Israel-Hamas war’s toll: The U.N. Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees says that an estimated 600,000 people are being sheltered in its facilities in Gaza and that its 150 shelters are four times over capacity. Hamas says 6,546 people have been killed in Gaza with 17,400 wounded as a result of the Israel-Hamas fighting. Israel reports 1,400 dead and more than 5,400 wounded. As of Wednesday morning, Israel had not started its ground invasion of Gaza but continued air attacks. The U.S. said today it does not agree with a call by the U.N. for a ceasefire since right now it would only benefit Hamas.
Richard Roundtree dies: Actor Richard Roundtree, a native of New Rochelle, has died in Los Angeles at age 81. Roundtree was afflicted with pancreatic cancer. Roundtree originated the role of Shaft in a series of Black action movies. He also was known for appearances in other movies and on TV. While attending New Rochelle High School, Roundtree was affectionately known by his friends as “Tree.”
Trump’s lobbying: Reports from Capitol Hill say that lobbying by Donald Trump was responsible for House Republicans causing Congressman Tom Emmer to pull out as the Republican nominee to become Speaker of the House. Emmer did not join Trump’s attempted coup on Jan. 6, although he subsequently joined in a lawsuit in Texas designed to overturn results of the 2020 election. Trump’s lobbying was reported to have resulted in the Republicans last night nominating Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson as speaker. Johnson was a key supporter of Trump’s attempted coup.
Newsom in China: California Gov. Gavin Newsom met with Chinese President Xi in Beijing this morning. Newsom is visiting China for a week. He said he’ll be pushing for cooperation between the U.S. and China to combat climate change. Chinese officials in welcoming Newsom said they look forward to better relations between the U.S. and China. Xi was reported to have told Newsom he hopes Newsom’s visit will play a role in improving relations between China and California and the rest of the U.S.
Pilot’s problems: Court documents say that Joseph Emerson, the Alaska Airlines pilot charged with attempted murder for trying to shut down the engines during a passenger jet flight was suffering from depression. Emerson was off-duty and riding in the cockpit as a passenger. Emerson pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in a Portland, Oregon, court yesterday. Court documents show he had not slept in the 40 hours before the incident and had used psychedelic mushrooms about 48 hours before he partially pulled the engine fire suppression handles. The flightcrew restored the handles to their normal position and the flight landed safely in Portland.
Honda and GM cancel deal: Honda and General Motors announced today that they are scrapping their plan to spend $5 billion jointly developing lower-cost electric vehicles. The companies announced the plan a year ago and said it would provide competition to Tesla. General Motors said it needed to concentrate on profitable areas of its existing business in view of the United Auto Workers strike, which it said has so far cost it about $200 million.
Cover photo courtesy MGM
