'US tests ties with Israelis'

President Joe Biden's confirmation that the U.S. has paused shipments of heavy bombs to Israel amid concerns about a ground invasion of Rafah "tests ties with Israelis," The New York Times says on Thursday's front page. Biden is "still committed to providing weapons for Israel's defense," The Boston Globe says, but he told CNN that "if they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically" to "deal with" Gaza's cities, The Wall Street Journal reports. Biden's "powerful signal that his patience has limits" is exceptional (though not unprecedented) in the close U.S.-Israeli security partnership, the Times says, "but it may not necessarily be a breaking point." Meanwhile, Israel's capture of Rafah's border crossing "cuts off aid flow" to the starving Gaza populace, The Washington Post says.

The Journal explores West Virginia's paradox, where it's "desperate for workers but dead set against migrants." The Los Angeles Times has a front-page column on a "gun class for those who hate guns," in this case mostly West Coast progressives.

The L.A. Times also says "hackers, trolls and AI deepfakes rev up for election," while the Post reports that — led by former President Donald Trump — the "GOP grows evasive on accepting 2024 results."