10 things you need to know today: November 26, 2023

A truck carrying released Hamas hostages

American officials are hopeful that a 4-year-old girl is among the next round of hostages released by Hamas.

(Image credit: Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)

published 26 November 2023

1. US citizen expected to be among third round of hostages released by Hamas

Hamas is expected to release a third round of hostages on Sunday, and U.S. officials said an American captive is likely to be among those freed. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC's "Meet the Press" that there was "reason to believe" one of the American hostages will be released by Hamas. Sullivan seemed to insinuate that the hostage in question was Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old Israeli-American girl who lost her parents in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. While Sullivan wouldn't specifically confirm that Edan was the hostage in question, he said it was "long past time that this little girl ... is back home." NBC News, The Times of Israel

An oil tanker linked to an Israeli company was seized Sunday off the coast of Yemen, reports said. Attackers boarded and took charge of the Central Park in the Gulf of Aden, according to a report from the maritime security firm Ambrey. The ship is registered to Zodiac Maritime, which is in turn owned by Israeli magnate Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group. The allegiance of the attackers wasn't immediately clear, and no group has taken credit for taking the ship. Zodiac said the seizure was "a suspected piracy incident," adding that the ship had a multinational crew and was carrying a supply of phosphoric acid. U.S. officials in the area said they were monitoring the situation. The Associated Press, Bloomberg

The United States and China exchanged accusations over the weekend, as the two adversaries charged each other with violations in the disputed South China Sea. U.S. officials accused China of illegally driving an American ship from the region by deploying naval and air forces, even though the U.S. claimed the ship was in the area on a routine peacekeeping region. China countered back, as military officials said the United States was "the biggest disruptor of peace" in the South China Sea. Chinese officials added that the U.S. had illegally entered its waters and was a "security risk creator." The sovereignty of the South China Sea is disputed by several countries, notably China and Taiwan. South China Morning Post, Reuters

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Former President Donald Trump descended on South Carolina for a campaign stop in the backyard of his presidential primary rival, Nikki Haley. Trump appeared in Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday, where he attended a college football game between the University of South Carolina and Clemson University. The annual, high-profile game is a major event in South Carolina, and the former president elicited both cheers and boos when he appeared at the contest. Trump used the visit to try and upstage Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and UN ambassador. Despite Haley being from the state, Trump maintains a wide lead in South Carolina, which will host its GOP primary in February. USA Today, The Hill

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Retailers are preparing for Cyber Monday by slashing prices across their digital platforms, while consumers are getting ahead of the action with record clicks at online stores. While retail Black Friday spending was muted, online shopping was up 7.5% from 2022, according to a report from Adobe Analytics. This marks a new record for online shopping on Black Friday. Adobe reported total online sales in the U.S. on Black Friday to be $9.8 billion, while Salesforce reported an even higher figure of $16.4 billion. Whatever the exact figure, companies are getting in on the continuing action by discounting nearly 30% on average across U.S. platforms, Salesforce said. CNBC, Reuters

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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.