10 things you need to know today: October 13, 2023

1. Israel tells civilians to evacuate ahead of Gaza ground assault

Israel's army ordered the Friday evacuation of civilians from the northern Gaza Strip as it prepared for a ground assault against Hamas, vowing to end the Palestinian group that controls the enclave of more than two million people. Israel has hammered Gaza with airstrikes targeting Hamas in retaliation for Saturday surprise attacks that killed more than 1,000 people in southern Israel. Israel's bombing has killed more than 1,500 people in Gaza. Aid groups have also warned of a deepening humanitarian crisis, and the United Nations has called for Israel to allow crucial supplies of fuel, food and water into Gaza, where more than 338,000 people have fled their homes. Nobody is being allowed to leave the Gaza Strip. The Washington Post, CNN

2. Scalise withdraws House speaker bid

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) withdrew as a candidate for speaker of the House late Thursday, saying he was far short of the 217 votes needed to be elected. Scalise, the House majority leader, narrowly beat Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Wednesday to win the GOP's nomination for the speaker job, but he couldn't get supporters of the hard-line chair of the House Judiciary Committee to support him, leaving the fractured party in chaos. Jordan was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. There is now no clear favorite to move into the leadership position following the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). McCarthy was voted out last week by eight far-right Republicans and all House Democrats. The New York Times

3. Month-to-month inflation eases slightly

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday that consumer prices rose 3.7 percent in September compared to a year earlier, the same rate as August, due to high housing and fuel costs. Month-to-month inflation improved slightly to 0.4% in September, compared to 0.6% in August. That was not enough to let Federal Reserve policymakers declare victory in their campaign to raise interest rates to slow the economy and bring inflation down to their 2% target, but it showed prices were trending in the right direction. "This report still suggests that we have stepped out of the higher inflation regime," Laura Rosner-Warburton, a senior economist at MacroPolicy Perspectives, told The New York Times, but "we're not out of the woods." The Washington Post, The New York Times

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4. Menendez charged with acting as foreign agent

Federal prosecutors accused Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) of acting as a foreign agent of Egypt in an expanded criminal indictment filed Thursday. The new allegation came less than a month after prosecutors charged Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian, with conspiring to take luxurious bribes in exchange for Menendez's political influence. "Among other actions, Menendez provided sensitive U.S. government information and took other steps that secretly aided the government of Egypt," Thursday's superseding indictment alleged. As a member of Congress, Menendez is barred from serving as a foreign agent, even if he registered as one under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which is intended to prevent covert influence by other nations. The Hill

5. Conservative group doxxes Harvard students over letter blaming Israel for Hamas attack

A billboard truck circulated near Harvard University's campus this week displaying the names and images of students who allegedly participate in 34 student organizations that signed a letter blaming Israel's "apartheid" government for Hamas' surprise massacre of hundreds of civilians on Saturday. The conservative group Accuracy in Media claimed it was behind the so-called doxxing truck, which displayed a sign calling the students "Harvard leading antisemites." The stunt followed calls by several CEOs for Harvard to identify the students affiliated with the groups behind the letter. "I would like to know so I know never to hire these people," said Jonathan Neman, CEO of restaurant chain Sweetgreen. USA Today

6. Social Security recipients to get smaller cost-of-living boost

Social Security recipients will get a 3.2% annual cost-of-living adjustment for 2024, down from 8.7% in 2023 and 5.9% in 2022. The adjustments in the last two years were the biggest in four decades. The lower increase for next year reflects recent data showing inflation has eased. "It's a small amount, but it's providing some cushion," said Mary Johnson, Social Security policy analyst at The Senior Citizens League advocacy group. "We have the hope that things are going to be more affordable." On average, retirees will get $59 more per month, giving them a monthly total of $1,907 starting in January 2024. The average increase over the last two decades was 2.6%. CNN

7. France investigates possible poisoning of Russian journalist who protested Ukraine war

Paris prosecutors are investigating the suspected poisoning of a Russian journalist, Marina Ovsiannikova, who left Russia after making news last year by holding up a sign criticizing the war in Ukraine during a state television news broadcast. French media reported that Ovsiannikova started feeling unwell after opening the door to her Paris apartment. Christophe Deloire, secretary general of Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, said Ovsiannikova was receiving medical treatment and felt better later in the day. "We were afraid for Marina Ovsiannikova, and the hypothesis of poisoning was raised and has not been ruled out," Deloire wrote on social media. Deloire's group helped Ovsiannikova get out of Russia. Last week, she was sentenced in absentia to 8 1/2 years in prison for protesting the war. Le Monde, CBS News

8. Russian Olympic Committee suspended for trying to claim Ukrainian athletes

The International Olympic Committee's executive board on Thursday suspended the Russian Olympic Committee for trying to claim Ukrainian athletes to compete for Russia in breach of the Olympic Charter, which recognizes Ukraine as a separate country from Russia. The suspension, which will remain in place indefinitely, prevents the Russian committee from functioning and receiving money. The IOC said it can issue further punishment depending on how the situation develops, and can bar Russian athletes from participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. Russian athletes have been allowed to participate in some international competitions since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, but banned from others. Yahoo Sports

9. 1 officer convicted, 1 acquitted in Elijah McClain's death

A Colorado jury on Thursday convicted one police officer and acquitted another in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, an unarmed Black man officers stopped as he walked home after buying iced tea at a corner store. The jury found Aurora Officer Randy Roedema guilty of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault, but found former officer Jason Rosenblatt not guilty. Both had been charged with reckless manslaughter. Another officer and two paramedics are being prosecuted separately. Police stopped McClain, 23, after receiving a report of a suspicious person in a ski mask waving his arms. Officers put McClain, who wasn't suspected of a crime, in a chokehold. Paramedics injected him with a sedative. He died days later in a hospital. NBC News

10. Rudolph Isley of The Isley Brothers dies at 84

Singer-songwriter Rudolph Isley, a founding member of the R&B group The Isley Brothers, has died, his brother Ronald Isley confirmed Thursday. He was 84. "There are no words to express my feelings and the love I have for my brother," Ronald Isley said. "Our family will miss him. But I know he's in a better place." The group included Rudolph, Marvin, O'Kelly, Ronald and Ernie Isley, along with musician Chris Jasper. Rudolph Isley was one of the group's main songwriters. He wrote the breakthrough hit "Shout," which was released in 1959 and was famously featured in the 1978 comedy "Animal House." The group's other hits included "Twist and Shout" and "It's Your Thing." USA Today