November 20, 2023 - News Roundup

Major news coming out of Israel and Ukraine this morning

Today is November 20, 2023, and here are the critical stories you may have missed overnight. If you enjoy these short digests and want more, exclusive content or to support my work, consider becoming a monthly subscriber at the link below:

1) Rosalynn Carter Passes Away

Late last night, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter passed away at the age of 96 at her Georgia home, surrounded by close family and loved ones. Carter, who served as First Lady for four years, was a champion for women's rights, mental healthcare, and represented the best America had to offer. This news comes just days after we learned that Carter entered hospice care at her Georgia home. While funeral arrangements have yet to be announced, we should know more soon. May her memory be a blessing.

2) Israel Update

This morning, we learned that dozens of premature babies were transferred from the Al Shifa hospital to medical personnel in Egypt for care. A number of these babies were suffering from infection, lacked necessary resources to survive, and were in “critical condition” according to hospital staff. In total, about 31 babies were set to be part of the transfer this morning, however, it is unclear the exact number of babies that were transferred. This is good news and comes as the Israeli military successfully took control of the largest hospital in Gaza.

Speaking of the hospital itself, the Israeli military has made substantial claims, backed by United States intelligence, that the Al Shifa hospital was used as a command node by Hamas. Yesterday, videos were released demonstrating that on October 7th (the day of the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel), Hamas fighters took hostages from Israel and moved them into and through the Al Shift hospital. It is unclear where the hostages were later moved or where they are currently located. Given the videos released, this confirms that Hamas was committing violations of international law on the day of the terrorist attack. Additionally, this would track the reports that Israel found at least two hostages dead while searching the hospital.

At the same time, many internationally have questioned Israel’s claim of a Hamas command node being underneath or within the hospital. Israel has since substantiated many of these claims by providing evidence of a tunnel network built near and under the hospital along with a substantial amount of weapons and ammunition found at the hospital. More investigation is occurring this morning, and I will provide you updates as we learn more.

Finally, in another example of how online is not real life, in a new poll commissioned for the Iowa caucus, Hamas had a 1% approval rating among Americans, while Israel had a 47% approval rating.

3) Ukraine Update

While war rages on in the Middle East, Ukraine continues to face bombardment from the Russian military now almost two years since Russia first invaded Ukraine. Overnight, Kyiv, the Capital of Ukraine, suffered its second wave of drone strikes targeting the city’s air defense systems with 10 Iranian made drones. Meanwhile, on the ground, the Ukrainian counteroffensive continues and was able to push Russian troops back about 3-8 kilometers back from the banks of the Dnipro River. In addition, elections are coming up soon in Russia, and pro-war military general Igor Girkin is gearing up to make a run for President. Girkin is currently incarcerated awaiting trial on extremism charges in Russia. Vladimir Putin is still expected to run for reelection, so any challenger will have a massive up hill battle. Finally, President Zelensky is pleading with the international community to continue providing aid to Ukraine as the number of weapons coming into Ukraine have lessened, especially as the United States Congress, led by Republicans, has refused to pass a new aid package for the war torn country. More to come on this soon.