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Daily Briefing: A year of hope. A year of pain.

Jane Onyanga-Omara   Paste BN

The deadly attacks on Israel by Hamas happened one year ago today, triggering a bloody conflict with no apparent end in sight. Another hurricane is rolling toward Florida, hot on the heels of the devastation of Helene. The Supreme Court is back for a politically-charged session.

👋🏾 I'm Jane, Daily Briefing author. Rake it or leave it? What gross stuff may be hiding under those piles on your lawn?

World marks Oct. 7 anniversary under shadow of escalating war

Monday marks the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel that triggered a bloody war that risks igniting a wider conflict in the Middle East. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas rampaged through southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and dragging 251 back to the Gaza Strip. The attack triggered a war in Gaza that has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

  • Ceremonies and protests in Jerusalem and Israel's south began around 6:29 a.m. local time, the hour when Hamas-led militants launched rockets into Israel at the start of the Oct. 7 attack last year. Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested around the world on Sunday on the eve of the anniversary.
  • In Gaza, 101 hostages remain as Israeli forces press on with their mission to end Hamas' rule of the enclave and demolish its military capabilities.
  • But the focus of the war has increasingly shifted north to Lebanon, where Israeli forces have been exchanging fire with Hezbollah since the Iranian-backed group launched a barrage of missiles in support of Hamas on Oct. 8.

Milton to become a major hurricane as it barrels toward Florida

Milton grew more powerful and gained hurricane status Sunday as it rolled through the Gulf of Mexico on a track that imperils areas of the Florida Peninsula still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene. Milton's sustained winds reached 85 mph and are "continuing to rapidly intensify," the National Hurricane Center said. The center predicted Milton would become a major hurricane by Monday and approach Florida's west coast Wednesday. A major hurricane means at least a Category 3 storm, which drives winds of 111 to 129 mph and can cause "devastating damage," according to the hurricane center. Read more

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Porn sites. Ghost guns. The Supreme Court returns

The Supreme Court returns Monday to tackle a slew of politically charged issues: gun regulation, gender-affirming care for minors and whether adults can be required to provide IDs to access pornographic websites. But the justices may also be pulled more directly into politics through election-related challenges both before and after the Nov. 5 election. Democrats and Republicans have filed dozens of suits across the country over voting rules and other election matters that could be litigated all the way up to the high court − especially if the presidential contest is close. Read more

A grim task in flood-ravaged western North Carolina

The floods unleashed in North Carolina and other states following Helene have led to one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent U.S. history, with at least 228 confirmed deaths across the Southeast, including 115 in North Carolina, and scores more still missing. Typically, Mitch Hampton leads tourist groups on whitewater rafting adventures along the stretches of the French Broad River just north of Asheville. Hampton, a longtime volunteer at the local fire department, has lent his skills — and rafts and employees — to the grisly effort of recovering victims from the floods. He follows one self-imposed rule. "I always think to myself, 'Don’t look at their face,'" he said. "That’s what really gets me." Read more

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Meals on Wheels rolling at 50 bringing food, sunshine to seniors

Regina Cippel has some simple advice for a long life: Rest when you need to. Don't demand a lot, and be thankful for what you have. Work for as long as you can. Be helpful to others. And eat well. Cippel, 101, dispensed the advice after lunch and before a spirited game of seated volleyball at a center in New Jersey. She's one of millions who benefit from Meals on Wheels America. But in 2024, as Meals on Wheels marks 50 years of serving older Americans, it's also facing daunting challenges: Prices for food and fuel are rising, while federal funding has remained flat and even dropped. Read more

Photo of the day: Remembering Tropicana, a Las Vegas icon

The first time Maryann Picchi saw the Folies Bergere show at the Tropicana in Las Vegas, she knew she belonged on that stage. The year was 1970, and Picchi, then 25, was stunned by the big sets. More than five decades later, the property is going the way of other iconic casinos like the Dunes and the Stardust: in a cloud of dust. Its implosion is planned for early Oct. 9. But for former Folies Bergere performers like Picchi, memories of the sequin-studded show will never die.

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Reuters contributed reporting.

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