Israel-Hamas war: A U.S. spokesman said this morning that the death toll of Americans in Israel is expected to rise, with 14 Americans known dead as of Wednesday morning as a result of the attack on Israel by Hamas. The total known dead on both sides in the war exceeded 2,200 as of this morning. Israeli air strikes on Gaza continue, with entire neighborhoods reported flattened. Hamas continues firing rockets into Israel. President Biden in a speech yesterday afternoon emphasized that the U.S. stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel in the wake of the attack by Hamas terrorists.
New Santos indictment: New York Congressman George Santos has been charged in a superseding indictment with theft of credit cards and the identifies of some of his contributors. It’s alleged that Santos charged large sums of money on those credit cards as contributions to his campaign. The new indictment alleges that he transferred some of the money from his campaign to his own pocket. The new indictment replaces one filed in May against Santos. He is free on bail after pleading not guilty to charges in the first indictment.
Titan debris: The Coast Guard reports that it has recovered the remaining debris from the implosion of the submersible Titan that was on a voyage to the wreckage of the Titanic last June. All five people on board were killed. The Coast Guard said the wreckage is being cataloged and analyzed.
Exxon buys Pioneer: In a move that it says will strengthen the U.S. economy and energy security, Exxon Mobil Corporation today announced a definitive agreement for it to buy Pioneer Natural Resources. The merger is an all-stock transaction valued at $59.5 billion. Pioneer has large holdings of shale oil. Some analysts believe the Exxon/Pioneer deal with lead to more consolidation in the shale oil industry.
Romney’s proposal: In a speech to Republicans in Park City, Utah, Sen. Mitt Romney said Republicans need to join together and support one of the GOP primary challengers to Donald Trump in order to defeat Trump. He did not name a preferred challenger to Trump. Romney also said he has asked a couple of Democratic senators he did not name to run against President Biden but none expressed a willingness to do that. Romney has announced he will not seek reelection.
Zelenskyy at NATO: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels today. He said that he went to Brussels to meet with NATO defense ministers and ask for more aid to help Ukraine make it through the winter. He said Ukraine is in need of longer-range missiles in addition to artillery and ammunition. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO countries should provide more aid to Ukraine.
