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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
In his first address to the nation since dropping out of the race, President Biden said it was time to let younger voices into the Oval Office. “There is a time and a place for [long] years of experience in public life. There’s also a time and a place for new voices … And that time and place is now,” Biden said. Biden also described his decision to step aside as a bid to “save democracy,” avoiding hard truths about why he ended his campaign. Katie Rogers reports for The New York Times; Bernd Debusmann reports for BBC News; Anthony Zurcher reports for BBC News.
Black Sororities and Fraternities across the nation are lining up behind Vice President Kamala Harris. The more than two million members of Black Greek-letter organizations have quickly united to mobilize Black voters nationwide, in what could be a formidable political advantage for Harris. Maya King reports for The New York Times.
Former President Trump attacked Harris as radically liberal at a campaign rally in North Carolina. “She’s worse than him. Because he’s a fake liberal. You know, he wasn’t that liberal,” Trump said. “She’s a real liberal.” The Trump campaign has sought to portray Harris as too radical for independent or moderate voters. Michael Gold reports for The New York Times.
TRUMP RALLY SHOOTING
The House voted 416-0 yesterday to set up a bipartisan task force to investigate the attempted assassination of Trump. The task force, composed of seven Republicans and six Democrats, will have subpoena authority, and will issue a final report on its findings by Dec. 13. Clare Foran, Annie Grayer, and Haley Talbot report for CNN.
The gunman who tried to assassinate Trump flew a drone 200 yards from the site of his campaign rally hours before the shooting, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the House Oversight Committee. Wray also testified that Matthew Crooks had visited the site a week prior and searched online, “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?” ABC News reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – U.S. RESPONSE
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “did not give an inch” in his speech to Congress yesterday. Netanyahu pushed back on condemnations of Israel’s handling of the Gaza war, rejecting blame for the high civilian death toll and accusations that Israel was starving the population. He offered a vague vision of peace, saying “a new Gaza could emerge” if Hamas was defeated and that Israel “does not seek to resettle Gaza,” but did not suggest Israel would stop fighting anytime soon. Ephrat Livni reports for The New York Times.
The mood in Congress was reportedly tense, with Netanyahu entering the chamber to roaring applause from Republicans but little enthusiasm from Democrats. Over half of Democratic lawmakers skipped the speech, though the top three House Democrats and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) were present. Ken Tran and Riley Beggin report for USA Today.
Thousands gathered in Washington yesterday to protest Netanyahu’s speech to Congress. Five people were arrested, and police used pepper spray on protesters. BBC News reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Ceasefire and hostage release negotiations appear to be in their closing stages, according to a senior U.S. official. Biden and Netanyahu are set to discuss remaining gaps today. The official said the remaining obstacles were bridgeable and that an agreement was close. Jacob Magid reports for The Times of Israel.
The Israeli military said it recovered the bodies of five Israeli hostages during an operation in the Khan Younis area. The announcement means 111 of the 251 people taken hostage are still being held in Gaza, including 39 who are presumed dead. David Gritten reports for BBC News.
Gaza’s death toll was largely accurate in the early days of the war, according to a new study by Airwars, a British organization that assesses claims of civilian harm in conflicts. Analyzing the first 17 days of Israel’s bombardment in Gaza, the study found that the Gaza Ministry of Health’s death toll, a subject of debate at the time, was reliable. Lauren Leatherby reports for The New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz sent a letter to his French counterpart warning him of an Iranian-backed plot to attack the Israeli delegation to the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 88 Israeli athletes at the Games are under round-the-clock protection from French security services, as well as from Shin Bet officials. Amy Spiro reports for The Times of Israel.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to withdraw objections to the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s pursuit of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, two sources told The New York Times. The move, which comes after Britain said last week it would reinstate funding the U.N.’s main agency that aids Palestinians, signals that U.K. policy on Israel is diverging from the United States after ten months of close alignment. Mark Landler and Stephen Castle report.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The U.S. military yesterday intercepted Russian and Chinese bombers in international airspace near Alaska. The bombers had entered the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, but did not enter U.S. airspace. A U.S. official said it marks the first time Russian and Chinese aircraft have jointly entered the Alaska ADIZ. Faris Tanyos and Steve Smith report for CBS News.
Over 200,000 children and vulnerable adults were found to have been abused in New Zealand. The report from the Royal Commission of Inquiry Into Abuse in Care found that state and religious organizations subjected those in their care to a range of grave abuses. Pete McKenzie reports for The New York Times.
A tanker carrying 1.5 million liters of industrial fuel capsized off the coast of Manila amid a powerful typhoon. The Philippine Transportation Secretary said that 16 crew members were rescued, and one remains missing. Annabelle Liang reports for BBC News.
At least twenty-five migrants died in a shipwreck off the coast of Mauritania, according to the country’s news agency. The International Organisation for Migration said more than 190 people were still missing and that a rescue operation was underway. Ruth Comerford reports for BBC News.
A plane crash on a Kathmandu airport runway yesterday left 18 dead. The Saurya Airlines plane slipped off the runway and fell into a neighboring gorge, killing all but the pilot. Sangam Prasai and Maham Javaid report for The Washington Post.
Attacks on three remote villages in Papua New Guinea killed 26 people, including 16 children, according to the United Nations. U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said the death toll could rise as authorities search for missing people. Reuters reports
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
A Russian attack on Kharkiv left three dead and six wounded, local officials say. Reuters reports.
Russia has renamed Moscow’s Europe Square “Eurasia Square,” a fresh sign of deteriorating relations with the West. Steve Rosenberg reports for BBC News.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
A federal judge in Florida yesterday allowed Trump’s defamation suit against ABC News to move forward, rejecting the network’s effort to dismiss the litigation. The lawsuit, filed in March, argued that star anchor George Stephanopoulos defamed Trump by saying multiple times on air that he had been found liable for raping the writer E. Jean Carroll. Michael Grynbaum reports for The New York Times.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Wildfires are raging across parts of the western U.S. and Canada. As of yesterday morning, there were 79 active wildfires burning over one million acres in California, Oregon, Arizona, Washington, and other states. Meanwhile, Canada is battling over 600 wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia. Dorany Pineda reports for AP News.
Boeing has finalized a plea deal with the Department of Justice over misleading the Federal Aviation Administration during the evaluation of 737 MAX jets. The manufacturer will plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States, pay a fine of $243.6 million, and serve three years of organizational probation. James Hill and Clara McMichael report for ABC News.