Biden backs Israel in visit
President Joe Biden vowed major support in his visit to Israel. More House speaker votes, but no new House speaker. And a confession in the 2005 murder of Natalee Holloway.
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But first: Oyster outrage! 🦪 The video starts out pretty normal. See the viral TikTok about a woman's date who took off during her oyster power hour. In her defense, the food does look really good, lol.
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Biden vows staunch support for Israel
Biden swept into wartime Israel for a 7 ½-hour visit Wednesday that produced a heaping dose of support for the Israeli people, a deal to get limited humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt and a warning not to allow rage over the deadly Hamas attack to consume them. "Israel must be a safe place again for the Jewish people," he said. Biden embraced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a show of solidarity just a week and a half after the militant group Hamas staged an assault that killed more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers.
The president's support pledges: Biden said he would ask Congress later this week to approve an "unprecedented support package" to help shore up Israel's defense. He also pledged $100 million for humanitarian assistance for Gaza and the West Bank. The money could provide a critical lifeline to the more than 1 million displaced Palestinians in the besieged territory where water, food, fuel and medicine are in desperate need. 👉 Everything from Biden's visit to Israel.
Meanwhile, a deadly explosion at a hospital in Gaza sparked rage throughout the region as Hamas and Israel pointed fingers at each other. Hamas said the explosion was an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli military, however, denied responsibility and blamed a missile misfire on Islamic Jihad, a militant group that sometimes cooperates with Hamas. Biden and his administration said a U.S. assessment concluded Israel did not cause the blast. 👉 Follow our coverage of the conflict.
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Is there a speaker in the House?
Yeah, no. It's still not going great. The House is in its 15th day without a speaker and there is still no clear resolution in sight. As the lower chamber remains paralyzed, a familiar scene played out again Wednesday: Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, failed on a second floor vote to garner the near-unanimous support from fellow Republicans he needs to become speaker, highlighting the deep divisions that run through the House GOP conference. 🗳 Follow our updates as they battle it out.
Prime suspect confesses to killing Natalee Holloway
Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in the unsolved disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, has confessed to killing her and disposing of her remains before attempting to extort the girl's grieving family. The initial revelation came via U.S. Judge Anna Manasco on Wednesday during a sentencing hearing where van der Sloot, 36, agreed to plead guilty to charges accusing him of extortion and wire fraud charges. In 2010, federal prosecutors accused van der Sloot of hatching a plot to sell information about the whereabouts of Holloway’s remains to her grieving family in exchange for $250,000. The Dutch national was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and as a condition of a plea deal, van der Sloot agreed to reveal how Holloway died and how her body was disposed of. 👉 Here's everything we know.
A break from the news
- 👻 Chipotle's treat: How to scare up the Halloween Boorito deal.
- 🐻 Mama bear and cub caught on camera nosing around in the middle of the night.
- 📸 Say cheese! This camera revolutionized photography. Whatever happened to it?
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.