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Death, devastation after Gaza hospital blast

Laura L. Davis   Paste BN

Hundreds of people were killed in an airstrike on a packed hospital in Gaza. The first round of voting for House speaker didn’t pan out well for Jim Jordan. And move aside, Carolina Reaper, there's a new hottest chili pepper in the world in town.

👋 Hello! Laura Davis here. It’s time for Tuesday’s news.

But first: Got dimples? 😊 Before you fake it, read up on how TikTok's "dimple maker" trend could damage your pretty little face.

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Hundreds killed in Gaza hospital blast

An airstrike on a Gaza City hospital packed with wounded people and Palestinians seeking shelter killed hundreds Tuesday, the Gaza Health Ministry said, blaming the attack on Israel. The Israel Defense Forces issued a statement disavowing involvement, saying a "failed rocket launch" by the militant group Islamic Jihad was responsible. The health ministry, which is run by Hamas, put the number of fatalities at Al Ahli Arab Hospital at a minimum of 500. 👉 Today's live updates.

In a dramatic display of support, President Joe Biden plans to travel to Israel on Wednesday in an attempt to prevent the war from growing into a larger conflict. Biden has publicly warned terrorist groups and other nations hostile to Israel not to interfere and expand the confrontation. But there are signs that groups in the Middle East are bracing for a broader war. 👉  Here's what to know.

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

Do we have a new House speaker yet?

Not quite. The speaker of the House is second in line to the presidency, and the United States has gone weeks without the crucial leader in the lower chamber. House Republicans nominated the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to the speakership last week. But Jordan's chances of earning 217 votes – the magic number needed to become speaker – appeared to get murkier after he failed to receive enough support during the first round of voting. 🗳 Follow along here for live updates.

What everyone's talking about

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FDA proposes ban on hair-straightening products linked to cancer

Could that hair straightening treatment cause cancer? A proposed ruling from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could mean bans on some chemical hair-smoothing and straightening products. The rule would ban formaldehyde and other formaldehyde-releasing chemicals from those products. The FDA says the use of such chemicals has been linked to long-term health concerns, including an increased risk of cancer. They can also cause short-term health risks, including sensitization reactions and breathing problems. 👉 What to know about the proposed ban.

🌶 Pepper X named hottest chili pepper in the world

Now, that's a spicy pepper! The Carolina Reaper has been officially dethroned as the world’s hottest chili pepper. PuckerButt Pepper Co. (say that five times fast) founder and pepper expert Ed Currie has spent the past 10 years working on Pepper X, a chili pepper that emits an “immediate and brutal heat." Five of those years were spent proving Pepper X was a different plant with different fruit and documenting its average heat over different plants and generations. “I was feeling the heat for 3½ hours. Then the cramps came. Those cramps are horrible," Currie said, after his initial taste test. Pepper X, which has a rating of 2,693,000 Scoville Heat Units, was named the hottest chili pepper in the world by Guinness World Records on Oct. 9. 🥴 Here's how Pepper X stacks up on the Scoville scale.

A break from the news

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

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