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Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It's Tuesday, November 7th. I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today's show… The hostage crisis in Gaza one month on, the most important races to watch in today's elections, and the environmental danger we face as the Earth gets saltier.
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It's been one month since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing around 1,400 people and taking hostages. And Israeli strikes in return have killed more than 10,000 people in Gaza. Palestinian officials say more than 4,000 of the victims are children.
Five hostages have been freed so far. Israel believes there are around 240 people held by militants in Gaza, though it's not clear how many may have been killed in airstrikes.
For their families, this has been a month of anxiety and uncertainty. Ofri Bibas Levy told "CNN" about fears for her missing brother, sister-in-law and their two young sons.
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Ofri Bibas Levy: And we know nothing about where they are. Are they alive? Are they dead? Are they getting food? My nephew is 9 months old. He's a baby. I don't know if he's getting his formula.
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Bibas Levy talked about the risks her family faces in captivity as Israel attacks Gaza.
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Levy: I know they are probably somewhere underground hearing all the bombing and the fighting, not knowing exactly what's going on, and they must be terrified. It's a really complicated situation and I'm not sure what's the right way to solve this, I just know that Israel has to defend itself and bring the hostages back.
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Some families of hostages want Israel to ease or stop attacks and focus on negotiating to get captives out before more are killed. Some support the invasion, saying that defeating Hamas is more likely to lead to a rescue, and will prevent future attacks inside Israel. Many are like Bibas Levy, unsure what the best way forward is in this volatile situation.
<v There are citizens of many nations, including Americans, held captive in Gaza. Around the world, there are calls for a ceasefire, for the welfare of the hostages and the millions of civilians in Gaza. Israel has consistently said no to that, unless all hostages are released. The U.S. has called for something short of a ceasefire>breaks in fighting for humanitarian purposes. President Biden reiterated that in a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday. Hours later, in a new interview with "ABC," Netanyahu seemed to open the door to that idea.
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Benjamin Netanyahu: As far as tactical, little pauses, an hour here, an hour there, we've had them before. I suppose we'll check the circumstances in order to enable goods, humanitarian goods, to come in, or our hostages, individual hostages, to leave. But I don't think there's gonna be a general ceasefire.
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Netanyahu has also said the only thing that works on Hamas is "military pressure." And he told "ABC" that Israel will aim to take responsibility over security in Gaza for an “indefinite period.” Netanyahu has previously said the war against Hamas could be a long fight. So families of people who’ve been taken hostage are preparing for a long wait, hoping their relatives survive long enough to be released.
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Today is Election Day in several states, with many races that could have national implications. Yesterday we talked about the abortion ballot question in Ohio. It's on "Politico's" list of top races to watch. Today, let's take a look at a few others, starting in Kentucky.
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There, election observers are watching to see if Democratic Governor Andy Beshear can win again in the deeply-red state. He narrowly won in 2019, but a year later Trump racked up over 60 percent of the vote in the 2020 presidential election. Beshear has strong approval ratings, but challenger Republican Daniel Cameron is trying to tie him to President Biden. The results there could be an important signal on how voters feel about Biden.
In Mississippi, a big question is Black voter turnout. Incumbent Republican Governor Tate Reeves is facing a surprisingly close race with Democratic challenger Brandon Presley. And yes, he is a distant cousin of Mississippi native Elvis Presley. Black voters make up 40 percent of the state's electorate, and overwhelmingly vote Democratic. To pull off an upset win, Presley will need strong turnout from Black voters, as well as some voters who supported Trump. Biden strategists will be closely studying what happens in Mississippi, because Biden will also need strong support from Black voters nationwide to stay in the White House.
And finally, to Virginia, where control of the state legislature is up for grabs. Right now, Republicans narrowly control the House, and Democrats have a thin majority in the Senate. If Republicans gain control of both after today's election, it's possible Virginia might be more swingy in 2024 than recent history would suggest. Biden won by ten points in 2020. And it would mean Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin could move more conservative policies forward. Steve Kornacki spoke about Youngkin's goals on "NBC."
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Steve Kornacki: One part of Youngkin's agenda, he has proposed an abortion legal until the 15th week of the pregnancy. That's something he says he would like to do if he can get control of the legislature. Democrats have tried to make an issue out of that as well.
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You can read about the other races "Politico" highlights, with more analysis, in the Apple News app.
Now let's take a quick look at some other stories we're following in the news.
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Former president Trump's civil-fraud trial continues. Yesterday, Trump himself was on the stand. Ahead of the highly-anticipated testimony, New York Attorney General Letitia James said it's important to look past his name-calling and criticism of the prosecution.
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Letitia James: At the end of the day, the only thing that matters are the facts and the numbers. And numbers, my friends, don't lie.
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<v James alleges that Trump and his family businesses inflated assets, which he denies. When he was on the witness stand, the judge repeatedly cautioned Trump to stop making political points and answer questions, at one point telling him>"This is not a political rally."
In other news, the Supreme Court hears arguments today in a major Second Amendment case. It's about at a law that blocks people who have domestic-violence restraining orders against them from owning a gun. But the ultimate ruling could have widespread impact on many kinds of gun regulations.
In Colorado, a second officer has been acquitted in the killing of Elijah McClain in 2019. The Black citizen's death, after being placed in a chokehold and given ketamine, made national headlines a year before George Floyd's murder. One officer involved was found guilty of criminally-negligent homicide and third-degree assault. Two paramedics will be tried later this year.
And in business news, "WeWork" is bankrupt. The office-sharing company was once a flashy Wall Street darling, valued at $47 billion. But it overreached, leading to the ejection of the founder and thousands of layoffs in 2019. It tried to regroup under new leadership, but pandemic lockdowns wrecked the office market, closing off a potential path to stability.
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Finally, striking new research shows that the Earth is getting saltier, in the water, soil, and air. Scientists say it's hitting extremely dangerous salt levels, which could threaten "serious or irreversible damage" to the planet. The environmental news outlet "Grist" looks at how this change threatens drinking water, farming, and wildlife.
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Let's take drinking water. Excess salt corrodes pipes. That's part of what happened several years ago in Flint, Michigan. Corrosion allowed dangerous levels of lead to move from the pipes into the water supply. Drinking water is also affected by rising sea levels. They push salt from the ocean into groundwater, and once it's there, the supply becomes undrinkable, without expensive and complicated processes to get the salt out.
There are several human-driven factors pushing up the Earth's salt levels, including mining, agricultural practices, and even household items like detergent. But the biggest contributor is the that way we de-ice roads. This study says winter treatment recently accounted for nearly half the nation's salt consumption. But there are a few creative solutions aiming to change things. In D.C., they're de-icing roads with beet juice brine. And in Wisconsin, they're using liquid cheese brine. Mozzarella and provolone do a pretty good job, since they've got the best salt content.
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You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, we've got a Narrated Article coming up next from "New York Magazine." It takes an in-depth look at New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez and his wife Nadine, and how their entanglements led to their recent indictments.
If you're listening in the Podcasts app, follow Apple News+ Narrated to find that story.
And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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