10 things you need to know today: November 9, 2023

Five Republicans presidential candidates debate

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1. Gaza civilians flee war zone
2. 5 GOP candidates spar as Trump declines to debate again
3. Actors, Hollywood studios reach deal to end strike
4. House panel subpoenas Biden's son and brother
5. Ivanka Trump testifies she has no memory of father's financial statements
6. US airstrikes target Iran-linked weapons depot in Syria
7. Residents told to take shelter after Texas chemical explosion
8. FDA approves Eli Lilly weight loss drug
9. 5.3-magnitude earthquake rattles western Texas
10. Colorado funeral home owners arrested after decaying bodies found

By Harold Maass, The Week US

published 9 November 2023

1. Gaza civilians flee war zone

Israel came under increasing international pressure Wednesday for a humanitarian pause or broader cease-fire in Gaza as thousands of civilians walked out of the northern part of the Palestinian enclave, which the Israeli military has cut off to encircle Hamas militants. The evacuations accelerated as supplies of food, water and medicine ran out. The White House has supported Israel's right to defend itself in the wake of Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 surprise attack, but stepped up calls for humanitarian pauses to allow desperately needed aid deliveries. Barbara Leaf, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, told a House committee the Israel-Gaza war has "riled up a huge amount of anger toward Israel" and the U.S. in the Arab world. The New York Times, Haaretz

Five Republican presidential candidates clashed in Miami on Wednesday in the party's third primary debate, battling to be seen as the strongest alternative to front-runner Donald Trump. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley traded jabs with the other two leading hopefuls, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) getting less attention. The candidates largely agreed in backing Israel's offensive against Hamas, but Ramaswamy broke with the others on providing more aid to Ukraine. He accused Kyiv of harboring Nazism, while Christie said standing with Ukraine against invading Russians "is not a choice." Trump again declined to participate and held a rally nearby during the debate. CNN, The Miami Herald

SAG-AFTRA, the union representing striking actors, reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios on Wednesday to end the 118-day actors strike. A SAG-AFTRA committee approved the proposed three-year contract deal unanimously, ending the strike at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. The union's national board will sign off on Friday. The agreement cleared the way "for the $134 billion American movie and television business to swing back into motion," The New York Times reported. The proposed contract includes pay increases, a "streaming participation bonus," and regulations on the use of artificial intelligence. Concerns about potential use of AI to create digital replicas of actors' images without pay or consent was a key issue in the walkout. The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times

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The House Oversight Committee on Wednesday subpoenaed President Biden's son, Hunter Biden, and brother James Biden, as part of the panel's impeachment inquiry. The committee also asked for transcribed interviews with James Biden's wife, Sarah Biden, and Hunter Biden's wife, Melissa Cohen. The committee said it wants to talk as well with Hallie Biden, the widow of the president's late son Beau Biden, and her sister Elizabeth Secundy. The White House dismissed the subpoenas as part of a "smear campaign" against President Biden that Republicans are using "to distract from their repeated failures to govern" with a deadline to avert a government shutdown just over a week away. The Hill

Ivanka Trump testified Monday that she had nothing to do with financial statements at the heart of the New York civil fraud allegations against her father, Donald Trump. Judge Arthur Engoron has found that Trump and his company inflated the value of some properties to secure favorable loans, and are liable for fraud. "I don't recall, with specificity, any discussion over financial statements," Ivanka Trump said. A 2011 email indicated she expressed concern that her father wasn't wealthy enough to buy a Florida golf course. Prosecutors argued that the email and other documents helped show that the former president and his company inflated his net worth by up to $2.2 billion to get the financing they sought. The Associated Press, Reuters

Two U.S. F-15 fighter jets conducted strikes against a weapons storage facility used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran-backed militant groups in eastern Syria, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. It was the second round of airstrikes against Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq and Syria in response to at least 41 drone and rocket attacks on U.S. forces in the region since Oct. 17. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said President Biden "directed today's action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel and its interests." Also on Wednesday, Iran-backed Houthi forces shot down an unmanned U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone off the coast of Yemen. CNN

San Jacinto County, Texas, authorities ordered residents within a mile radius of a chemical recycling plant to shelter in place for five hours Wednesday after an explosion at the facility. Officials shut down a nearby highway and a school as the explosion and fire sent a cloud of black smoke billowing high above the Sound Resource Solutions plant in Shepherd, a rural area about 60 miles northeast of Houston. A preliminary investigation indicated the blast occurred when a worker with a forklift tried to move a container leaking chemicals. There were 19 employees working when the explosion occurred. One was injured, with burns to the face and arms. Fox News, The Associated Press

The Food and Drug Administration approved pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly's new weight loss drug, Zepbound, on Wednesday. The drug helped people lose up to 52 pounds over 16 months in clinical trials. Zepbound is the latest in a wave of new drugs like Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy and Lilly's Mounjaro that offer new options for fighting obesity. Lilly said Zepound would be available in the United States by the end of 2023 at $1,060 for a monthly supply. The treatment could be out of reach for lots of people because many insurers hesitate to cover weight loss drugs, and Medicare can't, by law. NBC News

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck western Texas early Wednesday about 23 miles west-southwest of Mentone, a small town 220 miles from the New Mexico border. The quake occurred in an area where oil companies have long injected water from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, deep into the ground. It was tied for the fourth strongest temblor ever recorded in the state, where earthquakes have grown stronger and more frequent after years of increased fracking. The National Weather Service for El Paso said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that the quake was felt in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, more than 200 miles west of the epicenter. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. NBC News, The Texas Tribune

Colorado law enforcement officials announced Wednesday they had arrested Jon and Carie Hallford, owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado, after the decaying remains of 190 people were found in the facility. The Hallfords, who were arrested in Wagoner, Oklahoma, were charged with abuse of a corpse, forgery, theft and money laundering. Gov. Jared Polis (D) said the arrests were a relief. "I know this will not bring peace to the families impacted by this heart-wrenching incident, but we hope the individuals responsible are held fully accountable in a court of law," he said in a statement. Authorities found the bodies when responding to complaints of an "abhorrent smell" coming from the building. The Denver Post

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.