10 things you need to know today: December 1, 2023

1. Gaza cease-fire ends

The week-long Gaza truce expired Friday and Israel said its military has resumed airstrikes against Hamas. Talks aimed at a new cease-fire continued as about 140 hostages remained in Gaza, out of the 240 people Hamas fighters captured in their deadly Oct. 7 raid in southern Israel. Hamas leaders said they were "still interested in a truce." The Palestinian militant group released eight Israeli hostages on Thursday, including six women aged 21 to 41, plus two Bedouin Arabs, a teenage brother and sister. At least three people were killed in a shooting at a Jerusalem bus stop, fueling concerns of mounting violence outside of Gaza. Hamas claimed responsibility for the shooting. Haaretz, NBC News

2. Appeals court reinstates Trump gag order

A New York appeals court on Thursday reinstated a gag order barring former President Donald Trump from publicly disparaging court staff in his civil fraud trial. Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the state's $250 million fraud lawsuit, had issued the order after Trump publicly accused a court clerk of being biased against him. The appeals court paused the gag order earlier this month, and Trump's lawyers argued that the subsequent threats against the clerk and Engoron didn't "justify" curbing Trump's constitutional right to speak freely in his own defense. The appeals court ruled that the order should go back into effect while the appeal is pending. CNN

3. Report: Israel had Hamas attack plan a year ago

Israel learned of Hamas' plan for its terrorist attack in southern Israel more than a year ago, but believed it was too difficult for the Palestinian militant group to attempt, The New York Times reported Thursday, citing documents, emails and interviews. The 40-page document, which Israeli officials code-named "Jericho Wall," was "circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders," the Times reported. On July 6, three months before the Oct. 7 assault, a veteran Israeli signals intelligence analyst warned that Hamas was conducting training exercises matching the "Jericho Wall" plan, which turned out to contain a remarkably accurate description of the deadly attacks Hamas militants carried out, killing 1,200 people and triggering the Gaza conflict. The New York Times

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

4. COP28 starts with surprise deal

The United Nations–sponsored COP28 climate summit kicked off Thursday with the approval of a new fund to help poor nations tackle the costs of climate change–driven storms and drought. COP28 President Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber called the deal on the two-week conference's first day a "positive signal of momentum to the world and to our work here in Dubai." Several governments followed up with about $400 million in pledges meant to get the "loss and damage" fund started, including $100 million from the United Arab Emirates, which is hosting COP28, and contributions from the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom. Reuters

5. Senate Judiciary Committee subpoenas two conservative power brokers

The Democrat-led Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to subpoena conservative legal activist Leonard Leo and billionaire GOP donor Harlan Crow, a Texas real estate developer with ties to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and other members of the high court's conservative supermajority. Democrats requested information on gifts and travel access Crow has provided to Thomas and other justices. Some of the cases have been linked to Leo, a co-chair of the Federalist Society who has pushed to get conservative judges onto federal courts. Republicans on the panel stormed out after the vote and accused Democrats of political theater and violating committee rules. USA Today

6. Russian court calls gay rights movement 'extremist'

Russia's Supreme Court declared that the international gay rights movement is an "extremist organization," The New York Times reported Thursday. The ruling in a lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Justice followed a crackdown by Russian President Vladimir Putin's government that has lumped gay communities together with Ukraine war opponents as potential sources of Western influence. It could result in criminal prosecutions "for something as simple as displaying symbols like the rainbow flag," the Times reported. "You are already marked as foreign, as bad, as a source of propaganda," said Alexander Kondakov, a Russian sociologist at University College Dublin, "and now you are labeled an extremist — and the next step is terrorist." The New York Times

7. Tesla begins Cybertruck deliveries

Tesla started delivering its long-awaited electric Cybertrucks to customers on Thursday. The EV maker unveiled the futuristic, sharp-angled electric pickup truck in November 2019. It starts at $60,990 and runs as high as $90,990. CEO Elon Musk touted the vehicle at a live event at the company's Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, boasting that its ride is "silent" and its exterior is bulletproof. The Cybertruck, which has a six-foot bed, is Tesla's first vehicle that isn't a sedan. It joins a growing electric-pickup market that already includes vehicles from Ford and Rivian. Cnet, Fox Business

8. Newsom, DeSantis clash in Fox News debate

California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, and Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, clashed over red- and blue-state polices in a Thursday night debate on Fox News. DeSantis, now running for the Republican presidential nomination, dismissed Newsom as a "slick politician" whose state has "failed because of his leftist ideology." Newsom, considered a possible 2028 presidential candidate, alluded to how badly DeSantis and other GOP candidates trail former President Donald Trump in primary polls, saying he and DeSantis had one thing in common: "Neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024." Newsom slammed DeSantis over Florida's lax gun laws and for limiting abortion rights. "You're nothing but a bully," he said. Los Angeles Times

9. Investigators hope composite image will help ID Lake Mead remains

Nevada investigators released a composite image of what they believe to be an approximation of the face of a person whose remains were found in a corroded barrel in Lake Mead last year. Authorities hope the distribution of the image will help identify the person after months of investigation proved fruitless. Investigators believe the person died from a gunshot wound decades ago. The remains were the first of four sets of bones found at the lake in 2022 as an extended drought caused water levels to plunge to nearly 150 feet below 2000 levels. The other three have been identified. One was a man who drowned a half century ago. The New York Times

10. Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan dies at 65

Pogues lead singer Shane MacGowan, known for his raspy voice and poetic lyrics, died Thursday. He was 65, and had been diagnosed with viral encephalitis last year. MacGowan "served as the bridge between traditional Irish folk music and punk rock," according to Rolling Stone. Nick Cave, who collaborated with the Irish frontman in the 1990s, said he was "the greatest songwriter of his generation." In four decades as a singer, songwriter and guitarist, MacGowan transformed traditional pub anthems like “Waxie's Dargle" and "I'm a Man You Don’t Meet Every Day" into some of the Pogues' most memorable rock anthems. Rolling Stone