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Tuesday, October 10, 2023

10/10 WAKE-UP CALL: Hamas Threatens To Execute Israeli Hostages

(Reuters Photo)

The Islamist militant Hamas movement threatened to execute an Israeli captive every time Israel bombs a Palestinian home without warning, as Israel called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists and imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip, raising fears it planned a ground assault. The violence, which has claimed more than 1,500 lives, prompted international declarations of support for Israel after a devastating weekend attack by Hamas, and appeals for an end to the fighting and protection of civilians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge in a fiery speech accusing Iran-backed Hamas of executing tied-up children and other atrocities. "This vile enemy wanted war and it will get war," he said.


Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 687 Palestinians had been killed and 3,726 wounded in Israeli air strikes on the blockaded enclave since Saturday. Apartment blocks, a mosque and hospitals were among the sites attacked, and the strikes destroyed some roads and houses, according to media reports and eyewitnesses.


Israel also bombed the headquarters of the private Palestinian Telecommunication Co., which could affect landline telephone, internet and mobile phone services. The strikes continued into the night on Monday. The Israeli military said it hit targets in the Gaza Strip from the sea and air, including a weapons depot it said belonged to Islamic Jihad and Hamas targets along Gaza's coast line.


Israeli TV channels said the death toll from the Hamas attack had climbed to 900 Israelis, with at least 2,600 injured, and dozens taken captive. Among the Israeli dead were 260 mostly young people gunned down at a desert music festival, where some of the hostages were abducted. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge in a fiery speech accusing Iran-backed Hamas of executing tied-up children and other atrocities. "This vile enemy wanted war and it will get war," he said.

➤ISRAEL RESPONDS: The Israeli military launched a wave of attacks on Gaza after retaking control of towns in the country’s south from Hamas. The campaign includes extensive bombing withholding electricity, food or fuel; and a departure from the usual practice of sending warning shots ahead of airstrikes to allow people to evacuate. It comes more than 48 hours after Islamist militants invaded and abducted dozens of Israeli soldiers and civilians. Hamas has threatened to execute a civilian Israeli hostage for every unannounced strike against a Palestinian home and to broadcast the executions. U.N. Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said the assaults on Gaza wouldn’t destroy Hamas, which the U.S. and the EU designated a terrorist organization. The White House said that nine Americans have been killed in the conflict and that other U.S. citizens are unaccounted for.


➤U-S TO SUPPLY ISRAEL: The U.S. military is "surging" fresh supplies of air defenses, munitions and other security assistance to Israel to help it respond to an unprecedented weekend attack by Hamas, a senior U.S. defense official said on Monday. "Planes have already taken off," the U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to Pentagon reporters.  "We are surging support to Israel... We remain in constant ongoing contact with our counterparts in Israel to determine and then support their most urgent requirements."

➤QATAR IN TALKS WITH HAMAS, ISRAEL TO SWAP HOSTAGES FOR PRISONERS: Qatari mediators have held urgent calls to try to negotiate freedom for Israeli women and children seized by the militant group and held in Gaza in exchange for the release of 36 Palestinian women and children from Israel's prisons, a source briefed on the talks told Reuters. Qatar's foreign ministry confirmed to Reuters its involvement in mediation talks with Hamas and Israeli officials, including over a possible prisoner swap.

➤ROBERT F KENNEDY JR. ANNOUNCES U.S. PRESIDENTIAL RUN AS AN INDEPENDENT: Robert F Kennedy Jr has officially announced that he will be running for US president as an independent. “I’m here to declare myself an independent candidate for president of the United States,” Kennedy said to applause and chants. The 69-year old had previously been running for the Democratic nomination for president, the only person to challenge Joe Biden for the nomination.

➤FORMER TEXAS REP. WILL HURD SUSPENDS LONG-SHOT GOP 2024 PRESIDENTIAL BID, ENDORSES NIKKI HALEY: Former Republican Texas congressman Will Hurd suspended his presidential bid on Monday and endorsed fellow GOP primary candidate Nikki Haley, officially abandoning a brief campaign built on criticizing Donald Trump at a time when his party seems even more determined to embrace the former president. “While I appreciate all the time and energy our supporters have given, it is important to recognize the realities of the political landscape and the need to consolidate our party around one person to defeat both Donald Trump and President Joe Biden,” Hurd wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

➤McCARTHY SIGNALS SPEAKER EFFORT:  Kevin McCarthy signaled that he is open to serving as House speaker again. The California Republican was voted out as the chamber’s leader on Tuesday after months of battling hard-right conservatives in his party. He opened the door to a political comeback days ahead of an expected vote to pick his replacement. Reps. Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio are competing for the job, each saying they are the best person to unite a fractured party. Meanwhile, some people are worried that McCarthy’s ouster could threaten Republican seats in 2024. Party infighting could turn off some voters, particularly if it cripples U.S. efforts to help Israel respond to an attack by Hamas or leads to a government shutdown in November. The party currently has a 221-212 majority, and about 80 seats between both parties are competitive nationwide next year, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

➤BIDEN QUIZZED ON DOCS: President Joe Biden has been interviewed as part of an independent investigation into his handling of classified documents, the White House said late on Monday night. Spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement that the interview was voluntary and conducted at the White House on Sunday and Monday. The interview concluded Monday, Sams said. The investigation is being led by special counsel Robert Hur, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in January to probe the improper storage of classified documents at Biden's Delaware home and a think tank office set up for Biden after his 2009-2017 vice presidency. 

➤CALIFORNIA BANS 4 POTENTIALLY HARMFUL CHEMICALS IN FOOD: California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a landmark law aimed at banning red dye No. 3 and other potentially harmful food additives in consumer goods. On Saturday, the Golden State became the first in the country to forbid the use of the ingredients found in many popular candies, drinks and more, according to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental health organization that cosponsored the law with Consumer Reports. Nearly 3,000 products use red dye No. 3 as an ingredient, including sweets such as Skittles, Nerds and Trolli gummies; protein shakes; instant rice and potato products; and boxed cake mixes, according to the Environmental Working Group’s Eat Well Guide.


➤THESE ARE THE SAFEST AMERICAN CITIES: WalletHub has taken a look at 180 American cities and used more than three dozen metrics to find the safest place in the United States! The top safest cities are: Nashua, New Hampshire; Columbia, Maryland; and South Burlington, Vermont. St. Louis, Fort Lauderdale, and Baton Rouge are at the bottom of the list. 

WalletHub measured home and community safety, natural disaster risk, unemployment and poverty rates, and underwater mortgages, among other factors. Baton Rouge scored last in Home and Community Safety, while Memphis scored low in the Financial Safety category. South Burlington, Vermont tops the Financial Safety category, and Columbia, Maryland is number 1 in Home and Community Safety.

🏈NFL RAIDERS 17 PACKERS 13:  It wasn't the prettiest game, but the Las Vegas Raiders were able to get back in the victory column with a 17-13 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Monday at Allegiant Stadium, their first victory over the Packers since 1987. The Raiders (2-3) picked off Packers quarterback Jordan Love three times, with linebacker Robert Spillane grabbing two and cornerback Amik Robertson clinching the game with an end zone pick with 44 seconds left. Love threw for 182 yards on 16-of-30 passing for the Packers (2-3), who scored their only touchdown on a third-quarter AJ Dillon run.

⚾MLB BRAVES   5 PHILLIES 4:   After being held hitless into the sixth inning, the Atlanta Braves rallied for an improbable 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on two-run homers by Travis d’Arnaud and Austin Riley and a game-ending double play for the ages to even the NL Division Series at one win apiece Monday night. D’Arnaud, who started at catcher over slumping Sean Murphy, gave the Braves hope with his shot into the left-field seats in the seventh, cutting Philadelphia’s lead to 4-3. It was Atlanta’s first extra-base hit of the series. Riley provided the second, driving a 3-2 pitch from Jeff Hoffman (0-1) into the Phillies bullpen with two outs in the eighth to put the Braves ahead for the first time in the best-of-five series. 

⚾MLB D-BACKS 4 DODGERS 2 The Dodgers’ bullpen held the Diamondbacks to just one run over the final 7 1/3 innings, but it didn’t matter because the offense failed to produce again. The Dodgers went down quietly in the ninth inning. Kiké Hernández hit a hard line drive nearly over left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s head, but it was caught. James Outman then struck out for the third time and Kolten Wong flied out to center field to end the game. The series will now head to Phoenix for Game 3 on Wednesday. The Diamondbacks, heavy underdogs, will have three chances to become the second NL West team to eliminate the Dodgers in the NLDS in two years.

🏈JETS LOSE TOP O-LINEMAN ALIJAH VERA-TUCKER (ACHILLES) FOR SEASON: New York Jets offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker suffered a season-ending Achilles injury Sunday, coach Robert Saleh announced Monday. Vera-Tucker, considered the Jets' best offensive lineman, has started games at guard and at tackle this season. He has been starting at right tackle after left tackle Duane Brown went on injured reserve, necessitating Mekhi Becton's move from right tackle to left tackle.

➤COLTS' ANTHONY RICHARDSON TO 'MISS SOME TIME,' OUT VS. JAGUARS: Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has an AC joint injury and will miss an undetermined amount of time in the lineup, coach Shane Steichen said Monday. Richardson sustained the right shoulder injury in Sunday's victory over the Tennessee Titans when he was tackled from behind by outside linebacker Harold Landry III, leaving him unable to move his right arm

➤COWBOYS LB LEIGHTON VANDER ESCH COULD MISS 4-6 WEEKS: Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is looking at a 4-6 week absence because of a neck strain suffered in Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers, according to multiple sources. Coach Mike McCarthy said Vander Esch is likely headed to injured reserve, which means he would miss at least the next four games. After next week's game against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Cowboys have their bye, which could put Vander Esch's return at Nov. 19 at the Carolina Panthers, or as late as Nov. 30 against the Seattle Seahawks.

✞JIM POOLE, WHO PITCHED FOR CLEVELAND'S '95 WORLD SERIES TEAM, DIES: Jim Poole, who pitched in the big leagues for 11 seasons and was part of Cleveland's 1995 World Series team, died of complications from ALS. He was 57.  Georgia Tech, his alma mater, announced that Poole died Friday in the Atlanta area surrounded by family. He was diagnosed two years ago with ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative condition also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.



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