November 6, 2023 - Your News Roundup

With wars raging on overseas, Americans face a critical choice at the ballot box this week

Today is November 6, 2023 and here are all the critical stories that you missed during the last 24 hours. If you want to support my work or receive access to more, exclusive content, then please consider becoming a monthly subscriber below:

1) Israel Update

30 days ago Hamas terrorists killed over 1,400 innocent Israeli civilians, taking several hundred as hostage. 30 days later, over 230 civilians remain in Hamas custody with little insight as to their condition or whether/when they would be released by the terrorist group. Meanwhile, the Israeli military is deep in its ground operation in Gaza and is currently advancing toward Gaza City after first encircling the Capital, while cutting the Gaza Strip in half by reaching the Mediterranean Coast. As the spokesperson for the Israeli military put it this morning: "Essentially today there is a northern Gaza and a southern Gaza."

Over the weekend, Israel opened up a temporary, four hour evacuation window for civilians in north Gaza to evacuate to the south to avoid hostilities. It is unclear if any (or how many) were able to leave. In addition, Gaza's humanitarian crisis continues to grow as the enclave had its third temporary blackout since the start of the war, forcing humanitarian agencies to lose contact with their aid workers on the ground. While support for Israel remains strong, we saw a number of large pro-Palestinian rallies breakout over the weekend in major cities around the globe. Despite these rallies, many of which calling for a permanent ceasefire, some of the staunchest critics of the Israeli Government here at home, including Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, have stated that a ceasefire with an organization like Hamas cannot occur because Hamas would never abide by it. Watch the moment for yourself here.

2) Trump Testifies

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump will be testifying in Manhattan state court today in his civil fraud trial brought by the New York Attorney General's Office. Trump's testimony follows the testimony of his sons Eric and Don Jr. last week. Trump will be placed under oath requiring him to tell the full truth or face possible perjury charges, and will open himself up to possible cross examination by attorneys with the New York Attorney General's Office. It is important to remember that Trump already lost significant parts of this case. In September, Judge Arthur Engoron granted the New York Attorney General partial summary judgment and found Trump liable for fraud. The trial is now mainly to determine disgorgement, which is essentially another way of stating that the only issue left is damages to the state.

3) Ukraine Update

While the war in Israel is the primary focus on many in the United States, President Zelensky appeared on NBC News yesterday to draw important focus to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has now been ongoing for over eighteen months. During this interview, Zelensky blasted both former President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. On one hand, Zelensky hit Trump for failing to support the Ukrainian people, while inviting him to observe the atrocities committed by Russia. On the other hand, Zelensky made clear that Putin was only interested in creating chaos and destabilizing the region, especially given the events occurring in the Middle East. As he walked off the interview, Zelensky stated: "We are not ready to give our freedom to this f------ terrorist Putin." Truer words have never been spoken. 

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has decided to run for reelection in the upcoming March 2024 elections in Russia. Putin is not expected to face any real opposition, and any opposition would likely be either killed or jailed (like Alexei Navalny). Alongside this latest news, the Russian Ministry of Defense once again tried to increase its public bluster by releasing a video of the military launching a nuclear powered ballistic missile from its newest nuclear submarine.   

4) Critical United States Elections

Tomorrow there are several critical elections that you should be aware of. In Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and elsewhere, voters will head to the polls to decide the future of their state legislatures along with critical ballot initiative. In Ohio, the future of abortion rights are on the ballot and tomorrow voters will decide whether abortion rights are protected under the Ohio Constitution. In Virginia, the control of the Virginia Senate is up for grabs as Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin is making a major push to flip the Senate so that he can pass his own abortion bans. If you live in one of these states, check out these links to find your polling place. Make sure to get out and vote tomorrow!

Pennsylvania: https://vote.pa.gov/PollingPlace

Virginia: https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/polling-place-lookup/

Ohio: https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/polling-location/