An Ignoble Experiment: The 7: What the Mayorkas impeachment fight really means; Elon Musk’s financial blow; Amelia Earhart clue; and more

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Good morning. It's Wednesday, Jan. 31, and we hope Elmo isn't too traumatized after he made the mistake of asking how we're all doing. Now let's get to the news.

A deal to pause fighting in the Gaza Strip is being negotiated.

What it includes: A six-week break in fighting between Israel and Hamas, the freeing of all remaining civilian hostages and the release of some Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Will it happen? Parts of the deal have been accepted in principle by Israel, and it is under consideration by Hamas. But many details still need to be worked out.
Yesterday: Israeli agents disguised as doctors and patients killed three Palestinian militants at a hospital in the West Bank. The attack may have violated international law.

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House Republicans moved toward impeaching the Homeland Security secretary.

How? They voted today to advance their case against Alejandro Mayorkas to the House. They argue, without showing clear evidence, that he has failed to secure the southern border.
What now? Even if the House votes for impeachment, Mayorkas faces little prospect of removal by the Senate, which is negotiating border security legislation.
The bigger picture: This is the latest example of Republicans using border issues as political messaging ahead of November's election.

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The lead prosecutor in Donald Trump's Georgia case settled his divorce.

What's happening? Nathan Wade's divorce received national attention after he was accused of having an improper relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Why it matters: Yesterday's settlement allows Wade and Willis to avoid testimony that could have given the former president material to undermine the election-interference case.

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A judge ordered Tesla to undo Elon Musk's $56 billion pay package.

Why? Because it was unfair, a Delaware court ruled yesterday. Shareholders sued Musk over the 2018 compensation plan, which helped make Musk the world's richest person.
Zooming out: This comes at a tense time for the Tesla CEO, who sold billions' worth of stock to fund his purchase of Twitter and is asking for more control of automaker Tesla.

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Hundreds of NFL players diagnosed with dementia have been denied payouts.

In 2015: The NFL promised to pay every former player who developed dementia, CTE or other brain diseases linked to concussions.
Since then: Over 1,600 players have received payouts, but nearly 1,100 claims have been denied. At least 14 players died after failing to qualify, but were found to have CTE via autopsy.
One big problem: The NFL settlement's definition for dementia requires more impairment than the standard definition, a Post investigation found.

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Back-to-back atmospheric rivers will hit the West Coast this week.

What are they? Plumes of robust tropical moisture, which will soak the West Coast in several waves over the next week.
What it means: They could deliver flooding rains, feet of mountain snow, strong winds and shallow landslides — and disrupt travel.

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An exploration company said it may have found Amelia Earhart's plane.

A sonar image of the discovered plane. (Deep Sea Vision/AFP/Getty Images)

A decades-old mystery: Earhart, a trailblazing pilot, disappeared during an attempt to fly around the world in 1937. Ever since, people have been searching for her plane.
What's new? A plane similar in size to Earhart's was found deep in the Pacific Ocean, the company said last week. But a lot more evidence is needed to confirm the discovery.