November 9, 2023 - Daily News Roundup

While Republicans debated over who could be more extreme, the Israeli ground operation continued overseas

Today is November 9, 2023 and here are all the critical stories that you missed during the last 24 hours. If you want access to more, exclusive content or to support my work, please consider becoming a monthly subscriber by clicking the link below:

1) Israel Update

As it stands right now, the Israeli military has successfully cut the Gaza Strip in half, separating the north from the south. In addition, the military is now operating within Gaza City, which is the central operating command for Hamas. This morning we received confirmation that Israel has taken hold of many Hamas strongholds in Northern Gaza, slowly making sure to neutralize all Hamas fighters in the area. Meanwhile, over 50,000 Palestinian civilians fled north Gaza yesterday to the south via an evacuation corridor established by the Israeli military. The military announced today that the corridor will reopen for about six hours to allow more civilians wishing to leave to flee to the south away from the hostilities. Unfortunately, there have been reports of Hamas fighters blocking civilians from leaving, but, thankfully many have been able to. 

Additionally, overnight, United States forces struck multiple targets in eastern Syria after American forces in the Middle East faced 41 attacks over the past several weeks from Iranian-backed militants. The airstrike last night targeted a weapons storage facility used by Iranian-backed militias. With this strike, the U.S. military has informed Iran, through back channels, that it does not wish to escalate the conflict. But, the United States stands ready to engage further in the conflict if Iran were to get involved kinetically.

While military action continues, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza remains. Yesterday, for the first time since the start of the war, over 100 trucks containing humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Border Crossing. Meanwhile, over 200 hostages remain in the custody of Hamas. While negotiations over the release of the hostages has been ongoing, there does not appear to be a deal close.  

2) Third GOP Debate Recap

Last night, five Republican candidates for President took the stage in Miami, Florida for the third Republican Primary Presidential Debate. Donald Trump, like with the first two, chose not to attend the debate and instead held a rally in south Florida. The debate showed off the extreme positions of the Republican Party. While most of the debate focused on foreign policy, and especially the war in Israel, the candidates on stage could not hide how extreme they were. First, Vivek Ramaswamy called Ukrainian President Zelensky a Nazi (President Zelensky is Jewish). This label applied to Zelensky mimics the rhetoric coming out of Moscow where Vladimir Putin has called for a "denazification" of Ukraine. Then, Ron DeSantis followed up by calling to militarize the southern border with Mexico, even suggesting that we should conduct military attacks in Mexico, without the Mexican Government's consent. When talking about foreign policy, Ramaswamy called DeSantis and Haley "Dick Cheney in three inch heels."

The conversation then turned to TikTok when Ramaswamy decided to attack Nikki Haley's for allowing her daughter to have TikTok on her phone. For reference, Haley's daughter is an adult who recently got married. In response, Haley called Ramaswamy "scum." It's interesting to watch Republicans attack each other over TikTok, but refuse to do anything to hold the gun lobby accountable for failing to stop mass shootings in America. After this scuffle, the conversation moved on to talking about abortion bans in America, with Tim Scott calling for a 15-week national ban, and others seemingly agreeing with him that federal legislation is needed. Interestingly, Haley and DeSantis refused to agree to the 15-week proposal (even though DeSantis has signed a more extreme ban in Florida). Overall, nothing the Republican candidates did last night moved the needle. Trump is still in the lead by double digits, and President Biden remains the big winner of the night. 

3) Trump Kept On The Minnesota Ballot

Yesterday, the Minnesota Supreme Court allowed Donald Trump to remain on the Republican Primary ballot rejecting a petition to keep him off under the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause. The petition cited many of Trump's actions leading up to and on January 6, 2021. While the Court rejected the challenge right now, it left the door open for another petition to be brought if and when Trump appears on the general election ballot. Learn more here. 

4) Ivanka Trump Testifies 

Finally, Ivanka Trump took the witness stand in her father's civil fraud trial yesterday, testifying about the financials of the Trump Organization, along with her father's valuation of certain assets. While Ivanka is no longer a defendant in the fraud trial, her testimony remains critical as she was a senior executive of the Trump Organization and played a key role in a number of its business decisions. As she entered the courthouse for her testimony, New York Attorney General Letitia James told the public that Ivanka cannot hide from the truth. Following her testimony, the Attorney General's case was put on pause, with some witnesses subject to possible recall later in the trial. The case will now move forward with arguments over certain defense motions, with the defense expected to put on their own case in the coming weeks as well. More to come here.