March 7, 2024

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 153 of the conflict:

• Hamas representatives said today that the Palestinian militant group will continue to take part in talks in Cairo, but that a cease-fire must be in place before the group releases any hostages taken during the October 7 attacks on Israel. [more]
• Houthi rebel forces in Yemen continued their attacks on commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden yesterday, targeting the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier True Confidence in a missile attack that killed three people and forced  remaining crew members to abandon the ship. Reports note that the deaths were the first from a Houthi attack since the group started its campaign in support of Palestinians in Gaza. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 742 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• In their annual threat assessment report, Lithuanian intelligence agencies suggested today that high oil prices, evasion of sanctions, and state investment will provide Russia with enough resources to continue its invasion of Ukraine at current levels of intensity for at least two more years. [full report] [more]
• Norway has announced plans to donate up to $153 million to a Czech-led initiative to buy ammunition for Ukraine from international sources. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Police in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, say eight high school students waiting at a bus stop were wounded yesterday when three yet-unidentified gunmen opened fire on the group before fleeing in a car. Authorities note that the incident is the fourth shooting on the city’s transit system in as many days. [more]

STATE OF THE UNION | U.S. President Joe Biden will deliver his third State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress tonight. Among the topics Biden is expected to focus on in his speech are accomplishments on infrastructure and manufacturing, aid for Ukraine, abortion access, migration issues, tax cuts, and drug prices. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley suspended her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination yesterday following Super Tuesday primary results that gave the clear Republican lead to front-runner Donald Trump, who Haley did not endorse in her campaign announcement. [more]

MORE U.S. POLITICS | Reports say the third-party presidential movement No Labels is expected, without yet naming a candidate, to vote tomorrow to launch a presidential campaign for this year’s general election. [more]

ALABAMA | Following last month’s Alabama Supreme Court ruling that equated frozen embryos to children, Governor Kay Ivey signed a new bill into law yesterday that shields the state's providers of in vitro fertilization services, many of whom had suspended operation after the court ruling, from civil lawsuits for damage to, or death of, an embryo during IVF services. The new law does not address the personhood aspects of the Supreme Court ruling. [more]

NEW YORK | Amidst increased reports of violence, Governor Kathy Hochul announced plans yesterday to deploy 750 members of the New York National Guard and 250 state troopers and Metropolitan Transportation Authority police officers to New York City to assist the New York Police Department in conducting random security checks of passengers’ bags at the city’s train and subway stations. [more]

U.S. GOVERNMENT FUNDING | The House of Representatives voted 339-85 yesterday to pass a $360 billion spending package that funds some federal agencies through the remainder of the fiscal year. The Senate is expected to vote on the funding measure ahead of a midnight Friday shutdown deadline, and both chambers will continue to work on a second funding measure that would fund other federal agencies by March 22. [more]

U.S. AND CHINA | Diplomats from China and the United States traded barbs yesterday, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accusing the U.S. of moves to suppress China’s economic and global influence rise, and Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink criticizing China for using intimidation tactics to increase its influence. [more]

GLOBAL TEMPERATURES | According to a new report from the European Union’s Copernicus climate agency, February 2024 was the warmest February in history, with average air and sea surface temperatures both setting new records. [full report] [more]

U.K. | The British government announce today that it has filed an appeal of a court ruling against the Legacy Act, which offered conditional amnesties to ex-soldiers and militants involved in three decades of violent confrontation in Northern Ireland. [more]

SENEGAL | Complying with a Constitutional Council ruling last month that a 10-month delay for Senegal’s February-scheduled presidential election was unlawful, the Senegalese government announced yesterday that the West African country’s delayed election will be held March 24. [more]

GERMANY | Air and rail travel across Germany is severely disrupted today as ground staff of the German airline Lufthansa and rail operator Deutsche Bahn’s train drivers take part in a two-day strike over pay and working condition issues. [more]

GLOBAL INNOVATION | According to the U.N.’s World Intellectual Property Organization, the number of patents filed with the agency fell nearly 2% in 2023 in what the organization’s chief economist says is a “concerning” reflection of global issues surrounding innovation and technological progress. [more]

SOCCER | The U.S. and Brazil advanced to the finals of the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup tournament yesterday with wins over Canada and Mexico, respectively. The tournament final will be played Sunday evening in San Diego, California. [more]

HOLLYWOOD | Adam Sandler tops the Forbes list of top earners in Hollywood in 2023, having earned a reported $73 million. Rounding out the top 10 are Margot Robbie and Tom Cruise in second and third, respectively, followed by Ryan Gosling, Matt Damon, Jennifer Aniston, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jason Statham, Ben Affleck, and Denzel Washington. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1965, state troopers and county sheriff's deputies used nightsticks and tear gas to attack American civil rights activists as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, during their attempted march to the state capitol in Montgomery. [more history]