President Biden denounces Hamas’ attack on Israel and confirms more Americans are among those killed. And we have a report from the Capitol as House Republicans look to decide on a speaker – these stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023.
Hamas attack leaves 14 U.S. citizens dead, others taken hostage
“An act of sheer evil.” Those were the words President Joe Biden used to describe the surprise assault on Israel by Hamas militants that has killed more than 1,200 people in the country and injured more than 2,700, according to Israeli officials.
Biden confirmed on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at least 14 U.S. citizens were killed and Americans are among those being held hostage in Gaza.
As the war entered its fifth day, Israel continued to strike back at Hamas overnight. The Israeli army said dozens of fighter jets struck more than 450 targets in a neighborhood of Gaza City they say Hamas used to launch its assault.
Two Hamas officials are reported to have been killed by Israeli forces.
Gaza’s health ministry said at least 950 people have been killed and 5,000 more injured since Israel began retaliating. Israel reports at least 1,000 Hamas terrorists who crossed into the country from Gaza have been killed.
During an address from Washington Tuesday, Oct. 10, President Biden said there is no justification for terrorism and that America supports Israel defending itself.
“So in this moment we must be crystal clear – we stand with Israel. We stand with Israel. We will make sure it has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself and respond to this attack,” Biden said.
In his speech, Biden warned against other countries or organizations who might think of taking advantage of the situation. The warning came as exchanges of fire unfolded over Israel’s northern borders with militants in Syria and Lebanon.
The United States is sending munition and military equipment to Israel to aid in its fight with Hamas. The State Department announced that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would travel to Israel in the coming days.
Ukrainian president visits NATO for additional aid in war with Russia
With Ukraine’s war with Russia marking its 20th month, President Volodymir Zelenskyy is visiting NATO headquarters Wednesday, Oct. 11, seeking additional support as a U.S. defense official says a new $200 million Ukraine aid package will soon be announced, according to a Reuters report.
Zelenskyy arrived just ahead of a meeting of the U.S.-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group; the roughly 50 nations are gathering to discuss providing more military aid for Ukraine.
U.S. senators are discussing a large long-term Ukraine package worth $100 billion. Congress has approved about $113 billion of aid for Ukraine since the start of the war in 2022.
House Republicans hear from Jordan, Scalise
On Tuesday, Oct. 10, House Republicans heard speeches and asked questions to two candidates vying for the position during a close-door meeting.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., shared their vision for the party, how they would handle the current government funding impasse, and how they plan to hold the majority during the 2024 elections.
Our political correspondent Ray Bogan spoke with members as they left that meeting. Two things are clear: both Jordan and Scalise are promising to support each other out on the House floor regardless of who wins the nomination, and Republicans want to get this done the first time, settle their differences behind closed doors and avoid another 15 rounds of voting like they had when they elected the now ex-speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this year.
Republicans are going to have a meeting Wednesday, Oct. 11, to vote via secret ballot on who has a majority of the conference, then they want to have another vote to determine if that person can get the 217 votes needed to be elected speaker.
George Santos faces new charges of identity theft, fraud
Federal prosecutors accuse embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., of stealing people’s identities, using his donor’s credit cards without their knowledge and lying to the Federal Elections Commission. The superseding indictment filed Tuesday, Oct. 10, alleges Santos, along with his former campaign treasurer Nancy Marks, falsely reported that family members made big donations to the campaign so he could qualify for assistance from the Republican Party.
Marks pleaded guilty last week to a fraud conspiracy charge.
Santos was charged back in May on 13 counts including wire fraud and money laundering. He pleaded not guilty.
Santos did not comment on these latest charges, but told reporters he does not intend to resign from Congress. He is expected to appear in federal court on Oct. 27.
‘Extremely dangerous’ hurricane makes landfall near Mexican resort
An “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm made landfall Tuesday, Oct. 10, near the Mexican resort of Puerto Vallarta. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Lidia’s winds reached 140 miles per hour.
As it moved inland, Lidia weakened some, becoming a Category 2 storm.
One death has been reported with authorities saying a man was killed when a tree fell on his van.
Residents of the seaside resort boarded up windows and piled up sandbags in front of stores ahead of Lidia’s landfall. The Hurricane Center warned heavy rains could bring flash flooding and potential mudslides to the region.
Mexico’s Pacific Coastline was already hit by Tropical Storm Max earlier in the week, with reports of at least two people killed as a result of that storm.
Filmmakers discover shipwreck at bottom of Lake Huron
Documentary filmmakers setting out to investigate an anomaly reported in the lakebed of Lake Huron in Canada thought they would find just a pile of rocks, they instead discovered something a bit bigger.
The husband-and-wife team, who specialize in underwater videography, used a remotely operated underwater drone and found an intact shipwreck hundreds of feet below the surface.
It is believed to be the Africa, a ship built in 1874 and sank during a storm in 1895 with its 11 crewmembers still on board.
The filmmakers worked with a historian and marine archaeologist to identify the ship. Footage from the discovery will be featured in the couple’s next documentary titled “All Too Clear.”