10 things you need to know today: November 29, 2023

1. Hamas releases 12 more hostages

Hamas on Tuesday released another 12 hostages — 10 Israelis and two Thai nationals — who had been held in Gaza since the Palestinian militant group's deadly Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel. The Israeli government freed 30 Palestinian prisoners. The exchange came on the fifth day of a truce now set to end Thursday. International mediators said talks were underway to continue the cease-fire beyond the end of the current two-day extension. U.S. officials were heading to the region aiming to help broker a deal on a longer-term deal. About 1,200 Israelis were killed in Hamas' initial attack and, according to Palestinian health officials, more than 15,000 Gazans have been killed in Israeli strikes that followed. Reuters, The Washington Post

2. Jimmy Carter attends Rosalynn Carter's memorial service in rare public appearance

Former President Jimmy Carter, 99 and in hospice care, made a rare public appearance Tuesday to attend the memorial service for his late wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Nov. 19 at age 96. The Carters were married 77 years, the longest of any first couple in U.S. history, and devoted decades to humanitarian work, including Rosalynn Carter's mental health advocacy, after leaving the White House in 1981. Their daughter, Amy Carter, read a love letter her father wrote to Rosalynn 75 years ago while he was serving in the Navy. "Their partnership and love story was a defining feature of her life," she said. President Joe Biden and all five living first ladies attended the service. People, ABC News

3. Hunter Biden offers to testify publicly

Hunter Biden on Tuesday offered to testify publicly in a House Republican impeachment inquiry his lawyer called a "fishing expedition." The high-stakes decision to cooperate after being subpoenaed came as his father, President Joe Biden, campaigns for re-election. House Republicans are trying to link the president to what they call "influence peddling" by the younger Biden, although they have not uncovered evidence of wrongdoing. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chair of the House Oversight Committee, rejected Hunter Biden's offer of public testimony, saying Biden is "trying to play by his own rules" and Republicans expect him to sit for a closed-door deposition as outlined in the subpoena. The Associated Press

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

4. Workers freed in India after 2 weeks in collapsed tunnel

Rescuers in India on Tuesday freed all 41 construction workers who had been trapped since a Nov. 12 landslide crashed down on a tunnel they were building. The rescue team had managed to get the workers oxygen, dry snacks and water through a pipe that was already in the tunnel. They later managed to insert a wider pipe to send in hot food and medicine. Rescuers reached the men on Tuesday and got them out one at a time through a three-foot-wide passageway. They were rushed by ambulances to hospitals for checkups, but none appeared to have suffered serious injuries. BBC News

5. Koch network endorses Nikki Haley

Americans for Prosperity Action, the political network founded by the Koch brothers, is endorsing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for the Republican presidential nomination, the organization announced Tuesday. The support of the wealthy Republican group gives Haley's campaign a major financial lift and organizational resources she needs as she competes with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place in the GOP race; former President Donald Trump still dominates the field. Emily Seidel, a senior adviser to Americans for Prosperity Action, said Haley would "boost candidates up and down the ballot," avoiding troubles caused by Trump's "negative baggage" in recent elections. The New York Times

6. US military aircraft crashes in Japanese waters

A U.S. military aircraft with eight people on board crashed into the sea off western Japan on Wednesday. Japanese coast guard patrol boats and aircraft, responding to an emergency call from a fishing boat, found one "non-responsive person" and wreckage that appeared to be from the downed tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey. Fishing boats in the area, near Yakushima island, reportedly found three people in nearby waters. Their condition was not immediately known. Witnesses reported seeing fire in the Osprey's left engine before it crashed during a flight from the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi prefecture to Kadena Air Base on Okinawa. Reuters

7. Finland closes last operating Russia border checkpoint

Finland plans to close its last operating checkpoint on its Russian border, stepping up its push to restrict crossings following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. Finland, which joined NATO after the Ukraine invasion, accused Moscow of trying to engineer a migrant crisis. Russia is "guiding" people to "the Finnish border in harsh winter conditions," Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said in a press release. "Finland is determined to put an end to this phenomenon." Russia said Finland's plan to close its entire eastern border until Dec. 13 is "irrational." "Finnish citizens will suffer," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said. Finland closed four other checkpoints on the border from Nov. 16 until February 2024. CNN

8. Colorado officer reinstated after acquittal in Elijah McClain's death

The Colorado police officer who placed Elijah McClain in a neck hold that contributed to the 23-year-old's death has been reinstated by the Aurora, Colorado, police department after being found not guilty of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. The officer, Nathan Woodyard, will receive $212,546 in back pay. Woodyard and other officers stopped McClain, who was Black, as he walked home from buying iced tea at a store, listening to music on headphones. McClain lost consciousness after several officers held him down, then medics injected him with a high dose of ketamine. His death triggered protests about excessive police force. The Denver Post, The Guardian

9. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to another 27 years for financial crimes

A judge on Tuesday sentenced disgraced former South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, who is serving multiple life sentences for the murders of his wife and sons, to another 27 years in prison for financial crimes. In a deal with prosecutors, Murdaugh pleaded guilty this month to money laundering, breach of trust, conspiracy, forgery and tax evasion. Attorney Eric "EB" Bland, one of the lawyers representing several victims, said the "very, very strong sentence" will send "a clarion bell signal to not only attorneys, but to anybody who wants to victimize the vulnerable." Murdaugh was accused in schemes to defraud clients, law partners and others, including the family of the Murdaughs' housekeeper, who died in a fall at their home. CNN

10. Charles Munger, Warren Buffett's investing partner, dies at 99

Charles Munger, billionaire investor Warren Buffett's second-in-command, died Tuesday in California. He was 99. Munger left a law career to help Buffett transform a struggling New England textile company into the investment juggernaut Berkshire Hathaway. Munger, known to nearly everyone as Charlie, was famous for his "laconic one-liners on investing, the economy and the foibles of human nature" — likening bankers to "heroin addicts" and the virtual currency Bitcoin to "rat poison," Reuters reported. Discussing the investment success of Berkshire Hathaway, which made him a billionaire, he once said: "It's not brilliance. It's just avoiding stupidity." The New York Times, Reuters