October 23 top stories
It is October 23. Here are today’s top stories.
American hostages freed: Judith & Natalie Raanan
The American mother and her 17-year-old daughter who were released by Hamas on Friday night’s names are Judith and Natalie Raanan. They have dual Israeli-American citizenship and currently live in the Chicago area. They were on a trip to Israel to celebrate a family member’s birthday and Jewish holidays.
AP News said they were the first hostages to be released since Hamas militants abducted roughly 200 people during their Oct. 7 rampage that killed 1,400 people in southern Israel.
Hamas said it released the Raanans for humanitarian reasons in an agreement with the Qatari government.
The daughter’s father, Uri, who lives in Denver, said he spoke with them on the phone for a few minutes. They didn’t discuss what the two went through the past two weeks.
President Biden called the mother and daughter and told them he was glad they’re out. Biden said he wanted to get all the other hostages out too.
ABC News said eight of the Raanans’ family members are still being held hostage. Three other relatives were killed.
The Qatari government said it would continue its dialogue with Israel and Hamas in the hope of releasing all hostages to de-escalate the current crisis and restore peace.
Israel’s military said they are continuing to work to return hostages and the war against Hamas and are ready for the next stage of war. Israeli airstrikes have killed about 4,400 people in Gaza.
Manhunt for Nashville police chief’s son
Two police officers in La Vergne, Tennessee were shot and wounded by a 38-year-old suspect named John C. Drake Jr. His father is the Nashville Police Chief, John Drake.
La Vergne is about 20 miles away from Nashville. The two officers, Ashley Boleyjack and Gregory Kern, were investigating a stolen vehicle outside a Dollar General store when they got into a fight with the suspect. The suspect pulled a handgun and shot both officers before fleeing.
Drake Jr. is still at large and there is a manhunt. He is wanted for two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Nashville Police Chief Drake, in a statement, confirmed that his son was the suspect. He said they were estranged for many years. He said his son needs to be found and held accountable for his actions.
Detroit synagogue president stabbed to death
Samantha Woll, who was the president of a synagogue in Detroit, was found stabbed to death outside her home in Detroit on Saturday morning.
Police said they received a 911 call on Saturday around 6:30 a.m. and found Woll’s body. There was a trail of blood leading officers to her home. Police said there is no evidence that suggests this crime was motivated by antisemitism. Police believe that someone stabbed Woll at her home and that the home had no signs of forced entry. The investigation is ongoing.
Woll was very involved with Democratic political leaders in Michigan. Michigan Gov. Whitmer said her heart breaks for her family, her friends, and her synagogue.
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Nine candidates for House Speaker
Axios reported that there are nine House Republicans who are in the running to become the next Speaker of the House.
This is after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted by rival Republicans and Rep. Jim Jordan failed to get enough votes to replace him.
Axios said House Republicans plan to hold a forum on Tuesday and give each candidate an opportunity to give speeches and answer questions.
Off-duty pilot attempted to seize control of passenger plane
CNN reported that an off-duty pilot who was traveling inside the cockpit of an Alaska Airlines plane attempted to seize control when the plane was traveling from Washington state to California.
The off-duty pilot tried to turn off the plane’s engines while it was in the air. The person was subdued in the plane and put in the back. The plane was diverted to Portland International Airport and the off-duty pilot was arrested.
The identity of the off-duty pilot hasn’t been released.
It is common for an airline’s pilots to ride in the cockpit in a “jump seat” when they travel for work, such as commuting to another airport. So this is a shocking incident.
Video shows Chinese beer worker urinating into tank
BBC News said a viral video appeared to show a worker at a Tsingtao beer facility urinating into a tank. Tsingtao is one of China’s top beer producers.
The beer company and local authorities said they have sealed the whole batch of ingredients that appeared in the clip. There is a police investigation.
The viral video may have caused Tsingtao’s stock value to drop today.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/israel-hamas-american-hostages-judith-natalie-raanan/story
https://abcnews.go.com/US/detroit-synagogue-president-found-stabbed-death-home/story?id=104197780
https://www.axios.com/2023/10/23/house-republicans-nine-speaker-candidates
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-67191242
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/23/us/alaska-airlines-passenger/index.html