The Short List

Mon Oct 23 2023

Laura L. Davis | Audience Editor

@lauradavis

Two more hostages held by Hamas are free. It's crunch time for the Antarctic ice sheet. And have you had a hard time finding a COVID vaccine?

👋 Hello! Laura Davis here. Hope you had a relaxing weekend! Let's get you caught up on Monday's news.

But first: Paws up for Bobi. 💔🐾 After a long life full of love and celebration, Bobi, the world's oldest living dog – and the oldest to have ever lived – has died in Portugal.

The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Hamas frees 2 more hostages

As the U.S. urged Israel to delay its ground invasion of Gaza to encourage negotiations that could free dozens of dual-citizenship captives, Hamas has released two more hostages, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Monday. It was unclear how persuasive the U.S. arguments for the delay in the ground incursion have been with Israeli leaders. But a senior Israeli military official said more of Hamas' hostages may be released soon. 👉 Follow our coverage for the latest updates.

What is a kibbutz? A look at which ones were targeted and the lives lost.

📬 Sign up for USA TODAY's Israel and Hamas war newsletter to receive weekday updates on the escalating conflict.

Palestinians look for survivors of the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023.

Hatem Ali, AP

Show me the COVID shots 👀

Americans ready to roll up their sleeves for a shot of the updated COVID-19 vaccine in September were disappointed when they began looking for doses. Some pharmacies weren't posting enough appointments. Others didn't have enough vaccines. Most hospitals and clinics hadn't gotten their shipments. So what's the deal? In the three years the virus was considered a public health emergency, the government paid for and distributed the shots. But now that's over, and new actors have stepped in. No one expected a perfectly smooth transition, but problems seem to persist. 💉 A look at what's going on.

What everyone's talking about

•	🤘 It's time for the rock show: Blink-182 announces 2024 tour dates.
•	*Welp...* Study: All those yummy foods like ice cream, chips and candy are just as addictive as cigarettes or heroin.
•	After being roasted online, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson says his new wax figure needs some 'improvements.'
•	She didn't commit any crime but police took her car for years. How? Civil forfeiture.
•	These former HBCU students owed their college nearly $10 million. The debt was just erased.
•	'Harry Potter' is having a moment again. 🪄 Accio explanation!

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Detroit police search for motive, suspect in synagogue president's slaying

Authorities were searching Monday for a suspect and a motive in the killing of a beloved synagogue president in Detroit over the weekend – a loss that prompted an outpouring of mourning and celebrations of Samantha Woll's life. Woll, 40, was found in the city's Lafayette Park neighborhood Saturday and was pronounced dead at the scene. A trail of blood led back to her home, which investigators say was probably where Woll was stabbed. Right now, there's no evidence suggesting Woll's killing was motivated by antisemitism, police said. 👉 Here's what we know.

Samantha Woll, 40, who led the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue, was found fatally stabbed Saturday.

Provided by the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue

Ice, ice, maybe

Melting of the huge West Antarctic ice sheet has apparently passed the point of no return and may be "unavoidable," a new study reported Monday. In fact, because of human-caused climate change, the ice sheet will continue to increase its rate of melting over the rest of this century no matter how much we reduce fossil fuel use, according to the study published in the Nature Climate Change journal. "It looks like we've lost control of melting of the West Antarctic ice sheet," said study lead author Kaitlin Naughten. If you think these scientists sound pessimistic, you'd probably be right. But they have a good reason. 👉 Here's a look at the situation.

A 2020 photo provided by the British Antarctic Survey shows the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica.

David Vaughan, AP

A break from the news

•	📲 Did you know that your smartphone has an expiration date?
•	👻 Halloween road trip? The 10 most popular haunted places.
•	🤔 This once-banned sugar substitute is more popular than ever. Is it safe?

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hello: laura@usatoday.com. This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.