Friday morning news: October 20, 2023

BIDEN: Good evening my fellow Americans.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Biden speech » President Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office last night about U.S. support for Ukraine and Israel.

BIDEN: Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common; they both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy.

The president made the case that it’s “vital for America's national security” for Israel and Ukraine to succeed in their wars. He said if we allow Hamas or Putin to win “conflict and chaos could spread in other parts of the world.”

Biden said he’ll send an urgent funding request to Congress today.

BIDEN: It’s a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations.

It’s expected to call for $105 billion for the next year. That will include $60 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel and $14 billion for security on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Gaza aid » Meantime, in Gaza, it was still unclear early this morning when truckloads of humanitarian supplies might roll into the Gaza Strip.

CNN reported that a convoy of aid remained parked over the border in Egypt with conditions in the war zone too “volatile” to enter.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres reiterated the desperate situation in Gaza.

GUTERRES: Civilians in Gaza desperately need core services and supplies and for that we need rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access.

According to an agreement, Israel will not stop supplies from entering Gaza unless they are seized by Hamas.

Gaza hospital » A note of correction now following our report yesterday about a deadly hospital explosion in Gaza.

Despite the blast, the hospital itself remains standing.

And while local authorities had estimated the death toll to be close to 500, U.S. officials believe the number to be between 100 and 300.

President Biden last night reiterated a U.S. intel assessment that Israel was not behind the explosion.

State Dept. alert » Meantime the U.S. government has issued a global caution alert. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller:

MILLER: We issued a general travel warning for Americans all across the world to take caution and be on the lookout for increased tensions wherever they might be.

That comes on the heels of a warning by the FBI that terror threats against the United States have been on the rise since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Speaker » On Capitol Hill there’s a new wrinkle in the House speaker saga.

Congressman Jim Jordan, after two failed votes to become speaker this week, now supports a plan to give interim Speaker Pro-tempore Patrick McHenry more power for now.

Allowing McHenry to act as speaker would let the House conduct crucial business until January.

But some Republicans, including former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, say they don’t love the idea.

MCCARTHY: The more time we waste here, all that ability to get our bill to secure the border, all that ability to eliminate wasteful spending, all that ability to end the woke-ism, we’re losing it.

But Jim Jordan says he’s not giving up his campaign for speaker …

JORDAN: I plan to go to the floor and get the votes and win this race. But I want to go talk with a few of my colleagues. Particularly, I want to talk with the 20 individuals who voted against me.

The House has been without a speaker since McCarthy’s ouster more than two weeks ago.

Jay Powell inflation » Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell says the battle against inflation is not over yet. And the central bank could continue raising interest rates in coming months.

But he said it’s a delicate balancing act. Doing too little could further fuel inflation. But …

POWELL: Doing too much could also do unnecessary harm to the economy.

The Fed has raised interest rates 11 times since March of last year.

Sidney Powell pleads » Sidney Powell, Ex-attorney to former president Donald Trump, entered her plea Thursday on charges related to alleged election metaling in Georgia in 2020.

Clerk: How do you plead to the six counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with performance of election duties?

Powell: Guilty.

Judge: And are you pleading guilty today because you agree that there is a sufficient factual basis, that there are enough facts that support this plea of guilty?

Powell: I do.

With her guilty plea on misdemeanor charges, Powell will receive 5 years probation and $9,000 in fees.

With her plea deal, she avoids a possible prison sentence of up to 20 years. The agreement could require her to testify against her 18 co-defendants, including Former President Donald Trump.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Culture Friday with Rosaria Butterfield. Plus, Killers of the Flower Moon.

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