November 30 top stories
It is November 30. Here are today’s top stories.
Israel-Hamas war updates
Here are updates on the Israel-Hamas war. Today is the 7th day of the truce.
Hamas freed two hostages: French-Israeli Mia Schem, who was kidnapped from the music festival in southern Israel on October 7. The second is lawyer Amit Soussana, who was kidnapped from her home in a kibbutz.
Israel said they are expecting more hostages to be freed in the next few hours. In exchange, Israel will release 30 Palestinians detained in jails. This group includes 22 children and eight women.
In Jerusalem, two gunmen shot and killed three people. Hamas claimed responsibility, saying its members carried out the shooting. BBC News said the incident comes a day after two Palestinian boys, 8 and 14, were shot and killed during an Israeli army raid in the West Bank city of Jenin.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu told U.S. Sec. Of State Blinken that he will continue the war until he achieves his main goals of freeing all hostages and completely eliminating Hamas.
Blinken also met with Palestinian President Abbas and told him the U.S. supports taking steps to establish a Palestinian state.
BBC News said satellite images show that almost 100,000 buildings may be damaged in Gaza from Israel’s bombardment. Officials in Gaza said over 14,800 people have been killed by Israel’s military action in the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks that killed 1,200 people in southern Israel.
CDC: High rates of firearm suicides in 2022
The CDC said in a report that firearm suicides reached unprecedented high rates last year. The CDC said of the nearly 50,000 overall suicide deaths in 2022, about 27,000 of them were gun-related.
The CDC said in 2022, overall suicide deaths reached a record high, being 3% higher than 2021. The CDC said the Covid-19 pandemic may have contributed to the increases because it exacerbated known risk factors like social isolation, relationship stressors and substance use.
Henry Kissinger dies at 100
Henry Kissinger, the former Secretary of State during the Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford administrations, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 100.
Politico said he “will be forever connected with Nixon, particularly for their efforts in three areas: getting America out of the Vietnam War, opening diplomatic relations with China and reducing tensions with the Soviet Union…”
In 1973, Kissinger received the Nobel Peace Prize with a North Vietnamese official Le Duc Tho for their agreement to end the Vietnam War. But Tho did not accept the prize, saying peace was not yet a reality. The U.S. pulled out of the war and fighting resumed between North and South Vietnam. Many criticized the prize to Kissinger, saying it was premature.
There are critics who say Kissinger should have been indicted for war crimes for supporting bombing raids or mass murders of people in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Chile, and other countries. Rolling Stone labeled him a “war criminal.”
An author said Kissinger personified human complexity, from brilliance to sensitivity to savagery.
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Updates on Trump NY fraud trial
Here are two updates on Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial in New York.
Judge Arthur Engoron said he would rigorously enforce the limited gag order he issued last month. The gag order prohibits Trump and his attorneys from making negative comments about court staff.
The gag order was put on a temporary hold two weeks ago by an appellate court after Trump sued the judge, and now the appellate court has sided with Judge Engoron in allowing him to impose the limited gag order on Trump. Engoron’s attorney said he and a court clerk have been inundated with threats since Trump attacked them.
The trial, which may result in a $250 million fine against Trump and his business, is still going on. Judge Engoron said he wants closing arguments to start on January 11. The judge said he would make his decision in the case a few weeks after closing arguments.
Red Lobster says unlimited shrimp promotion caused losses
Red Lobster’s parent company said the restaurant chain experienced financial losses because its $20 unlimited shrimp promotion wasn’t profitable and was more popular than the company expected.
Red Lobster said they hoped to promote the shrimp deal to bring more customers, but too many customers came and ordered the shrimp and the restaurant chain ended up not making a good profit. Red Lobster said it is now increasing its prices from $20 to $25.
That’s all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/trump-fraud-trial/?id=103642561
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-middle-east-67562488
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/29/henry-kissinger-diplomat-nobel-obituary-031478
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gun-suicides-reached-unprecedented-high-2022-cdc/