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Thursday 11.30.23

The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season ends today as one of the busiest on record with 20 named storms, including seven hurricanes. The three storms that made landfall in the US — Harold, Idalia and Ophelia — were among the fraction that unleashed their fury on land as most veered into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On With Your Day.
 

By Alexandra Banner

Palestinians inspect the destruction in the village of Khuzaa, near the border fence between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip.

Israel

A temporary truce between Israel and Hamas was extended to a seventh day, both sides confirmed, as talks are ongoing for the release of more hostages. Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told CNN that Israel will extend the pause in fighting if Hamas continues to release 10 "living" hostages a day. At least 140 hostages are still inside Gaza, Regev said, warning that fighting will resume if Hamas breaks the parameters of the deal. But experts say the eventual resumption of Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip is inevitable. Israeli leaders have said they are prepared for the next stage of the war when the truce ends, including the resumption of airstrikes and expanded ground operations.

Henry Kissinger

Former US Secretary of State and national security adviser Henry Kissinger, one of the most influential and controversial foreign policy figures of our time, died Wednesday at age 100. His policies and strategies under former Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford brought widespread praise and scorn that — for better or worse — changed the course of American history. Kissinger received the Nobel Peace Prize for helping arrange the end of US military involvement in the Vietnam War and is credited with secret diplomacy that helped Nixon open communist China to the US and the West. But he was also reviled by many over the bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War and accused by critics of needlessly expanding the conflict. Kissinger escaped Nazi Germany in his youth and came to the US in 1938 before ultimately cementing his legacy in foreign policy in the 1970s.

Jerusalem shooting

At least three people were killed and six wounded after a shooting in Jerusalem today, according to local authorities. "The terrorists are from East Jerusalem. They were armed with (an) M-16 rifle and a pistol," police chief Doron Turgeman said. The attackers opened fire toward civilians at a bus station before they were killed by two soldiers and a civilian, authorities said. The scene of the attack has been sealed off and an additional search is being carried out to "rule out any additional suspects," police added. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew said, "We unequivocally condemn such brutal violence."

Immigration

Plans for US border controls may be a part of the Ukraine-Israel aid deal, but a number of Democrats remain divided on whether more conditions need to be placed on aid sent to Israel. Republicans are insisting that significant changes must first be made to asylum policy and to the way the Biden administration handles so-called humanitarian parole. They are facing pressure from conservatives in their ranks, from outside groups and from conservatives in the House to push for robust policy changes that more closely reflect elements of the House-passed immigration bill. Any package that passes the Senate would also have to get through the GOP-led House, which is also likely to reject conditions on the Israel aid.

Covid-19

Around 18,000 Americans were hospitalized with Covid-19 last week, about a 10% increase over the week prior, CDC data shows. Hospitalizations in the US, which had been dropping, have started to tick back up again as health officials draw a closer focus on the coronavirus strain BA.2.86. This week, the World Health Organization notched up the status of BA.2.86 to a "variant of interest," although the organization says the current risk appears to be low. BA.2.86 first turned up in the US in August and is now the third most common variant, causing an estimated 1 in 11 new cases. Meanwhile, only 16% of American adults and just 6% of kids have gotten the latest Covid-19 vaccine, which studies have shown boosts antibodies against the prevalent strains.

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23

 That's how many federal charges have been handed down to Republican Rep. George Santos, including allegations of fraud, misusing campaign funds and lying about his personal finances. Santos has pleaded not guilty to the charges and said repeatedly that he will not resign. He now faces an upcoming expulsion vote, which is on track to take place Friday.

I am sure books are going to be written about this time period.

— OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, after being formally rehired as the head of the artificial intelligence company just 12 days after he was ousted. Altman was fired by the previous board on November 17 but successfully rallied support from the vast majority of OpenAI's staff, who threatened to quit and move to Microsoft unless he was reinstated.

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