Hello from CNN, I'm Joe Beck, with the five things you need to know for Wednesday, November 8th. It was a big night for abortion rights advocates in some parts of the country, as Democrats running on the hot button issue won big in some elections. Ohio became the first red state to make abortion part of the state's constitution, a loss that senior House Republicans are downplaying, arguing that other issues like crime and immigration will drive the 2024 election, not abortion. Meanwhile, in Kentucky, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear beat his Republican challenger in a campaign where abortion rights became a flashpoint.
And in Virginia, Democrats held control of the state Senate and flipped the House of Delegates, with voters stopping GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin from getting the majorities he needed to pass a 15-week abortion ban. And there were some other historic wins elsewhere. Take Philadelphia, where former city councilwoman Sherelle Parker became the first woman elected mayor. I'm Philly born, I'm Philly bred, and I'll be a Philadelphia until I'm dead.
These are all wins that Democrats will be celebrating, after a CNN poll has showed former President Donald Trump has a narrow lead over President Joe Biden, 49% to 45%, one year out from the presidential election next November. Those calling for an immediate ceasefire have an obligation to explain how to address the unacceptable result it would likely bring about. That was Secretary of State Anthony Blinken speaking after the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo about Israel's bombardment to Gaza. A joint statement from the group supported humanitarian pauses for, quote, urgently needed assistance, civilian movements, and the release of hostages.
But despite growing civilian casualties and international pressure for a ceasefire, Blinken says that won't lead to a long-term solution. The only way to ensure that this crisis never happens again is to begin setting the conditions for durable peace and security, and to frame our diplomatic efforts now with that in mind. Well, her brothers have done it, her dad's done it, and now it's Ivanka Trump's turn to take the stand. She's expected to testify in the New York trial, where a judge is deciding how much former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants should pay in damages, after he found them liable for civil business fraud.
Trump's daughter had to try to get out of testifying, but the judge said she has to take the stand. Though, unlike her brothers, Donald Jr. and Eric, she's no longer one of Trump's co-defendants, after a judge removed her from the suit. New York's Attorney General says her team will rest their case after Ivanka Trump's testimony, and then it'll be the defense's turn.
People fleeing fighting in Sudan say there's a new surge in killings in the West Arthur region. That's according to aid agencies in Chad, who are working with people arriving there. Witnesses and aid groups in the region say ethnic killings have been on the rise since fighting broke out in mid-April, between the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, and the Sudanese Armed Forces. These incidents that are being described to aid agencies now are similar to a pattern of alleged abuses by the RSF since the conflict began.
Coming up, a final warning before the UN's climate change summits. A new report says 2023 is, quote, virtually certain to be the hottest year on record. The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service says last month was the hottest October ever recorded, continuing the string of consecutive record-breaking months that started back in June. And it's not just the air that's getting warmer, ocean temperatures also continue to soar, helping to create hurricanes and tropical storms.
That includes Hurricane Otis, which killed dozens of people in Mexico after it intensified so fast that it took many by surprise and became the strongest storm to ever make landfall in the East Pacific Basin. This is the last report from Copernicus before the UN's COP28 climate summit in Dubai later this month, and its deputy director says the sense of urgency for the meeting to result in action has, quote, never been higher. That's all for now. Our next episode drops at noon Eastern.