November 10, 2023

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 35 of the conflict:

• Iran’s Press TV cites Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian today as saying that expansion of the scope of the war in Gaza has become “inevitable” due to what he views as Israel’s “war against Gaza’s civilian residents.” [more]
• Reports say Israeli airstrikes and ground operations around several hospitals in northern Gaza and Gaza City have increased this morning. Aid groups say Palestinians have gathered around the hospitals, thinking they would be safer, but Israeli officials claim Hamas militants have been hiding in the hospitals and using them as command centers. [more]
• The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says that more than 10,800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel in which more than 1,400 Israelis were killed. An estimated 240 hostages continue to be held by Hamas in Gaza, according to Israeli officials. [more]
• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani are meeting today in Cairo to discuss ways to mediate a de-escalation of violence in the Gaza, the provision of humanitarian aid to Palestinians, and the release of Israeli hostages. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 624 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin visited his country’s Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov-on-Don – just 60 miles from the Ukrainian border – yesterday to meet with Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, for discussions on operations in Ukraine. [more]
• The Russian Defense Ministry says two Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight – one over Crimea and one over the Tula region south of Moscow. Also overnight, two Russian landing boats in Crimea were damaged by Ukrainian sea drones, according to military officials in Kyiv. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin announced yesterday that he will not run for re-election next year, leading to speculation that Democrats will have a harder time retaining control of the Senate. [more]

U.S. GOVERNMENT FUNDING | One week ahead of a November 17 government funding deadline, the House failed to advance two key spending measures yesterday, raising concerns of a potential partial government shutdown at the end of next week. [more]

VETERANS BENEFITS | Marking Veterans Day, the Biden administration today announced several veterans benefits updates, including: expansion of eligibility for no-cost health care to all living World War II veterans, acceleration of healthcare eligibility timelines for veterans exposed to toxins, and establishment of a new Veteran Scam and Fraud Evasion Initiative and Task Force to help protect veterans and their families against fraudulent offers and scams. [White House fact sheet] [more]

TRUMP NEW YORK FRAUD TRIAL | Attorneys for former President Donald Trump yesterday asked the judge in the New York civil fraud trial against Trump and the Trump Organization to issue a summary judgement clearing their clients, saying the state had failed to prove allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud, and falsifying business records. Judge Arthur Engoron did not rule directly on the request, but signaled that the trial would continue Monday as scheduled. [more]

ELECTION THREATS | The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service say threatening letters, several containing the drug fentanyl, were sent to election offices in at least five states this week. Reports say the letters demanded that officials “End elections now.” [more]

U.S. MORTGAGES | Mortgage company Freddie Mac says the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage in the U.S. fell to 7.5% this week – the second straight weekly decline and the largest one-week drop since November 2022. [more]

GUN REGULATION | A three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives exceeded its authority in issuing a 2022 rule that updated various firearm-related definitions as part of attempts to reduce the proliferation of so-called “ghost guns” that are difficult for law enforcement to trace. Reports say the Biden administration is expected to appeal the ruling. [more]

NUCLEAR POWER | Oregon-based NuScale Power, developer of the only small modular nuclear reactor design certified for use in the United States, announced yesterday that it is cancelling plans for its first nuclear plant construction, which was projected to be completed in Idaho by 2029. [more]

FRANCE | Leaders of the French parliament have called for the public to take part in a “grand civic march” this weekend to protest against a significant rise in antisemitism in the country that followed the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. [more]

MYANMAR | Amidst reports that anti-junta forces have overrun at least 100 military outposts since the military seized power in 2021, Myint Swe, Myanmar’s military-appointed president, said yesterday that his country is at risk of breaking apart due to its ineffective management of recent violence with opposition forces. [more]

WORLD POPULATION | The U.S. Census Bureau said yesterday that its calculations indicate that the world population surpassed 8 billion on September 26. The United Nations estimated that number was reached last November. [more]

PHILIPPINES AND CHINA | Philippine authorities today said the Chinese coast guard used a water cannon to disrupt a Philippine naval resupply mission to the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, accusing China of “unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers.” [more]

BASKETBALL | Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo scored an NBA season-high 54 points in last night’s 126-124 Bucks’ loss to the Indiana Pacers. [more]

MEDICAL ADVANCE | Surgeons at New York's NYU Langone Health medical center have announced the world's first-ever whole-eye transplant, saying the procedure is considered a major breakthrough even though the patient has not yet regained sight in the transplanted eye. [more]

R.I.P. | U.S. astronaut Frank Borman died this week at the age of 95, according to a NASA statement. Borman commanded the 1968 Apollo 8 mission, the first space mission to orbit the moon. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1775, the United States Marine Corps was founded when the Continental Congress ordered that two battalions of marines be raised for service during the American Revolution. [more history]