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Wednesday, November 22, 2023

11/22 WAKE-UP CALL: War Pauses, 50 Hostages To Be Freed


Israel and Hamas backed a deal that will free dozens of hostages from Gaza in return for a four-day pause in fighting and the release of Palestinian prisoners. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to say the war will continue until Hamas is destroyed as an organization, it will be the first major lull in fighting since the conflict erupted just over six weeks ago after Hamas attacked Israel.

Hamas said there would be a “cessation of all military operations” in Gaza during the four days. It signaled Israel would also stop all airstrikes in the south of the Mediterranean enclave and halt them in the north, where most of Israel’s ground forces are, for six hours a day. More aid is also expected to move into Gaza from Egypt, which Palestinian officials and the United Nations say is needed to ease a humanitarian disaster.  The pause, which was pushed for by the US and its allies, is expected to begin by early Thursday morning, after Israel has released a list of the Palestinians to be freed from jail and the public has had an opportunity to appeal in the courts against their release.

➤ALTMAN RETURNS TO OPEN AI: OpenAI said Sam Altman will return as CEO and the company will have a new initial board including Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo. The startup said Taylor will be chairman of the board in a post on X late Tuesday. The board and Altman’s camp have also agreed to conduct an independent investigation into the ouster of Altman last week and its aftermath, a person familiar with the matter said. OpenAI declined to comment on the investigation.

🏠NEW HOME SALES DROP:  U.S. home sales fell to a new 13-year low last month, as high interest rates and home prices continued to pummel the housing market. Existing-home sales, which make up most of the housing market, decreased 4.1% in October from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.79 million, the lowest rate since August 2010, the National Association of Realtors said. October sales fell 14.6% from a year earlier. The national median existing-home price rose 3.4% in October from a year earlier to $391,800—the highest price for any October in data going back to 1999. Prices aren’t adjusted for inflation.

➤4 LAS VEGAS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS CHARGED WITH MURDER AS ADULTS IN CLASSMATE'S FATAL BEATING: Prosecutors in Las Vegas have formally charged four high school students as adults with murder in the deadly beating of their schoolmate, a fight that was captured on cellphone video and has been widely shared across social media. The two 16-year-olds and two 17-year-olds are charged with second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit battery. After court, District Attorney Steve Wolfson said his office chose not to bring a first-degree murder charge against the teens because, he said, the evidence shows that the beating was not a premeditated act.


➤AT LEAST 1 DEAD, 5 BELIEVED TO BE MISSING FOLLOWING LARGE LANDSLIDE IN ALASKA: At least one person is dead and five others are believed to be missing following a "large landslide" in Alaska, officials said. The landslide was reported along the Zimovia Highway at mile 11 shortly before 9 p.m. local time Monday near Wrangell, a city in the Alaska Panhandle, officials said. Three homes were determined to be directly in the path of the landslide, two houses on the mountainside and one on the waterside of the highway, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. One of the mountainside homes is believed to have been empty at the time, officials said.

➤GEORGIA JUDGE DECLINES TO SEND TRUMP CO-DEFENDANT IN ELECTION FRAUD CASE TO JAIL OVER SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS: In the Fulton County election racketeering case linked to Donald Trump, Judge Scott McAfee declined to send co-defendant Harrison Floyd to jail for recent social media posts and comments targeting witnesses. While acknowledging technical violations of Floyd's bond agreement, the judge opted against revocation. However, the bond agreement was modified to include restrictions on Floyd's social media activity, barring any posts related to co-defendants, witnesses, or individuals named in the indictment.

➤IRS DELAYS TAX-REPORTING RULE ON VENMO, PAYPAL PAYMENTS OVER $600: The IRS announced on Tuesday that it is delaying a controversial tax reporting requirement targeting Americans who made more than $600 online through third-party payment apps like Venmo or PayPal. The rule change, approved by Democrats in March 2021 with the passage of the American Rescue Plan, would have required payments platforms, including Venmo, PayPal, Etsy and Airbnb, to send Form 1099-K to the IRS and users if their transactions totaled more than $600 over the course of the year.

🐶MYSTERY RESPIRATORY ILLNESS MAKING DOGS SICK: These pups have had it ruff. Veterinarians are warning pet owners about an infectious disease that was first detected among dogs a few months ago. Now, cases have spread to at least five states while experts are still trying to figure out the cause, the American Veterinary Medical Association said. Veterinarians describe the illness as a respiratory disease that can cause coughing, sneezing and lethargy. They say it can sometimes lead to pneumonia – and it does not respond to antibiotics. Cases have been reported in several states, including Oregon and Colorado.

🏈COLTS WAIVE ALL-PRO LB SHAQUILLE LEONARD IN SURPRISE MOVE: One day after being told he was being benched, linebacker Shaquille Leonard received the surprising news that he was being waived by the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday. Leonard, a sixth-year pro and three-time first-team All-Pro selection, said the message hit him hard. "It was shocking," Leonard said Tuesday evening as he and teammates distributed 200 Thanksgiving turkeys and sides at a church on the west side of Indianapolis. "I asked for a November meeting. I guess I got a November meeting. I guess you've got to be careful what you ask for."

🏀KNICKS OWNER JAMES DOLAN RESIGNS FROM NBA BOARD COMMITTEE POSITIONS: Before launching an unorthodox lawsuit against the Toronto Raptors that includes allegations questioning the objectivity of NBA commissioner Adam Silver, New York Knicks owner James Dolan resigned his positions on the NBA board of governors' influential advisory/finance and media committees, according to a memo obtained by ESPN. "Given all that has occurred lately, I have come to the conclusion that the NBA neither needs nor wants my opinion," Dolan wrote in a July memo to Silver that he copied to the other 29 league owners.

🏈BROWNS QB DESHAUN WATSON HAS SURGERY ON RIGHT SHOULDER: Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson underwent surgery Tuesday to repair the displaced fracture to the glenoid in his right shoulder, the team announced. The surgery was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles and deemed successful. Watson is expected to begin rehabbing Friday and be ready to play before the start of the 2024 season. Watson suffered the shoulder injury Nov. 12 in a 33-31 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

🏈SAINTS PLACE WR MICHAEL THOMAS ON IR WITH KNEE INJURY: The New Orleans Saints put wide receiver Michael Thomas on injured reserve Tuesday, the team announced. Thomas will miss at least four games with a knee injury and will be eligible to return for the Saints' Week 16 game against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 21. The move came one day after Saints coach Dennis Allen said injuries to Thomas and starting cornerback Marshon Lattimore (ankle) will "take some time" to heal. Both players were injured during the Saints' loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10.

➤SPRAWLING STORMS HITS EAST COAST:  Happy almost-Thanksgiving! How about a travel headache? As tens of millions of people across the central and eastern United States begin to hit the roads and skies ahead of Thanksgiving, storms are threatening to upend their holiday plans. Rain, thunderstorms, snow, wind, fog and ice are all in the forecast, with the worst weather expected Tuesday from the Great Lakes to the Northeast down to the Southeast. The skies will be clearer by Wednesday: Other than the snow in the Northeast and New England, most of the nation should see good weather for traveling.




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