste BN here.

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