Hi, I'm Siddharth, filling in for Sarah Naffa for the next two days.
In the news today: Fighting empties north Gaza as crisis worsens; the looming government shutdown could be easier to prevent than last time; and the likely cause behind the LA freeway fire has been revealed. Also, what’s delaying New Zealand’s ‘Bird of the Century’ announcement?
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Palestinians line up for food during the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah on November 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali) |
As fighting empties north Gaza, humanitarian crisis worsens in south |
Another 200,000 people have fled northern Gaza since Nov. 5, the U.N. humanitarian office said. Israeli ground forces are battling Palestinian militants around hospitals where patients, newborns and medics are stranded with no electricity and dwindling supplies. Read more. |
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The humanitarian office says only one hospital in the north is capable of receiving patients. Others can’t be used anymore and mostly serve as shelters from the fighting. Gaza’s largest hospital, Shifa, is surrounded by Israeli troops and 36 babies there are at risk of dying because there is no power for incubators.
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Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals as cover for its fighters, alleging that Hamas has set up its main command center in and beneath Shifa, without providing visual evidence. Both Hamas and Shifa Hospital staff deny the Israeli allegations.
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Palestinians stand in line for hours for scarce bread and brackish water. Trash is piling up, sewage is flooding the streets and taps run dry because there is no fuel for water pumps or treatment plants. Israel has barred fuel imports since the start of the war, saying Hamas would use it for military purposes.
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The last government shutdown deadline ousted the House speaker. This week’s showdown could be easier |
The last time Congress tried to fund the U.S. government to prevent a federal shutdown, it cost House Speaker Kevin McCarthy his job. This time, new Speaker Mike Johnson, appears on track for a better outcome. Read more. |
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The House is preparing to vote on a stopgap package to keep the government running into the new year. If it is approved, the Senate would act next, ahead of Friday’s shutdown deadline.
The new Republican leader faces the same political problem that led to McCarthy’s ouster. Johnson is unlikely to win enough support from his Republican majority to pass the bill on its own. Instead, he will be forced to rely on Democrats to ensure passage to keep the government running.
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Under his proposal, Johnson is putting forward a unique — critics say bizarre — two-part process that temporarily funds some federal agencies to Jan. 19 and others to Feb. 2. It’s a continuing resolution, or CR, that comes without any of the deep cuts that conservatives are demanding. It also fails to include President Joe Biden’s request for nearly $106 billion for Ukraine, Israel, border security and other supplemental funds.
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Fire that shut LA freeway was likely arson, governor says |
Arson was the cause of a massive weekend fire that charred and indefinitely closed a vital section of a Los Angeles freeway, California authorities said. The blaze caused major traffic headaches for hundreds of thousands of commuters. Read more. | |
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Drivers were tested Monday during the first weekday commute since the raging fire. Some freeway exits backed up as people were forced to use crowded surface streets to bypass the damaged freeway stretch south of downtown.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said California has been in litigation with the owner of the business leasing the storage property where the fire started. The lease is expired, and the business had been in arrears while illegally subleasing the space to five or six other entities, he added.
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Beyond a massive traffic headache, the Interstate 10's closure is expected to be felt well beyond the metropolis, including possibly slowing the transport of goods from the twin ports of LA and Long Beach, federal officials have said.
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Defense will call witnesses in David DePape’s trial. He is accused of attacking Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer.
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A report is expected to show that U.S. inflation likely eased last month thanks to cheaper gas but underlying price pressures may stay high.
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Prince performs at the Forum, Feb. 18, 1985, in Inglewood, California (AP Photo/Liu Heung Shing, File) |
Prince’s puffy ‘Purple Rain' shirt is up for auction
Fans of Prince, who was known nearly as much for his extravagant wardrobe as for his chart-topping hits, will have a chance to bid on some of the late musician’s sartorial splendor in an online auction this week. |
WATCH: King Charles III celebrates his 75th birthday This will be the King’s first birthday as a crowned monarch following his coronation in May earlier this year. |
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