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Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It's Monday, December 18th. I'm Shumita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show: New concern and criticism over civilian deaths in Gaza, increasing threats to American public officials, and the dangers of overspending during the holidays.
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We'll start with the latest from the war in Gaza, where there's growing criticism among Israelis, questioning military tactics and the overall strategy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This is intensifying following the killing of three Israeli hostages in Gaza by Israeli troops. An investigation found that they had taken off their shirts and were waving a white cloth on a stick, in an apparent effort to identify themselves as unarmed and non-threatening, before they were killed on Friday. Israeli military officials say attacking them was a clear violation of rules of engagement that prohibit shooting anyone who's surrendering.
Udi Goren's cousin was held hostage and killed by Hamas. He told "CNN" that he knows the families of the three hostages killed by Israeli forces. Goren said their deaths are the result of poor policy choices by Netanyahu.
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Udi Goren: At this point, he is responsible for what's happening. I mean, he is responsible because he's the prime minister.
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Netanyahu shows no sign of changing his approach. Yesterday he said again that critical goals include eliminating Hamas and freeing the hostages in Gaza. But critics of the government say recent events prove those goals are in conflict. Before the killing of the three hostages, two Israeli soldiers were severely wounded in a hostage-rescue attempt.
Many hostages have been freed through negotiations, as part of a week-long ceasefire and release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel last month. There are reportedly some new discussions for another set of releases. But it's not clear what Israel and Hamas could agree to this time, or how soon a deal could be struck that sees more hostages going home.
Two other incidents of civilian deaths are also drawing special attention. Al Jazeera is referring the killing of one of its journalists to the International Criminal Court. It calls his death in a drone strike in Gaza an assassination. Israel says it does not deliberately target journalists. And Pope Francis suggested that some of Israel's tactics in Gaza are quote "terrorism." He spoke after a Catholic official said two Christian women were killed by an Israeli sniper as they took shelter in a church complex in Gaza. Israel says that the incident is under review, and it does not intentionally target civilians.
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Now, let's take a quick look at some other big stories in the news.
Severe weather is doing damage on the East Coast, bringing the potential for flooding, power outages, and travel disruptions to multiple states. Florida and South Carolina got some of the worst of the early part of the storm system. And there could be dangerous weather as far as New England in the days ahead. Forecasters are advising people to avoid travel until things settle down.
In Washington, a deal to send billions of dollars of new aid to Ukraine now looks unlikely to be done before Congress wraps up for the year. Senate negotiators met over the weekend and said there were signs of progress. But Congress and the White House still have a lot of issues to resolve. That includes what kind of border-security measures to pair with Ukraine aid, to get enough Republicans on board.
And in Sudan, fighting there is spreading more widely. Thousands of people were forced to evacuate as violence closed in on an area that's crucial to aid distribution. The U.S. is urging fighters to avoid advancing into what was previously a safe haven for civilians. The State Department says the situation is at risk of "mass civilian casualties" and major disruption of humanitarian aid.
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We are seeing a massive surge in violent threats against public officials; one that threatens American democracy. That's the takeaway from an extensive new investigative project from "CNN." Journalists reviewed more than 500 cases involving people who were federally charged with making threats against public officials over the last decade. They found about 40% of all cases were politically motivated, referencing issues like abortion and police brutality.
"CNN" found, in recent years, these types of threats have gotten more targeted and more partisan calling out members of Congress, state election officials, governors and city council candidates. The number of named partisan targets in threats quadrupled during the Trump era. Threats to members of both parties rose sharply and have remained high during the Biden administration.
After the 2020 election, Mark Rissi left threatening messages for Arizona election officials when they certified the state's election results. His son spoke with "CNN" about what seemed to push his father into making threatening calls.
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Mark Rissi's Son: Getting lost in his news feeds, I think, was really the main culprit here. The turning point where I started to realize that, Wow, this is a serious problem, is when he bet me $100 that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would be hung in the next 30 days.
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Rissi was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, which is rare. "CNN"'s analysis found, legal action against people who threaten public servants, or their family members, doesn't happen often. Officials say, the vast majority of hostile messages don't meet the legal threshold to prosecute as threats.
But "CNN" points out, threats don't have to lead to violence to cause damage to our democratic system. Last year, one in five election workers signaled they were ready to quit, with more than half citing safety concerns.
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With presents, plane tickets, and decorations, the holiday season can be an expensive time. New data has a warning of the dangers of overdoing it. A survey from Lending Tree says holiday spending puts about a third of Americans into debt. Chief credit analyst Matt Schulz spoke to "NPR."
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Matt Schulz: Any parent can tell you how much pressure they feel to make the holidays perfect, whether it's getting all the family together, buying gifts, traveling so the kids can see grandma and grandpa. Holidays are an expensive time.
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And Schulz said that people's burdens are getting bigger.
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Schulz: Well, last year we saw that people took on about $1,500 in debt. And that's the biggest number that we've seen since we started looking at this back in 2015. And that's a lot of money. I mean, that's the kind of thing that may take a little bit of time to pay off. And given how small the average American's financial margin for error is, every extra bit of debt matters.
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This year, there are also other financial challenges for families to deal with. That includes rising housing costs, student-loan payments restarting, and higher interest rates on all kinds of debt.
<v Schulz and personal-finance experts recommend sticking to a budget, seeking out holiday sales, and considering postponing major travel until after the holidays, when it's much cheaper. And don't forget that many of the most joyful parts of the season don't cost anything at all>catching up with family and friends, going for long walks in your neighborhood, maybe just enjoying a bit of peace and quiet, as the world slows down for a little while.
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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 "The New Yorker." It's got some of the most in-depth reporting you'll find on the turmoil at OpenAl, the creator of ChatGPT. That's where CEO Sam Altman was recently fired and rehired over the course of just a few days, a bizarre series of events that shook up the world of artificial intelligence.
If you're listening in the Podcasts app, follow Apple News+ Narrated to find that story.
And I figured I should mention something now: I am planning to go on maternity leave starting in the new year, which means this is my last week of shows, at least for a little while. Babies do like to arrive on their own schedule, so barring any personal news, I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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