A top Hamas leader is killed in Lebanon, sparking concerns the war in the Middle East could expand. And former President Donald Trump is appealing a ruling in Maine barring him from the ballot. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024.
Senior Hamas leader killed in blast in Lebanon
Hamas and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have confirmed the death of a top Hamas leader Wednesday morning, Jan. 3, during an explosion in the suburbs of Beirut. The groups blame Israel for the attack, raising concerns about the war between Hamas and Israel expanding in the region.
Saleh al-Arouri and six others, including two Hamas commanders, were killed in the strike on Tuesday, Jan. 2. A spokesperson for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah told the Washington Post the attack involved a drone armed with three rockets.
Al-Arouri is the senior-most official with the terrorist group to be killed since the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. He was second in command in Hamas and the head of the group in the West Bank.
Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati called the explosion a crime that was meant to “drag Lebanon into a new phase of confrontation with Israel.” Israel has declined to comment on the attack. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Israeli military’s chief spokesman, said in a televised news briefing that Israeli forces were on “very high alert on all fronts for defensive and offensive actions.” He stressed Israel was “focused on fighting Hamas.”
Harvard President Claudine Gay resigns amid plagiarism, antisemitism scandals
Claudine Gay resigned as president of Harvard on Tuesday, Jan. 2, marking the shortest presidency in the university’s history, amid scrutiny over her responses during a congressional hearing on antisemitism on campus and accusations of plagiarism.
Alan Garber, Harvard’s provost and chief academic officer, will serve as interim president. Gay is the second university president to resign following the Dec. 5 congressional hearing; UPenn President Liz Magill resigned four days later. Read our full report on Gay’s resignation here.
More allegations of bribery against Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez
More allegations have come to light against Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., as he and his wife have been charged with four counts related to their alleged bribery scheme. According to a second superseding indictment that was recently unsealed, Menendez allegedly accepted expensive gifts to say positive things about Qatar.
Prosecutors allege that Menendez helped a New Jersey developer, Fred Daibes, get a multimillion-dollar investment from a Qatar-based company that prosecutors said is tied to the royal family, according to the indictment. Menendez has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his lawyers responded to the recent indictment by saying the new allegations “stink of desperation.”
Back in September, Menendez was indicted on bribery charges; prosecutors said he and his wife pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes that included cash, gold bars, payments toward a home mortgage, and luxury car payments, among others listed in the original indictment. Menendez has stepped down as Foreign Relations chair but remains on the committee; his trial is scheduled for May 2024. His trial is set for May.
Trump appeals Maine ruling barring him from 2024 ballot
As 14th Amendment interpretations play out in courtrooms and election offices across the country, former President Donald Trump is appealing a ruling that bars him from the 2024 ballot in Maine.
Last week, Maine’s Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, declared Trump was not eligible to hold public office under the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection clause” and will not appear on the 2024 ballot. Since the decision, Bellows said she has received death threats and that her family was swatted after her address was leaked.
Trump’s team has appealed bellow’s ruling, alleging she is “biased” urging the courts to vacate her ruling. Bellows told NPR in a recent interview that her personal view played no role in the decision and that she has a duty to uphold the Constitution. Trump is expected to appeal a similar ruling in Colorado after the state Supreme Court ruled to keep him off the ballot; the Colorado Republican Party has already appealed that ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. Both decisions have been paused as the appeals play out in court, meaning Trump’s name will remain on the ballot for now.
Haley, DeSantis to debate on CNN; Trump to hold Fox News town hall
Only two Republican candidates will participate in the final debate before the Iowa caucuses: former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. CNN, the network hosting the Jan. 10 debate, announced on Tuesday, Jan. 2, that Haley and DeSantis, along with former President Donald Trump, have qualified for the Iowa debate.
However, Trump is skipping the debate again and participating in counter programming. The current GOP frontrunner, citing his commanding lead in the polls for his reasons not to join in the debates, will hold a town hall in Iowa airing on Fox News instead. The network said the town hall will focus on “leading issues facing voters ahead of the Iowa caucus.”
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who appeared in the last debate, did not meet CNN’s qualifications. A second CNN GOP debate is scheduled for Jan. 21 in New Hampshire ahead of that state’s primary.
Box office sales reach $9 billion for 2023
2023 wasn’t a record-breaking year at the box office, but things are looking better for the movie industry following a slowdown during the pandemic. Ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada reached $9 billion in 2023, the first time in years. According to data firm Comscore, box office sales were up 21% from 2022, but it fell short by about $2 billion from pre-pandemic sales.
There were about 20 fewer wide releases in 2023 than in 2019, with some top films being pushed back due to writer and actor strikes. However, some very popular movies throughout the year were able to push the box office totals to the $9 billion mark, including Barbie, Oppenheimer, and Taylor Swift, the Era’s Tour concert film.
