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November 3, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include
U.S.
House Speaker elected
- House Speaker Mike Johnson's First Big Bill Cuts Biden's Climate Change Funding (Bloomberg News)
- Election denier, climate skeptic, anti-abortion: seven beliefs of new US House speaker Mike Johnson (Guardian)
- 55 things you need to know about Mike Johnson (Politico)
Economy
- US economy grows at fastest pace in nearly two years (BBC)
- U.S. budget deficit jumps 23% to nearly $1.7 trillion as Social Security, health costs rise
Trump trials
- Another Trump lawyer who pushed to overturn 2020 election pleads guilty (Politico)
- Trump tells court he had no duty to 'support' the Constitution as president (RawStory)
- Trump forced to witness stand, fined $10000 for gag order violation (Courthouse News)
- Judge bars Trump from 'smear campaign' against prosecutors, witnesses (Reuters)
- Trump valued holdings at 'whatever number' he picked, Michael Cohen testifies (Reuters)
U.S. impacts of Israeli-Hamas conflict
- Senate confirms Jack Lew as U.S. ambassador to Israel (CBS)
- About 2,000 U.S. troops told to prepare for deployment in response to Israel-Hamas war (NBC)
- US troops attacked in Iraq, Syria and on alert for more strikes (Reuters)
- Two Americans held hostage by Hamas, a mother and daughter, have been released(AP)
- Likud minister: Trump’s ‘shameful’ comments show he can’t be relied on (Times of Israel)
- US Navy warship near Yemen intercepted projectiles, Pentagon says (Reuters)
Immigration
Venezuelans top Mexicans for first time in illegal U.S. border crossings (NPR)
Presidential race
RFK Jr. spent years stoking fear and mistrust of vaccines. These people were hurt by his work (AP)
WORLD
Mexico
Israel-Hamas War
- Hamas top commander killed in airstrike (The Hill)
- More aid arrives in Gaza as desperation mounts and Israel widens military offensive (PBS)
- Israeli air strikes kill 50 in north Gaza refugee camp -Palestinian medics (Reuters)
- Americans among first foreigners to leave Gaza through Rafah border crossing into Egypt (CBS News)
- Under heavy bombing, Palestinians in Gaza move from place to place, only to discover nowhere is safe (AP)
- Video Analysis Shows Gaza Hospital Hit By Failed Rocket Meant for Israel (Wall St. Journal)
- 'Top secret' Hamas documents show that terrorists intentionally targeted elementary schools and a youth center(NBC)
- Evidence shows Hamas militants likely used some North Korean weapons in attack on Israel (AP)
- Gaza is plagued by poverty, but Hamas has no shortage of cash. Where does it come from? (NBC)
Ukraine
- Ukraine claims a major strike on Russian airfields and thanks US for providing long-range missiles (AP)
- Russia taking heavy losses as it wages new offensive in Ukraine (ABC)
Other world news
- Iranian teenager Armita Geravand is 'brain dead': state media (Reuters)
- Iran sentences women journalists on charges over Amini protests (Reuters)
- Hundreds stormed an airport in Russia's Dagestan, looking for passengers from Israel (NPR)
- The Maduro regime is disrupting the opposition's efforts before Venezuela's election (NPR)
For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.
U.S.
House Speaker elected
House Speaker Mike Johnson's First Big Bill Cuts Biden's Climate Change Funding (Bloomberg News)
The first major legislation House Republicans passed under newly installed Speaker Mike Johnson would cut billions of dollars in consumer rebates for energy efficiency upgrades included in President Joe Biden’s signature climate law.
Election denier, climate skeptic, anti-abortion: seven beliefs of new US House speaker Mike Johnson (Guardian)
The relatively little-known Louisiana Republican has been thrust into the spotlight and the attention has fallen on his extreme beliefs.
55 things you need to know about Mike Johnson (Politico)
Some three chaotic weeks after the shocking ouster of Kevin McCarthy, the new Republican speaker of the House is Mike Johnson, a hard-right legal warrior turned little-known legislator from Louisiana, a deeply religious, 51-year-old father of four who has been involved in electoral politics for less than nine years…A staunch social conservative with a long history of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, he’s also managed on Capitol Hill to forge a less fractious persona, an ideological partisan and a Donald Trump ally who founded the so-called “Honor and Civility Caucus” pledging that “our political rivals in Congress are not our enemies.”
Economy
US economy grows at fastest pace in nearly two years (BBC)
The US economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter of the year, helped by a tight jobs market and consumer spending... the US Bureau of Economic Analysis said the increase reflects "accelerations in consumer spending, private inventory investment, and federal government spending" among other factors.
U.S. budget deficit jumps 23% to nearly $1.7 trillion as Social Security, health costs rise
The U.S. government on Friday posted a $1.695 trillion budget deficit in fiscal 2023, a 23% jump from the prior year as revenues fell and outlays for Social Security, Medicare and interest costs on the federal debt rose significantly.
Trump trials
Another Trump lawyer who pushed to overturn 2020 election pleads guilty (Politico)
Jenna Ellis is the third Trump-aligned attorney to plead guilty to crimes stemming from the 2020 election, joining Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro.
Trump tells court he had no duty to 'support' the Constitution as president (RawStory)
Former President Donald Trump is arguing to a judge in Colorado that he was not required to "support" the Constitution as president, reported Brandi Buchman from Law & Crime…."The Presidential oath, which the framers of the Fourteenth Amendment surely knew, requires the President to swear to 'preserve, protect and defend' the Constitution — not to 'support' the Constitution," said the filing by Trump's attorneys.
Trump forced to the witness stand, fined $10000 for gag order violation (Courthouse News)
This is the second time Trump has been sanctioned for violating Engoron’s gag order. He was fined $5,000 last week after Engoron discovered Trump’s deleted Truth Social post about the court clerk was still live on his 2024 campaign website…Trump stormed out of the courtroom on Wednesday after a failed bid from his lawyers to drop the case following Cohen’s testimony.
Judge bars Trump from 'smear campaign' against prosecutors, witnesses (Reuters)
…pointing to disparaging social media posts, [the judge] said she would not allow the former U.S. president, who has pleaded not guilty, to "launch a pretrial smear campaign" against people involved in the case. "No other criminal defendant would be allowed to do so, and I’m not going to allow it in this case," Chutkan said as she issued the order.…. “It’s about language that presents a danger to the administration of justice.”
Trump valued holdings at 'whatever number' he picked, Michael Cohen testifies (Reuters)
Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen testified on Tuesday that he manipulated the values of the former U.S. president's real estate properties to match "whatever number Mr. Trump told us." ….Cohen testified that he and onetime Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg would mark up line items by hand using red ink in Trump's financial statements after the former president told them the numbers were too low…. The suit, which could break up Trump's business empire, alleges Trump inflated the value of his properties.
U.S. impacts of Israeli-Hamas conflict
Senate confirms Jack Lew as U.S. ambassador to Israel (CBS)
The Senate confirmed former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel on Tuesday, quickly approving his nomination amid the war in Gaza. The Senate voted 53-43 to confirm Lew, with Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky breaking with their party to join all Democrats in supporting him.
About 2,000 U.S. troops told to prepare for deployment in response to Israel-Hamas war (NBC)
The troops wouldn't necessarily go to Israel or Gaza but would likely arrive in a nearby country, a defense official told NBC News.
US troops attacked in Iraq, Syria and on alert for more strikes (Reuters)
U.S. troops have been repeatedly attacked in Iraq and Syria in recent days, U.S. officials said on Thursday, as Washington is on heightened alert for activity by Iran-backed groups with regional tensions soaring during the Israel-Hamas war.
Two Americans held hostage by Hamas, a mother and daughter, have been released(AP)
Hamas on Friday freed an American woman and her teenage daughter who had been held hostage in Gaza, Israel said, the first such release from among the roughly 200 people the militant group abducted from Israel during its Oct. 7 rampage.
Likud minister: Trump’s ‘shameful’ comments show he can’t be relied on (Times of Israel)
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi responds to former US president Donald Trump, who appeared to mock Israel for failing to anticipate the weekend Hamas onslaught and for not going on the offensive against Hezbollah amid several deadly clashes along its northern border.
US Navy warship near Yemen intercepted projectiles, Pentagon says (Reuters)
A U.S. Navy warship on Thursday intercepted three cruise missiles and several drones launched by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement from Yemen potentially toward Israel, the Pentagon said.
Immigration
Venezuelans top Mexicans for first time in illegal U.S. border crossings (NPR)
Venezuelans became the largest nationality arrested for illegally crossing the U.S. border, replacing Mexicans for the first time on record, according to figures released Saturday that show September was the second-highest month for arrests of all nationalities…. / Arrests of all nationalities entering from Mexico totaled 218,763 in September, up 21% from…August and approaching an all-time high….
Presidential race
RFK Jr. spent years stoking fear and mistrust of vaccines. These people were hurt by his work (AP)
An AP examination of his work and its impact found Kennedy has earned money, fame and political clout while leaving people like the Faheys suffering.
World
Mexico
Mexican authorities report at least 27 people killed by Hurricane Otis (CBS 8)
Mexican authorities gave the first human toll for Hurricane Otis' destruction along the country's Pacific coast Thursday: at least 27 dead and four missing. Tens of thousands of residents in damaged homes without electricity awaited help more than a day after Otis roared ashore in Acapulco.
Israel-Hamas War
Hamas top commander killed in airstrike (The Hill)
,,, Israeli forces killed Ayman Nofal, the most high-profile militant known to have been killed so far in the war, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. The Hamas military wing also confirmed Nofal’s death, according to The Associated Press.Nofal led Hamas’s militant activities in the central Gaza Strip and was associated with the group’s “joint operations” room that coordinated between Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other militants in the territory. He was killed when Israel sent a strike into the Bureij refugee camp in Gaza, according to the AP.
More aid arrives in Gaza as desperation mounts and Israel widens military offensive (PBS)
Nearly three dozen trucks entered Gaza on Sunday in the largest aid convoy since the war between Israel and Hamas began, but humanitarian workers said the assistance still fell desperately short of needs after thousands of people broke into warehouses to take flour and basic hygiene products. The Gaza Health Ministry said the death toll among Palestinians passed 8,000, mostly women and minors, as Israeli tanks and infantry pursued what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “second stage” in the war ignited by Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 incursion. The toll is without precedent in decades of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Over 1,400 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during the initial attack.
Israeli air strikes kill 50 in north Gaza refugee camp -Palestinian medics (Reuters)
Palestinian health officials said at least 50 Palestinians were killed when Israeli air strikes hit a densely populated refugee camp in north Gaza on Tuesday, as Israeli ground forces battled Hamas gunmen based in a sprawling tunnel network. Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht, speaking to CNN, confirmed the Israeli strike on Jabalia refugee camp and said it targeted "a very senior Hamas commander in that area".
Americans among first foreigners to leave Gaza through Rafah border crossing into Egypt (CBS News)
Hundreds of foreign passport holders, including some Americans, and some of the wounded trapped in Gaza started leaving the war-torn territory Wednesday as the Rafah border crossing to Egypt opened to them for the first time since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Video Analysis Shows Gaza Hospital Hit By Failed Rocket Meant for Israel (Wall St. Journal)
A video analysis by the Wall Street Journal using security cameras and live feeds inside Israel and Gaza shows how a failed rocket caused the deadly explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital.
Maps and documents recovered from the bodies of Hamas attackers reveal a coordinated plan to target children and take hostages inside an Israeli village near Gaza.
Evidence shows Hamas militants likely used some North Korean weapons in attack on Israel (AP)
Hamas fighters likely fired North Korean weapons during their Oct. 7 assault on Israel, a militant video and weapons seized by Israel show, despite Pyongyang’s denials that it arms the militant group. South Korean officials, two experts on North Korean arms and an Associated Press analysis of weapons captured on the battlefield by Israel point toward Hamas using Pyongyang’s F-7 rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-fired weapon that fighters typically use against armored vehicles.
Under heavy bombing, Palestinians in Gaza move from place to place, only to discover nowhere is safe (AP)
Over 180,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are packed into U.N. shelters as Israeli warplanes pound the tiny territory of 2.3 million people after their Hamas militant rulers launched an unprecedented weekend attack on Israel.
Gaza is plagued by poverty, but Hamas has no shortage of cash. Where does it come from? (NBC)
The unemployment rate in Gaza is 47% and more than 80% of its population lives in poverty, according to the United Nations. Hamas, however, has funded an armed force of thousands equipped with rockets and drones and built a vast web of tunnels under Gaza. Estimates of its annual military budget range from $100 million to $350 million, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources.
Ukraine
Ukraine claims a major strike on Russian airfields and thanks US for providing long-range missiles (AP)
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces claimed it destroyed nine Russian helicopters at two airfields in Russia-occupied regions in a nighttime attack on targets in eastern and southern Ukraine. / It also hit military equipment, an air-defense system, ammunition warehouses and runways, a statement said. Dozens of Russian military personnel were injured in the attack codenamed Operation Dragonfly, it said
Russia taking heavy losses as it wages new offensive in Ukraine (ABC)
Russia has thrown thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles into the offensive….trying to encircle Avdiivka, which is one of the most heavily fortified areas of Ukraine's frontline. / Ukrainian officials on Sunday claimed Russia had lost over 6,000 soldiers in a week, as well as over 400 armored vehicles and tanks. Britain's defense intelligence claimed Russian casualties have spiked by 90% since it began the offensive.
Other world news
Iranian teenager Armita Geravand is 'brain dead': state media (Reuters)
A teenage Iranian girl, who fell into a coma earlier this month following an alleged encounter with officers over violating the country's hijab law, is said to be "brain dead", Iranian state media reported on Sunday.
Iran sentences women journalists on charges over Amini protests (Reuters)
Iran's state news agency IRNA said Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi were sentenced to 13 and 12 years in prison respectively on charges, including collaboration with the U.S. government and acting against national security.
Hundreds stormed an airport in Russia's Dagestan, looking for passengers from Israel (NPR)
Videos posted to social media showed crowds shouting anti-Semitic phrases as they swarmed the tarmac, going plane to plane in a search for passengers arriving from Tel Aviv.
The Maduro regime is disrupting the opposition's efforts before Venezuela's election (NPR)
…the opposition will not be allowed to use the country's polling stations, usually located in public schools. Instead, the opposition must scramble to set up ad hoc voting centers in private homes, parks and playgrounds…. the Maduro regime has banned three of the top candidates in the primary from taking part in next year's presidential election.
For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.
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