Monday, October 16th, 2023

Today’s Headlines: In the second week of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Israel continues its military retaliation with missile strikes and urges over 1 million Palestinians to evacuate the northern Gaza strip. About 600,000 Palestinians have evacuated, and the Rafah border crossing to Egypt was briefly opened for aid and foreign nationals' evacuation. The U.S. opposes mass-relocating Palestinians to Egypt and is considering a visit by President Biden to Israel to show support and discourage Iran and Hezbollah from joining the conflict. Tensions escalated on Israel's northern border with Lebanon as Hezbollah fired strikes, leading to border closures. Israel had initially blocked water and energy supply to Gaza until Hamas released hostages but partially restored water supply. The U.S. confirmed the death of 29 Americans in the initial Hamas attack. In the United States, the Speaker of the House remains undecided, affecting the ability to pass military aid packages for Israel and Ukraine. Louisiana elected Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry as its governor, ending the state's distinction of having a Democratic governor in the deep south. The Eras Tour movie grossed nearly $100 million in its opening weekend, making it the highest-opening concert film of all time. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: WA Post: Live updates Israeli-Palestinian conflict history Gaza strip, explained Why Hamas attacked Israel See maps As Israel pummels besieged Gaza, Egypt resists opening up to refugees  Axios: U.S. and Israeli officials discuss possible Biden visit to Israel this week Bloomberg: Hezbollah Attacks Israeli Army Posts Near Lebanon; One Dead  AP News: Water runs out at UN shelters in Gaza. Medics fear for patients as Israeli ground offensive looms Politico: Jordan to face a challenger in floor vote Tuesday Axios: Dems warm to empowering McHenry as GOP chaos persists AP News: Republican Jeff Landry wins the Louisiana governor’s race, reclaims office for GOP NBC News: Taylor Swift Eras Tour is the highest-grossing domestic concert film ever Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Amanda Duberman and Bridget Schwartz Edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices