10 things you need to know today: October 31, 2023
Israeli forces advance on Gaza City, the United Auto Workers and GM reach a deal to end strike, and more
- 1. Israeli forces push toward Gaza City
- 2. UAW, GM reach deal to end strike
- 3. UN officials call for 'immediate humanitarian cease-fire'
- 4. Lawyers argue 'insurrection' clause bars Trump from running
- 5. Maine gunman had threatened shooting spree
- 6. Russia blames Dagestan airport anti-Israel riot on 'outside interference'
- 7. Police investigate antisemitic threats at Cornell
- 8. FIFA bans former Spain soccer chief for 3 years
- 9. Judge orders US border agents not to cut Texas razor wire
- 10. Magic Johnson becomes fourth billionaire athlete
1. Israeli forces push toward Gaza City
Israeli tanks and soldiers continued to push into Gaza on Monday, approaching the edge of Gaza City from three sides. Israel also continued a bombing campaign targeting Hamas, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has vowed to crush in response to Oct. 7 surprise attacks that killed more than 1,400 people in southern Israel. The Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry says Israeli strikes have killed more than 8,000 people in Gaza, although the toll has not been independently verified. Hamas, which runs the Palestinian enclave, released a video showing three people taken hostage in its raids telling Netanyahu's government to "free us now" in a hostages-for-prisoners swap. The Washington Post, BBC News
2. UAW, GM reach deal to end strike
The United Auto Workers and General Motors reached a tentative deal on Monday to end the union's strike, which started in mid-September. The four-and-a-half-year contract proposal includes a 26% wage increase and restores cost-of-living adjustments. The agreement, which still must be approved by a union council and ratified by a majority of the UAW's 146,000 members, follows the pattern set by deals the union made with Ford last week and Chrysler's parent company Stellantis on Saturday. "I think it's great," President Biden said. The three deals signaled the end of an unprecedented simultaneous strike by the UAW against all of Detroit's Big Three automakers. The walkout halted production of some of GM's most profitable vehicles, including the Cadillac Escalade. The Detroit News, The New York Times
3. UN officials call for 'immediate humanitarian cease-fire'
The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees warned during an emergency U.N. meeting Monday that civil order would break down in Gaza without "an immediate humanitarian cease-fire." Airstrikes near Gaza hospitals have disrupted operations, The Wall Street Journal reported. Israel says it hasn't targeted medical centers, but that Hamas has placed fighters near them. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says of the thousands killed in the Palestinian territory in three weeks of fighting, 66% have been women and children. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council that "Hamas must not use Palestinians as human shields" and "Israel must take all possible precautions to avoid harm to civilians." The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal
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4. Lawyers argue 'insurrection' clause bars Trump from running
A Colorado court on Monday held the first hearing on an effort to use the Constitution's "insurrection" clause to prevent former President Donald Trump from running for the White House again. The hearing focused on whether the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters trying to reverse his election loss qualifies as an insurrection under the Constitution's definition, and whether Trump's actions justify barring him from seeking office. People in Colorado and Georgia have filed lawsuits challenging Trump's right to run. Attorney Eric Olson, who represents Colorado voters trying to keep Trump off the state's 2024 ballot, said Trump "summoned and organized the mob" that stormed the Capitol. The Associated Press
5. Maine gunman had threatened shooting spree
The U.S. Army Reserve and a Maine sheriff's department knew reservist Robert Card's mental health was deteriorating five months before he killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, The New York Times reported Monday. The Army asked police to check on Card after he reportedly threatened to go on a shooting spree, and a soldier expressed concerns he would "snap and commit a mass shooting," according to records released Monday. An officer on Sept. 16 unsuccessfully tried to talk to Card. Relatives said he had started to become angry and paranoid early this year. Card was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound two days after the shooting rampages at a bar and a bowling alley. The New York Times, CNN
6. Russia blames Dagestan airport anti-Israel riot on 'outside interference'
Russian authorities in the southern republic of Dagestan arrested dozens of people and rushed to restore order Monday after hundreds of pro-Palestinian young men stormed a local airport on Sunday, surrounding a plane that had just arrived from Tel Aviv and searching for Israelis. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had received updates on the situation, which Peskov blamed on "outside interference." He said Putin would address the clashes as part of what the Kremlin considers "Western attempts to use the events in the Middle East to sow discord in the Russian society." U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby dismissed Peskov's "classic Russian" blame-shifting, saying "the West had nothing to do with" the "chilling demonstration of hate" in Dagestan. The New York Times, The Associated Press
7. Police investigate antisemitic threats at Cornell
Cornell University police said Monday they were investigating antisemitic threats posted online against members of the Ivy League school's Jewish community over the weekend. The messages, which appeared online Sunday, included threats to shoot Jewish students at a campus building that has a kosher dining hall, according to the university's student newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun. University President Martha Pollack called the violent threats "horrendous" and "antisemitic." New York State police will tighten security on the campus amid tensions over the Israel-Hamas war, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday. Hochul said the people responsible for the threats are "terrorists." CNN
8. FIFA bans former Spain soccer chief for 3 years
FIFA has banned former Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales for three years for disciplinary code violations, the global soccer governing body announced Monday. Rubiales resigned from the Spanish soccer federation after national soccer star Jenni Hermoso accused him of kissing her without her consent during a celebration of Spain's first Women's World Cup title in August. FIFA had suspended Rubiales for 90 days pending an investigation. Hermoso filed a restraining order against him, and he faces sexual assault and coercion charges in Spain. FIFA reiterated its "absolute commitment respecting and protecting the integrity of all people." Rubiales can appeal the ban. The Washington Post
9. Judge orders US border agents not to cut Texas razor wire
A federal judge on Monday ordered U.S. Border Patrol agents not to cut razor wire Texas officials have put up around a busy migrant crossing along the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. District Judge Alia Moses said federal officials could only cut the wire when necessary to "provide emergency medical aid," a reference to cases when migrants have been cut or snagged on the wire. "Another win for Texas & our historic border mission," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) posted on X, formerly Twitter. The state last week sued the Biden administration over the destruction of razor wire in Eagle Pass. Thousands of migrants entered the United States through the area in late September. The Associated Press
10. Magic Johnson becomes fourth billionaire athlete
Magic Johnson has become the fourth athlete to be confirmed as a billionaire by Forbes. Johnson's net worth has climbed to $1.2 billion, according to the magazine, putting him in an elite club with fellow basketball legends Michael Jordan and LeBron James, and golfer Tiger Woods. Johnson was the first overall pick in the 1979 NBA draft after a stellar college career at Michigan State. He went on to lead the NBA four times in assists and twice in steals. He appeared in 12 All-Star games and won five NBA championships. Johnson earned $40 million as a player. The rest came from the former Los Angeles Laker's smart business decisions and investments. Forbes, CBS Sports
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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.
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