10 things you need to know today: November 17, 2023
Santos won't run for a second term, Israel finds tunnel as Gaza hospital search continues, and more
![Rep. George Santos](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CrJmae9kceebnQgCFuMn3J-415-80.jpg)
- 1. George Santos says he won't run for reelection
- 2. Israel continues search of Gaza hospital
- 3. Cameron pledges UK support for Ukraine
- 4. Suspect arrested in death of pro-Israel protester
- 5. New York appeals court judge suspends Trump gag order
- 6. David DePape convicted for attacking Paul Pelosi
- 7. Spanish prime minister wins another term after Catalan amnesty deal
- 8. Former girlfriend Cassie accuses Sean 'Diddy' Combs of rape
- 9. GM union members approve contract that ended strike
- 10. Kaitlin Armstrong found guilty of killing cyclist 'Mo' Wilson
![Harold Maass, The Week US](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UKhSRZKL5r3yJrU7ar4GUZ.png)
1. George Santos says he won't run for reelection
Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) said Thursday he would not seek reelection after the House Ethics Committee released a report detailing "substantial evidence" he violated federal law. The findings are expected to fuel another attempt to expel him from the House. Investigators suspect that Santos used campaign funds for personal expenses and defrauded donors. He also filed false or incomplete campaign finance reports and financial disclosures, the committee alleged in its report. Santos, 35, already faces a 23-count federal indictment accusing him of stealing from donors and submitting false election filings. The panel referred the case to the Justice Department, saying Santos "has brought severe discredit on the House." The New York Times, Politico
2. Israel continues search of Gaza hospital
Israeli soldiers continued to search Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for evidence that Hamas' military was operating out of the facility, as medics feared for the health of patients and other civilians trapped inside. Israel released video showing what it said was a tunnel entrance in the complex to support its allegation that Hamas was operating in bunkers and tunnels under the hospital. Earlier, Israel provided footage showing a small collection of military gear it said was found at Al-Shifa. Hamas has denied Israel's allegations. Israeli troops found the bodies of Yehudit Weiss, 65, and Israeli Cpl. Noa Marciano, 19 — two of the 240 hostages Hamas captured in Israel in its Oct. 7 attack — near the hospital. The Washington Post, USA Today
3. Cameron pledges UK support for Ukraine
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron met Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pledging that the U.K. would continue supporting Ukraine "however long it takes" to fight Russia's invasion. "I admire the strength and determination of the Ukrainian people," Cameron told Zelenskyy. The former British prime minister visited Kyiv on his first overseas trip since Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unexpectedly asked him to return to politics in a Cabinet reshuffle this week. Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post that he and Cameron had a "good meeting" and expressed gratitude for Britain's military support, which had totaled $5.7 billion as of last month, second only to the U.S. The Guardian, Euronews
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-1920-80.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-1600-80.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-1280-80.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-768-80.jpg 768w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-415-80.jpg 415w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-360-80.jpg 360w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg 320w)
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.
4. Suspect arrested in death of pro-Israel protester
California authorities have arrested Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, a 50-year-old Moorpark College professor, on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter in the death of a Jewish protester, Paul Kessler, during opposing pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrations on Nov. 5, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department announced Thursday. Kessler, 69, fell backwards and hit his head on the ground during a confrontation with a Free Palestine demonstrator, identified as Alnaji, although witnesses gave conflicting accounts of what caused Kessler's fall. Coroners determined in an autopsy that Kessler died from blunt force trauma to the head, and classified his death as a homicide, though that doesn't necessarily mean there was criminal intent. Los Angeles Times
5. New York appeals court judge suspends Trump gag order
A New York appeals court judge on Thursday suspended a partial gag order imposed on Donald Trump by the judge presiding over the former president's civil fraud trial. Judge David Friedman of the state’s intermediate appeals court issued a stay on Judge Arthur Engoron's gag order after raising free speech concerns. Engoron on Oct. 3 ordered Trump, who had criticized Engoron's law clerk, not to disparage court personnel. Trump was free to speak about other matters, but his lawyers accused Engoron of violating Trump's First Amendment rights. Engoron later imposed $15,000 in fines against Trump for violations of his order, and expanded it to cover Trump's lawyers. Soon after the gag order was paused, Trump attacked Engoron's clerk again. The Associated Press, The New York Times
6. David DePape convicted for attacking Paul Pelosi
A jury convicted David DePape on Thursday for attacking then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, in their San Francisco house. Police body-camera footage showed DePape bludgeoning Paul Pelosi, 83, with a hammer before officers subdued him. Nancy Pelosi was not home during the October 2022 attack, but DePape testified that he planned to don an inflatable unicorn costume and interrogate her on video, which he would then upload online. DePape also expressed support for far-right conspiracy theories during his testimony. The jury deliberated for eight hours before finding DePape guilty of attempted kidnapping and assault. He could be sentenced to up to 50 years in federal prison. USA Today, CNN
7. Spanish prime minister wins another term after Catalan amnesty deal
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez sealed a four-seat majority in Spain's parliament on Thursday to clinch another term. After weeks of negotiations, Sánchez secured the coalition he needed with an amnesty deal for Catalans, many of whom had been banned from politics for years over their involvement in a failed bid to secede from Spain in violation of national law. Sánchez told members of parliament that the amnesty would help "heal wounds." Tens of thousands of Spaniards protested the deal across the country last weekend. The conservative Popular Party led July elections but its leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, could not pull together a governing coalition. BBC News
8. Former girlfriend Cassie accuses Sean 'Diddy' Combs of rape
Singer Cassie sued producer and rapper Sean Combs, commonly known as Diddy, in a New York City federal court on Thursday, accusing him of rape and years of physical abuse. The lawsuit says Combs lured Cassie, his former girlfriend, "into an ostentatious, fast-paced and drug-fueled lifestyle, and into a romantic relationship with him" within two years of their first meeting in 2005 or 2006, according to CNN, which obtained a copy of the complaint. Combs signed Cassie, whose full name is Cassandra Ventura, to his label, Bad Boy Records, soon after they met, when she was 19 and he was 37. Their business relationship continued until 2019. A lawyer for Combs, now 54, called the accusations in the lawsuit offensive and outrageous. CNN
9. GM union members approve contract that ended strike
United Auto Workers members at General Motors have voted to approve the new contract their union negotiated with the company. The approval made GM the first of Detroit's Big Three automakers to get a contract ratified after union members ended punishing strikes. The contract's approval had come into question when narrow majorities of workers at several GM plants opposed it. In the end, it passed by about 3,400 votes, with 54.7% in favor. As of Thursday, larger majorities had backed the UAW contracts at the other two Big Three automakers. At Ford, 66.7% were in favor, while the figure at Stellantis (Chrysler) was 66.5%, according to the UAW website. The Associated Press
10. Kaitlin Armstrong found guilty of killing cyclist 'Mo' Wilson
A Texas jury on Thursday found Kaitlin Armstrong, 35, guilty in the May 2022 shooting death of professional cyclist Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson. Wilson, 25, had briefly dated Armstrong's boyfriend, Colin Strickland. Prosecutors said Armstrong was "not happy" that Strickland had been communicating with Wilson, who was visiting Austin, Texas, for a bike race. Hours after going swimming with Strickland, Wilson was found unconscious and bleeding from a gunshot wound in the apartment of a friend. Six days later, police issued an arrest warrant for Armstrong, whose Jeep had been spotted nearby shortly before the shooting, but she evaded capture for 43 days and was eventually caught in Costa Rica, where she was teaching yoga. Austin American-Statesman, The New York Times
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/33xsreomaw1692698888.png)
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
Today's political cartoons - December 3, 2023
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - life expectancy goes up, Kissinger goes down, and more
By The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: December 3, 2023
Daily Briefing Gaza residents flee as Israel continues bombardment, Trump tells supporters to 'guard the vote' in Democratic cities, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
5 X-plosive cartoons about Elon Musk
Cartoons Artists take on his proposed clean-up of X, his views on advertisers, and more
By The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: December 3, 2023
Daily Briefing Gaza residents flee as Israel continues bombardment, Trump tells supporters to 'guard the vote' in Democratic cities, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 3 December 2023
The Week’s daily digest of the news agenda, published at 8am
By The Week UK Published
-
10 things you need to know today: December 2, 2023
Daily Briefing Death toll climbs in Gaza as airstrikes intensify, George Santos expelled from the House of Representatives, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: December 1, 2023
Daily Briefing Fighting resumes as the Gaza truce ends, New York appeals court reinstates Trump gag order, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: November 30, 2023
Daily Briefing Israel and Hamas extend their truce at least 1 more day, Henry Kissinger dies at 100, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: November 29, 2023
Daily Briefing Hamas release 12 more hostages, Jimmy Carter emerges from hospice care to attend Rosalynn Carter's memorial service, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: November 28, 2023
Daily Briefing Israel and Hamas extend their cease-fire, Trump urges appeals court to keep blocking gag order, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: November 27, 2023
Daily Briefing Israel and Hamas consider extending truce, 3 Palestinian students are shot in Vermont, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published