NPR News: 06-27-2026 1AM EDT

A Trump administration draft report released Friday recommends replacing the principle of separation of church and state with an approach of "building bridges" between religion and government. The report comes from the Religious Liberty Commission, which the administration created. President Trump has previously commented on the role of religion in the nation, stating: "To be a great nation, you have to have religion and you have to have God in your nation. If you don't have that, it just doesn't seem to work out, does it?"

Gaza protest call fails

Israeli ministers and former officials had encouraged people in Gaza to demonstrate against Hamas, with more than a dozen locations across the territory announced as rallying points for what was called the "June 26th revolution." On Friday, no one showed up. It remains unclear who was behind the campaign, but it failed to get Palestinians into the streets to protest Hamas. Eight months into the ceasefire, living conditions in Gaza remain incredibly dire. Hamas still retains some control over the territory, and residents say they largely blame Israel for daily airstrikes and tight restrictions on the entry of basic supplies. Just Friday, an Israeli airstrike killed three local police officers on the streets. Meanwhile, Israel has armed local militias to fight Hamas, which has led to further violence in Gaza.