November 1, 2023

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 26 of the conflict:

• Reports say Qatar helped to negotiate the first foreign passport holders being allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt via the Rafah border crossing today for the first time since the October 7 Hamas attacks. Media reports note that the border exodus negotiations are separate from ongoing Qatar-mediated talks aimed at obtaining the release of hostages held by Hamas. [more]
• Reports say dozens of Palestinians were killed yesterday in an Israeli airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. Israel has confirmed the airstrike and says it was targeting a high-ranking Hamas commander located in the camp. [more]
• Aid groups report widespread outages of phone and internet service in Gaza this morning as Israeli ground and airstrike operations continue around Gaza City. [more]
• Iran-backed Houthi militant leaders in Yemen yesterday claimed responsibility for multiple missile and drone attacks targeting Israel in recent weeks, raising ongoing concerns about the expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict into a wider regional conflict. [more]
• Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called today for all Muslim states to cease oil and food exports to Israel until its military actions in Gaza are stopped. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 615 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Reports say major current Russian military operations in Ukraine appear to be concentrated around the eastern city of Avdiivka and the northeastern city of Kupiansk, which Ukrainian forces recaptured last year. [more]
• Ukrainian officials say an overnight Russian drone attack struck and set afire the Kremenchuk oil refinery in central Ukraine’s Poltava region. [more]
• Russian investigators in eastern Ukraine have reportedly arrested two Russian soldiers on suspicion of killing a family of nine people, including two children, in the Donetsk-region city of Volnovakha. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Amidst still-high, but declining, inflation, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged for the first time in nearly two years when it concludes its latest policy meeting today. [more]

U.S. SECURITY | Testifying before the Senate Homeland Security Committee yesterday, FBI Director Christopher Wray said increased calls for terrorist attacks against America and other Western nations since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel indicate a risk level not seen since large-scale Islamic State actions years ago. [more]

TRUMP NEW YORK FRAUD TRIAL | Donald Trump, Jr., son of former President Donald Trump, is scheduled to testify today in the New York civil fraud trial of the Trump Organization. The former president's other adult children, Eric and Ivanka, are scheduled to testify later this week and next week, respectively. [more]

U.S. DIPLOMACY | With a 53-43 vote yesterday, the Senate confirmed Jacob Lew, a former Treasury secretary in the Obama administration, to be the new U.S. ambassador to Israel. [more]

U.S. EDUCATION | The U.S. Department of Education has announced a record $37.7 million fine against Grand Canyon University, the country’s largest Christian university, with an enrollment of 100,000 mostly online students, for misleading students about the costs of the university’s graduate programs. Grand Canyon has denied the accusations and has indicated it intends to appeal the fine. [more]

U.S. REAL ESTATE | A Missouri jury yesterday found the National Association of Realtors trade group and multiple residential brokerages, including Berkshire Hathaway-owned HomeServices of America and Keller Williams Realty, liable for nearly $1.8 billion in damages related to conspiring to keep commissions for home sales artificially high. The National Association of Realtors has indicated its intention to appeal the liability finding. [more]

TAIWAN | The Taiwanese Defense Ministry said today that 43 Chinese aircraft and seven Chinese naval ships conducted operations near the self-ruled island over the past 24 hours in a continuation of what the Ministry has characterized as a campaign of harassment, threats, and intimidation. [more]

MYANMAR | In a move welcomed by human rights experts and opponents of Myanmar’s military government, the U.S., U.K., and Canada announced a coordinated series of new sanctions yesterday against numerous companies and individuals in Myanmar that provide funding to the Southeast Asian nation’s military regime and high-ranking officials. [more]

CHINA | Meteorological and health officials in the Chinese capital of Beijing say unseasonably warm weather has contributed to several days of unhealthy smog levels in the city that are expected to last through at least the coming week. Reports note that visibility in Beijing amidst the high pollution levels dropped to less than 500 meters this week. [more]

SERBIA | Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced the dissolution of his country’s parliament today and called for early parliamentary elections to be held on December 17. Reports say Vucic’s move will allow him to delay decisions on ties to, and tensions with, neighboring Kosovo. [more]

WORK | Multiple U.S. media outlets report this morning that office-sharing company WeWork is considering filing for bankruptcy in New Jersey as early as next week amidst ongoing financial difficulties. [more]

BASEBALL | The Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 11-7, last night to take a 3-1 lead in the World Series. Game 5 of the Series is scheduled for tonight. [more]

NFL | The Las Vegas Raiders fired head coach Josh McDaniels yesterday following the team’s 3-5 start to the season. Linebackers coach Antonio Pierce has been named the Raiders’ interim head coach. [more]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL | The first College Football Playoff rankings were released yesterday, with Ohio State at No. 1, followed by Georgia, Michigan, Florida State, Washington, and Oregon. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1993, the Maastricht Treaty entered into force, thereby establishing the European Union. [more history]