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WTF Just Happened Today? is a sane, once-a-day newsletter helping normal people make sense of the news. Curated daily by Matt Kiser and delivered to 200,000+ people every afternoon around 3 pm Pacific.
Day 1014: "Civil order."
Today in one sentence: The Israel Defense Forces has “expanded” and will "continue and intensify" its ground operation in the Gaza Strip; a federal judge reinstated Trump's gag order in his election subversion criminal case; Ivanka Trump will have to take the witness stand in the $250 million New York civil fraud case against Trump, Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization; Pence suspended his presidential campaign, saying "it’s become clear to me that this is not my time"; the first of two trials to determine whether Trump is eligible to be president for his role in the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, kicked off in Denver.
1/ The Israel Defense Forces has “expanded” and will “continue and intensify” its ground operation in the Gaza Strip as troops and armored tanks have moved toward Gaza City from at least three sides to conduct “coordinated attacks from the ground and the air.” At least 1,400 people have died and 4,629 others have been injured in Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks. Since then, more than 1 million people – half of the population of Gaza – have been displaced, and the Hamas-run Gazan health ministry says over 8,000 people, including women and children, have died. When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked about the civilian death toll in Gaza from Israeli airstrikes, he claimed that “not a single civilian has to die,” accusing Hamas of “preventing them from leaving the areas of conflict.” Netanyahu also rejected calls for a humanitarian cease-fire, saying “this is a time for war” and that “calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas.” He added: “This is a battle of civilization against barbarians. The future of our civilization is at stake.” The United Nations, meanwhile, warned that “civil order” is deteriorating in Gaza after weeks of a total Israeli siege and bombardment, which Israel says is necessary in order to pressure Hamas to release hostages. Following pressure from Biden to “immediately and significantly” scale up the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave, Israel agreed to allow 100 aid trucks per day into Gaza. (NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times / Associated Press / ABC News / CNN / CNBC / Bloomberg)
2/ A federal judge reinstated Trump’s gag order in his election subversion criminal case. Judge Tanya Chutkan had temporarily paused the gag order, which barred Trump from making public statements targeting prosecutors, court staff, and likely witnesses, on Oct. 20 as she considered Trump’s appeal. Chutkan, however, reinstate the order after prosecutors cited Trump’s recent social media comments about Mark Meadows that they said represented an attempt to influence and intimidate a likely witness in the case. Trump’s comments followed a report that Meadows was granted immunity to testify before a grand jury. After Chutkan reinstated the gag order, Trump called her a “very Biased, Trump Hating Judge” on his personal social media site, claiming the order “unconstitutionally takes away” his First Amendment Rights. Trump also called William Barr – a potential witness in the case against him – “dumb” and “weak” and a “loser.” (NBC News / Washington Post / Axios / ABC News / Associated Press / Politico / CNBC / NPR)
3/ Ivanka Trump will have to take the witness stand in the $250 million New York civil fraud case against Trump, Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization, the judge overseeing the case ruled. Judge Arthur Engoron denied a motion from Ivanka’s attorneys to quash a subpoena for her testimony, who had argued that she shouldn’t be forced to appear after an appellate court removed her as a defendant in the case. The New York attorney general’s office, meanwhile, said it plans to call Trump Jr. to testify on Wednesday, Eric Trump on Thursday, and Ivanka on Friday. Trump will take the stand Nov. 6. (NBC News / CNN / Politico)
4/ Pence suspended his presidential campaign, saying “it’s become clear to me that this is not my time.” Pence’s decision to end his campaign – which drew an audible gasp from the audience – comes less than 90 days before the Iowa caucuses, which he had staked his campaign on. Pence previously argued that Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election should be disqualifying, saying that “anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States.” Meanwhile, Rep. Dean Phillips launched a primary challenge against Biden for the Democratic nomination for president. The White House and Biden campaign, however, barely acknowledged Phillips, saying Biden expects the congressman’s “almost 100%” support. (Politico / Washington Post / Associated Press / Bloomberg / NBC News / New York Times / ABC News / CNBC)
5/ The first of two trials to determine whether Trump is eligible to be president for his role in the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, kicked off in Denver. The lawsuit argues that Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election meet the disqualification criteria under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars anyone who “engaged in insurrection” after taking an oath to uphold the Constitution from holding higher office again. The lawsuit was filed by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington on behalf of six Republican and unaffiliated voters. On Thursday, the Minnesota Supreme Court will hear arguments in a similar suit filed by a group called Free Speech for People, which also cites the same provision in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. (NBC News / USA Today / Associated Press / New York Times / CNN)
A political newsletter for normal people
WTF Just Happened Today? is a sane, once-a-day newsletter helping normal people make sense of the news. Curated daily by Matt Kiser and delivered to 200,000+ people every afternoon around 3 pm Pacific.
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