October 13 top stories
It is October 13. Here are today’s top stories.
Israel warns northern Gaza to evacuate
Israel’s military has issued a warning to 1.1 million people who live in northern Gaza to evacuate their homes. The Israeli military told them to evacuate south for their own safety and to distance themselves from Hamas fighters who are using them as human shields. The warning was distributed via dropped leaflets from planes.
CNN footage showed many people from northern Gaza rushing to evacuate, putting their possessions into vehicles and going southwards on a highway.
The UN has criticized Israel for this order, telling them that it is impossible and that there could be devastating humanitarian consequences.
CNN said it is unclear if or when Israel plans to launch a potential ground incursion into Gaza but Israel has, for days, been massing hundreds of thousands of troops, reservists and military equipment at the border while it ramps up its siege and aerial bombardment.
The Jordanian and Egyptian governments are imploring Israel to allow a humanitarian corridor in Gaza so there can be safe passage of aid into Gaza.
CNN said after Hamas militants killed over 1,300 people in Israel earlier this week, Israeli warplanes have dropped about 6,000 bombs on Gaza and have killed about 1,800 people in Gaza, including over 500 children.
The Biden administration said yesterday that it is working with Israel and Egypt to provide safe passage out of Gaza for civilians.
Israel’s military said it will stay firm with its response, saying that they are at war with Hamas and they will not allow anything into the Gaza Strip that supports the fighting ability of Hamas and if it comes at a price for the population, so be it. They said they would not restore electricity or water to Gaza until all hostages captured by Hamas are freed.
The latest reports said that the Israeli military has entered Gaza in “localized raids” and that about 70 people in Gaza were killed by Israeli airstrikes as they tried to flee from the north.
Colorado cop in Elijah McClain case found guilty
NBC News said one of the two Aurora, Colorado police officers who were charged in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain was found guilty by a jury of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault.
McClain was walking outside after buying iced tea from a corner store when police stopped him due to a report of a suspicious person wearing a ski mask and waving his arms. McClain’s family said he regularly used a mask because of a blood disorder that made him feel cold. When cops told him to stop, he told them that he was an introvert and needed to have his boundaries respected. One of the cops tackled him because he thought McClain was reaching for his gun, but NBC News said there’s been no evidence of him trying to grab a gun. McClain was put in a chokehold and then a pair of responding paramedics injected him with a sedative. He then had no pulse in an ambulance, went into cardiac arrest, and later died.
Randy Roedema is the person who was found guilty, while a second officer, Jason Rosenblatt, was acquitted.
McClain’s mother, Sheneen, told CNN that this is not justice and she doesn’t feel like this is a victory at all.
Roedema will be sentenced on January 5. A third officer and two paramedics will face a trial in the next few weeks.
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Kaiser and health workers reach deal to end strike
Healthcare provider Kaiser Permanente and unions representing workers said they have reached an agreement to end a strike.
The unions demanded better staffing levels and better pay.
Kaiser and the unions praised the Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su for her work in getting both sides to reach an agreement.
IRS: Americans failed to pay $688 billion in taxes
The IRS said Americans failed to pay $688 billion in taxes on their 2021 returns. The IRS said this is a record level and that it is taking urgent steps to increase compliance, which may include auditing more high-income taxpayers and businesses.
CBS News said the IRS is ratcheting up audits on wealthy taxpayers after it received billions in new funding through the Inflation Reduction Act.
The IRS said about 85% of taxes are paid voluntarily and on time.
That is all the top stories for this week. Have a nice weekend and stay with the light.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/13/middleeast/israel-gaza-hamas-war-friday-intl-hnk/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/us/elijah-mcclain-police-trial-thursday/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tax-irs-says-unpaid-tax-gap-at-record-688-billion/