10 things you need to know today: November 25, 2023

A helicopter arrives with freed Israeli hostages

A helicopter carrying freed Israeli hostages arrives in the city of Petah Tivka.

(Image credit: Erik Marmor/Getty Images)

published 25 November 2023

1. Israel and Hamas to participate in second prisoner swap

Israel and Hamas were preparing Saturday to participate in another round of prisoner exchanges that would mark the second release of Israeli hostages during the four-day cease-fire. Hamas is slated to release 13 additional Israeli hostages on Saturday afternoon, while Israel will release 42 Palestinian prisoners who were held in its custody. The originally brokered deal will see a total of 50 Israeli hostages released by Hamas — roughly a dozen on each of the four days of the cease-fire — in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners. The first day saw 24 total hostages released by Hamas; in addition to the 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and a Filipino were also released from the terrorist's custody. The Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel

Russia on Saturday launched its biggest drone attack on Ukraine since the start of the conflict nearly two years ago, Ukrainian officials said. The attack saw a slew of Russian drones descend on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. The Ukrainian Air Force said at least 75 attack drones, a "record number," made their way into the city. While Air Force officials said they were able to shoot down the majority of these drones, there were still a number of injuries, including an 11-year-old child. Ukrainian officials reportedly used tactical aviation groups and anti-aircraft systems to stop at least 71 of the drones from reaching their target. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack "deliberate terror." CNN, The New York Times

Derek Chauvin, the ex-Minneapolis police officer who murdered George Floyd, was seriously injured during a prison stabbing on Friday, law enforcement sources said. Numerous outlets reported that Chauvin was stabbed at the medium-security federal facility in Arizona where he is serving his sentence for Floyd's murder. The Federal Bureau of Prisons would not confirm details of the stabbing. However, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told the Star Tribune he was informed that Chauvin had been stabbed but would survive. The former police officer made worldwide headlines when he killed Floyd during an attempted arrest in 2020; Chauvin was convicted of Floyd's murder in 2021 and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison. Star Tribune, NBC News

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A container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire was attacked Friday by an Iranian-made drone in the Indian Ocean, The Associated Press reported. The attack reportedly occurred against the CMA CGM Symi, a Malta-flagged vessel from Eastern Pacific Shipping, a company owned by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer. The ship was reportedly attacked by an Iranian Shahed-136 drone that was carrying a number of bombs. The drone exploded over the ocean, damaging the ship but causing no injuries. "We continue to monitor the situation closely," an American defense official told the AP. The attack comes amid anger in the Middle East over the continued war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The Associated Press

Police on Friday identified the victims of a deadly car crash this week at the U.S.-Canada border crossing in Niagara Falls, New York. The driver was identified as Kurt P. Villani and the passenger as Monica Villani, both 53, the Niagara Falls Police Department said in a statement. The married couple were the owners of a number of businesses in western New York. The pair died on Wednesday after their vehicle, a 2022 Bentley Flying Spur, crashed while approaching the Rainbow Bridge connecting New York state with Ontario, Canada. A cause of the crash has not been identified, though the FBI has dismissed widely circulated rumors that it was terrorism-related. The New York Times, CBS News

The co-owners of a Colorado funeral home where nearly 200 decomposing bodies were found have returned to the state to face charges. Jon Hallford and Carie Hallford appeared in district court in Colorado Springs this week. Neither entered pleas, and the pair are slated to return to court at the beginning of December. A judge told Jon Hallford that he could be facing more than 250 felony charges. The Hallfords owned the Return to Nature funeral home, which made nationwide headlines in October after 190 decomposing bodies were discovered to be improperly stored on the premises. Some of the bodies had reportedly been at the site for at least four years. The Associated Press, KUSA-TV Denver

While the day after Thanksgiving is normally a nightmarish scenario for retail workers, stores across the world saw a more muted Black Friday this year. Compared to prior years, this Black Friday appeared more subdued than was expected. Brokerage firm TD Cowen lowered its expected holiday spending estimate to 2% to 3% growth, down from its original 4% to 5%. The firm noted that it was forecasting flat Black Friday retail traffic, heightened by a series of worldwide sales throughout October and November that slowed the need for a rush on stores. The continuing growth of online sales and the coming Cyber Monday also contributed to the downswing. Reuters

At least 34 people were arrested in Dublin on Friday after riots befell the city following a series of stabbings. Ireland's capital had descended into chaos the prior night after far-right protesters took to the streets. The protesters were angered by a stabbing attack outside a school that left three children and a woman injured. The riots began after rumors spread online that the stabbing was perpetrated by an immigrant, though BBC reported that the attacker was an Irish citizen who had lived in the country for at least 20 years. Ireland's police chief said the riots were helmed by a "lunatic, hooligan faction driven by a far-right ideology." BBC, The Washington Post

NASA received a laser-beamed message this week nearly 10 million miles away from Earth, the first signal of its kind to be received from that type of vast distance. The message was transmitted using NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications onboard the agency's Psyche spacecraft, which is conducting long-distance communications experiments. The system is capable of sending messages up to 100 times faster than current equipment, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a press release. While NASA has long used radio waves to transmit data, this marks the first time that lasers have been able to successfully carry a message so far from Earth. Business Insider

Actress Tiffany Haddish was arrested Friday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, law enforcement sources said. The Beverly Hills Police Department reportedly responded to a welfare check call for a car parked in the middle of traffic, various news outlets reported. When police arrived, Haddish was reportedly asleep at the wheel and arrested under suspicion of DUI. It is unclear if she was given a breathalyzer test or if she was drunk at the time of her arrest. The actress was previously arrested for a DUI in January 2022 in Georgia. She later joked about that arrest during an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." The Hollywood Reporter

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Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.