At least 797 Palestinians – most of them civilians, many of them children — have died in the 17-day Gaza conflict so far. Thirty-three Israeli soldiers and two Israeli civilians have also been killed. Starting Sunday, there could be a break in the violence.

Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met and agreed on a plan this afternoon that aims at de-escalating the rising war of words over Ukraine, backing off of military options, and letting the nation determine its own destiny.

During their meeting today in Paris, Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov failed to broker a face-to-face meeting between Russian and Ukrainian leaders. Kerry and Lavrov will meet again tomorrow in Rome.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Kiev—$1 billion in guaranteed loans for Ukraine in tow—as Russian President Putin backtracked somewhat, saying military force would be used only as a "last resort," though he maintained the right to use "all options" in the crisis. Meanwhile, the Crimean prime minister told reporters that the majority of Ukrainian troops in Crimea have either surrendered or pledged allegiance to his government.

The United States and Russia have reached an agreement to remove or destroy Syria's collection of chemical weapons, possibly heading off a military strike by the U.S. against the Assad regime.

Defending President Obama's push to strike Syria in response to the government's alleged use of chemical weapons, Secretary of State John Kerry appeared on five television programs this morning to explain Obama's shocking, and “courageous decision” to seek congressional approval for an act of war.

A day after Secretary of State John Kerry called last week's alleged chemical attack on Syrian civilians a "moral obscenity," Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moallem challenged the U.S. to provide evidence of chemical warfare, and said the country will defend itself "using all means available" in the event of a U.S. strike.

The more I read about what Quentin Tarantino has to say about his consistently entertaining new slave Western Django Unchained, the less I like the film. This is supremely annoying:

Botox Mom Kerry Campbell (who might not be "Kerry Campbell" at all, but a multi-named mystery chupacabra of indeterminate origin) has returned to The Sun, the publication where her insanity spree began, to apologize for shooting botulism into her 8-year-old daughter's face, then bragging about it on TV.

Remember that terrible mother who said she gives Botox and "virgin waxes" to her 8-year-old daughter to improve her chances at beauty pageants? Good Morning America tracked her down. Apparently Kerry Campbell—an aesthetician who regularly injects botulims into her daughter's face—is real, and says she's doing nothing wrong.