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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Wed Nov 1 2023

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Crossing from Gaza to Egypt

People wait at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip on November 1, 2023. Egypt is preparing to treat wounded Palestinians from the bombarded Gaza Strip starting November 1, with the opening of a border crossing to people after weeks of war, medical and security sources said.

Some leave for Egypt as Gaza plunges into another communication blackout.

Foreign passport holders were allowed to cross from Gaza into Egypt for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war began. Also in the news: Donald Trump Jr. is expected to testify Wednesday in the Trump real estate fraud trial in New York and NASA's second all-woman spacewalk at the International Space Station is set for this morning.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Do you know what sugar skulls mean during Día de los Muertos?

Here's the news to know Wednesday.

Dozens enter Egypt's Rafah Crossing; Israeli airstrike hits refugee camp

Crossings into Egypt on Wednesday appeared to be the first time foreign passport holders have been allowed to leave Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war more than three weeks ago.

People entered Egypt while two providers reported a "complete disruption" of communications and internet services in Gaza earlier Wednesday.

•	The latest Israeli airstrikes hit the largest refugee camp in Gaza and caused dozens of casualties Tuesday. The operation flattened apartment buildings and killed what the Israeli military said was a Hamas commander and numerous other militants. Israel Defense Forces said it struck a Hamas "stronghold.''
•	Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates each issued statements condemning Israel's airstrikes on the camp. In a statement, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "deeply alarmed" by the intensifying conflict in Gaza and the rising number of civilian casualties.
•	The U.S. has not backed calls for a cease-fire until hostages are released by Hamas: Protestors interrupted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as he delivered testimony to a Senate committee Tuesday on the administration's emergency funding request for Israel and Ukraine, calling for a "cease-fire now" and accusing the U.S. of supporting a "massacre" in Gaza.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken pauses as protestors interrupt his testimony in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023.

J. Scott Applewhite, AP

Trump's kids to testify at New York fraud trial

Donald Trump Jr. is scheduled to be called to the witness stand on Wednesday as Trump and three of his children are slated to testify in the New York civil case, defending themselves against claims that they inflated the value of their properties in order to obtain favorable loans and insurance coverage. The Trumps do not face the prospect of prison since it is a civil case, not a criminal probe. But they could get hit with millions of dollars in fines and be forced to liquidate their iconic Trump Organization. Read more

•	Chris Christie predicts big trouble for Donald Trump: ''He's going to be convicted.''
•	He's a Trump supporter who threatened officials over the 2020 election. I asked him why.

More news to know now

•	A Cornell student was arrested after antisemitic threats were made against the Jewish campus community.
•	With a pig-to-human heart transplant, a man hoped to advance medicine. He died weeks later.
•	Can the clocks changing affect your mood?
•	Busted boats, stronger storms: Florida fishers face warming waters.
•	For subscribers: Who decides what kids should read?
•	On today's 5 Things podcast, the story of an American family working to free their Israeli relatives taken hostage by Hamas. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

The nation's most right-leaning appeals court draws scrutiny

Deeply partisan legal battles this year over the abortion pill mifepristone, the regulation of ghost guns and a White House effort to remove social media posts all have something in common: They all made their way to the Supreme Court from the same federal appeals court in Louisiana. And in each of those cases, the conservative Supreme Court sided with President Joe Biden. Now, some of the Supreme Court's conservatives appear eager to also send a message to the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals: Don't overdo it. Read more

Abortion rights inspire young voters like no other issue

Young voters will head to the ballot box next week with some of the nation's most urgent issues on their minds: climate change, gun safety and more. But a group of young voters told USA TODAY abortion is the top issue driving them to the polls, even in this year's off-cycle election. Since the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision guaranteeing abortion rights, the issue of abortion protections or restrictions returned to the states. And in the handful of local and state elections Tuesday, from Ohio to Virginia, the issue is either explicitly on the ballot or a top campaign message. Read more

Supporters of Issue 1, the Right to Reproductive Freedom amendment, attend a rally held by Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023.

Joe Maiorana, AP

Quick reads

•	The Texas Rangers are now one win from a first World Series title.
•	A Vampire with a day job?
•	Here's a visual guide to fall apple picking.
•	A super strong beer was once illegal. Now it's available in some states.
•	Ohio State leads Georgia and Michigan in first the College Football Playoff rankings.

Florida's Space Coast is racking up rocket launches

SpaceX and two other companies have launched twice as many rockets from the Space Coast this year than the United States did in the heat of the Space Race in 1966, and the pace doesn't appear to be slowing anytime soon. On Monday, SpaceX launched its 44th rocket of the year in Florida, leaving the state just one shy of 60. But launches probably won't stop there. And from space: NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O'Hara are expected Wednesday morning to execute a rare all-woman spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Read more

•	Watch the livestream of Wednesday's all-woman spacewalk.
•	These are the ''bones'' of a dead star 16,000 light-years away.
•	Goldie Hawn recalled encounter with aliens.

US NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara is expected to perform a space walk with Jasmin Moghbeli on Wednesday.

VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO, AFP via Getty Images

Photo of the day: Heidi Klum's annual iconic Halloween party

Heidi Klum stepped out for her annual Heidi-ween Halloween party as a peacock – beak, plumage and all. After much anticipation and a dramatic procession on the orange carpet, Klum appeared in a royal blue velvet bodysuit with an entourage of Cirque du Soleil dancers in green-and-blue bodysuits at New York City's Marquee nightclub Tuesday night. Check all the best looks from the star-studded party here.

Heidi Klum attends Heidi Klum's 22nd Annual Halloween Party presented by Patron El Alto at Marquee on October 31, 2023 in New York City.

Noam Galai, Getty Images for Heidi Klum

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.