The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Wed Nov 15 2023

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

War inside a hospital

Patients and internally displaced people are pictured at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on November 10, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.

Israeli forces enter Gaza's largest hospital.

Israeli forces are commanding the surrender of Hamas militants inside Gaza’s largest medical facility, where hundreds of patients, including newborns, have been stranded. Also in the news: President Joe Biden will meet face-to-face with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time after nearly a year and did organizers overestimate enthusiasm for Formula 1 in Las Vegas?

I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Why are American women outliving men?

Here's the news to know Wednesday.

IDF enters Gaza hospital where staff and hundreds of displaced people are located

The Israeli military reported early Wednesday that its troops entered Gaza City's Al Shifa Hospital in an operation targeting Hamas forces. Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra said 1,500 medical staff members and about 7,000 displaced people are located inside the hospital.

The move came after the Biden administration said for the first time that the U.S. has information Hamas is concealing military operations and hiding hostages under hospitals. Both Hamas and Al Shifa hospital staff deny the allegations.

•	The Israeli military said it was "carrying out a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area in the Shifa Hospital." Israel also said it would allow fuel into Gaza for humanitarian operations.
•	Thousands of Israel supporters gathered in Washington Tuesday to stand behind the military campaign against Hamas, demand the immediate release of hostages held in Gaza and condemn an increase in antisemitic incidents across the nation and world.
•	More than 500 U.S. officials sent a letter Tuesday to President Joe Biden calling for an immediate cease-fire, revealing a divide between Biden and many within his administration over his backing of Israel.

Israel supporters rally during the March for Israel in Washington

Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

After a year of silence, Biden and President Xi meet in San Francisco

Nearly a year to the day since they last sat down with one another, President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet on U.S. soil in the San Francisco Bay Area during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' meeting. The Biden administration has been pressing for the reestablishment of a hotline between the countries that would allow their militaries to immediately communicate with another as a way keep conflicts from escalating. Both countries need to "get back on a normal course of corresponding," Biden said Tuesday. Read more

Supporters and well-wishers of Chinese President Xi Jinping wait for his motorcade to arrive at the St. Regis Hotel on November 14, 2023 in San Francisco, California.

Kent Nishimura, Getty Images

More news to know now

•	Three people are dead and 15 injured in a crash between a charter bus carrying students and a semi-truck in Ohio.
•	A man was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the on-ice death of hockey player Adam Johnson.
•	Repairs to arson damage on I-10 in Los Angeles will take weeks.
•	Could Trump spend Election Day 2024 in a courtroom?
•	For subscribers: As crazy as it sounds, no team is more prepared to handle scandal than Michigan football.
•	On today's The Excerpt podcast, the impact of Black voters on elections. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Congress avoids shutdown in a day that tests decorum

Amid nasty exchanges and startling confrontations, Congress did get one thing accomplished: it avoided a shutdown. A bipartisan deal represents House Speaker Mike Johnson's first major achievement, using an unusual approach of a "laddered" continuing resolution — which pays the government's bills and pushes the fight to next year. The bill contained no spending cuts, however, which infuriated hardline conservatives while winning over many Democrats who saved Johnson by pushing it through. Read more about the dramatic day on Capitol Hill which included Smurfs and sucker punches.

•	Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, agitated International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O'Brien to have a fistfight during a committee hearing.
•	More than 800 U.S. counties are ''insulin deserts.''

Sen. Mullin confronts Teamsters leader O'Brien

White House

She had 'a baby dying inside' her. Her Missouri doctors could do nothing

At 17 weeks and 5 days pregnant, Missouri resident Mylissa Farmer's water broke, putting her life in danger. Her baby's chances of survival were zero, doctors said. They recommended terminating the pregnancy. But after Missouri banned abortions, that wasn't an option. A year ago, the hospital could have offered a chance for the couple to say goodbye and hold their daughter, even though they knew she wouldn't survive outside the womb. Instead, Farmer and her boyfriend were forced to make a series of trips across three states and countless phone calls. Read more

•	A secret weapon in the fight for abortion rights? Fed-up Republican women.
•	A Senate committee advanced a plan to end Tuberville's anti-abortion blockade on military promotions.

Keep scrolling

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•	Are you SAD?
•	Prep for next week: Here's the fastest way to cook a Thanksgiving turkey.
•	Kim Kardashian is Man of the Year.
•	A birthday fit for King Charles III.
•	National Geographic's 2023 ''Pictures of the Year'' were narrowed down from a pool of 2 million.
•	Stream these 15 new movies this holiday season, from ''Candy Cane Lane'' to ''Rebel Moon.''
•	Who attended Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's elite engagement party?

Did Formula 1 overestimate demand in Las Vegas?

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is set for this Saturday, and this spectacle is sure to amaze onlookers. After all, Formula 1 spent the most money on this race - $500 million - than any other they've held this year. The only problem is, it seems no one will be there to behold it. The half-billion-dollar venture has hit a bump with less than a week before it's supposed to take place: Demand. Earlier this month, the CEO of the Las Vegas Grand Prix made a bold claim, that by the time of the event, "we will be sold out." The opposite has happened. Even as the event drastically lowers its prices and hotels nearby lower their rates, the Las Vegas Grand Prix is drawing almost zero attention. Read more

Former Formula 1 driver Austrian Patrick Friesacher drives the Oracle Red Bull Racing RB7 during the Red Bull Showrun in Santiago on November 12, 2023.

JAVIER TORRES, AFP via Getty Images

Photo of the day: 'The Crown' Season 6 Premiere

Netflix's Emmy-winning royal series "The Crown" is wrapping up with its sixth and final season, and the cast was on hand to celebrate the premiere ahead of its release on the streaming service Nov. 16, 2023. Scroll through for photos from the red carpet event.

The Crown Season 6 Part 1 Los Angeles Premiere Westwood

Khalid Abdalla, Fflyn Edwards, Elizabeth Debicki, Rufus Kampa, Luther Ford, Ed McVey, Meg Bellamy and Jonathan Pryce attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Netflix's "The Crown" Season 6 Part 1 at Regency Village Theatre on Nov. 12, 2023.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin, FilmMagic

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.