WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police have investigated more threats to members of Congress in the first six months of the year than in all of 2016, says the chief law enforcement official for the House, as Majority Whip Steve Scalise remains hospitalized after a gunman opened fire at a baseball practice nearly a month ago.

The numbers were revealed in a memo Monday on the Federal Election Commission website as lawmakers seek the panel’s guidance on using campaign funds to improve security at their residences. House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving provided the numbers to the FEC.

In the first half of the year, U.S. Capitol Police investigated about 950 threatening communications to lawmakers. Last year, police investigated 902 such communications.

“The increased use of social media has created a new avenue for individuals with ill intent to publish threatening communications directed toward members of the House of Representatives,” Irving wrote to FEC Chairman Steven Walther.

In a politically polarized atmosphere, lawmakers have spoken about an increasing number of threats of physical violence or death. Several discussed it freely after the shooting last month grievously wounded Scalise. The Louisiana Republican remains in serious condition in a Washington hospital after several surgeries, including one for an infection.

Scalise and four other people were injured June 14 when a gunman opened fire on a GOP baseball practice in nearby Alexandria, Va. U.S. Capitol Police and other officers returned fire and killed the gunman.

U.K. court sets new hearing in case of terminally ill baby

LONDON — A British court on Monday gave the parents of 11-month-old Charlie Gard a chance to present fresh evidence that their terminally ill son should receive experimental treatment.

The decision came after an emotionally charged hearing in the case, during which the child’s mother wept in frustration and his father yelled at a lawyer.

Judge Nicholas Francis gave the couple until Wednesday afternoon to present the evidence and set a new hearing for Thursday in the case.

But the judge insisted there had to be “new and powerful” evidence to reverse rulings that barred Charlie from traveling abroad for treatment and authorized the hospital to take him off life support.

Charlie suffers from mitochondrial depletion syndrome, a rare genetic disease that has left him brain damaged and unable to breathe unaided.

At least 12 killed as military transport plane crashes in Miss.

ITTA BENA, Miss. — A military transport plane crashed Monday in Mississippi’s Delta region, killing at least 12 people aboard, officials said.

Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks said a KC-130 military refueling tanker crashed about 85 miles north of Jackson.

At least 12 aboard have been confirmed dead, Banks told The Greenwood Commonwealth. He said a helicopter was searching for others around the crash site in a soybean field in a sparsely populated area.

Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns said in a statement that a Marine KC-130 “experienced a mishap” Monday evening but provided no further details.

Greenwood Fire Chief Marcus Banks, no relation to the sheriff, said an intense fire hampered firefighters.

Official: FBI arrests soldier in Hawaii on terrorism charges

HONOLULU — An active duty soldier based in Hawaii pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State group, helped purchase a drone for it to use against American forces and said he wanted to use his rifle to “kill a bunch of people,” according to an FBI affidavit.

Ikaika Kang, a sergeant first class in the U.S. Army, made an initial appearance Monday in federal court in Honolulu.

He was arrested Saturday on terrorism charges.

Paul Delacourt, the FBI special agent in charge of the Hawaii bureau, said no documents made it to the Islamic State.

Birney Bervar, Kang’s appointed attorney, said after Kang’s initial court appears that he still doesn’t know much about the case. He said he only talked to Kang for a few minutes.

Newcomer becomes Israel’s Labor party leader

JERUSALEM — Israel’s Labor party elected political newcomer Avi Gabbay as its leader Monday, hoping to inject new blood into the movement that has been shut out of power for 16 years.

Labor led the Jewish state for its first three decades, leaving its mark on all aspects of Israeli society through wars, crises and the pursuit of peace. But it has not governed since then Prime Minister Ehud Barak was defeated in 2001.

“This is the day hope won,” Gabbay said. “The day of returning to our senses. The day of returning to our values.”

He said his campaign to oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “replace the government in Israel” starts Tuesday.

Gabbay, 50, won by a small margin in a runoff against Amir Peretz, a former party leader and defense minister.

U.N. envoy says cease-fire in Syria largely is holding

GENEVA — The U.N.’s special envoy for Syrian peace talks on Monday said a U.S.- and Russia-brokered cease-fire in the country’s southwest was generally holding despite some “teething problems,” adding he hoped it would contribute positively to talks between the government and opposition.

A new round of indirect talks that began Monday is the seventh so far between Syrian government representatives and opposition leaders to try to wind down the battered country’s 6-year-old civil war.

Staffan de Mistura said he is not expecting any breakthroughs but rather “some incremental developments.”

The start of the talks in Geneva coincided with the first full day of the cease-fire for southern Syria that was brokered last week by the United States, Russia and Jordan.

The Minnesota police officer who was acquitted in last year’s fatal shooting of black motorist Philando Castile will receive $48,500 as he leaves the suburban department that employed him at the time of the killing, according to a separation agreement announced Monday. Jeronimo Yanez will be paid the money in a lump sum.

NASA’s Juno spacecraft is about to give us our best look yet of Jupiter’s swirling Great Red Spot.

The spacecraft flew over the 10,000-mile-wide storm Monday night, passing 5,600 miles above the cloud tops.

It will take NASA a few days to get the close-up images.