Thursday morning news: November 2, 2023

Gaza evacuations » The White House says the U.S. government has taken the “first step” toward evacuating Americans from war-torn Gaza.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby:

KIRBY: We do expect to be able to get all of our Americans out, but it will take a few days. It will take some time.

His remarks came after some foreign nationals and wounded Palestinians were allowed to cross the border into Egypt on Wednesday.

Conditions are increasingly dire in Gaza, ground zero for the Israel-Hamas war.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States will continue working to evacuate Americans and their families.

MILLER: We are going to give them specific instructions over the next few days about where to go, when to go, how they can get out.

Israel-Gaza » Meantime, Israeli forces have taken out another high-ranking Hamas commander as their assault continues in Gaza by land, sea, and air.

SOUND: [Gaza]

The Israeli Defense Forces — or IDF have killed Muhammad A'sar the head of the terrorist group’s anti-tank missile unit.

The IDF has created a special operation room to hunt down anyone who was involved in the October 7th massacre.

Mark Regev, a senior adviser to the Israeli prime minister said this won’t be a quick operation.

REGEV: We know this is going to take time. But the overall feeling that we have from our commanders on the ground is that we are going well.

An IDF spokesman says Israeli ground troops have advanced to “the gates of Gaza City.”

Congress aid » In Washington, lawmakers in the House are expected to vote today on a Republican bill to provide nearly $15 billion dollars in aid to Israel. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: The House GOP plan would pay for that aid by trimming recently expanded IRS funding.

But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called that provision a “poison pill.”

After the Israel vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly plans to push legislation to pay for aid to Ukraine and U.S. border security.

The White House wants Congress to approve a single bill that would fund all of those needs, as well as aid to Gaza at a price tag of just over $100 billion dollars.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

Santos expulsion vote » Last night in the House, members shot down a resolution to expel embattled GOP Congressman George Santos.

AUDIO: On this vote, the yeas are 179. The nays are 213, with 19 recorded as present.

Santos has been indicted on nearly two dozen counts of federal corruption charges.

And fellow New York Republican Anthony D’Esposito was among those voting to oust him.

D’ESPOSITO: Mr. Santos is a stain on this institution and not fit to serve his constituents in the House of Representatives.

The 35-year-old Santos has admitted to lying about his resume during his campaign … but says he’s not guilty of any crime.

SANTOS: I must warn my colleagues that voting for expulsion at this point would circumvent the judicial system’s due process that I am entitled to.

And most Republicans and some Democrats said they could not vote to unseat a duly elected member before he’s had his day in court.

Federal Reserve » Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell says no more interest rate hikes for now.

POWELL: My colleagues and I are acutely aware that high inflation imposes significant hardship as it erodes purchasing power.

But he noted that inflation has slowed down this year. That said, Powell cautions that the war against spiraling prices is not over.

Annual inflation is still nearly double the Fed’s target of 2 percent. And more rate hikes may still be needed in the coming months to further slow it down.

Trump Jr testimony » Donald Trump Jr. took the witness stand in a Manhattan courtroom Wednesday in a civil case against the Trump Organization. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Former President Trump’s oldest son is an executive vice president of the family business.

He told the court that he never worked on his father's financial statements, leaving that to outside accountants and the company's then-finance chief, Allen Weisselberg. Those documents are at the heart of the civil fraud trial that threatens the Trump real estate empire in New York.

State Attorney General Letitia James claims the company falsified numbers on business documents.

Donald Trump Jr, like his father and other defendants, denies any wrongdoing.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

AI summit » In the UK, global business and government leaders have gathered north of London. The question on their minds … how best to guard against the potential dangers of artificial intelligence.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is hosting what is set to become an annual summit on AI safety.

SUNAK: We can't expect these companies to mark their own homework that has to be the responsibility of governments.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the goal is to build a framework for the role of governments in overseeing the technology.

MUSK: An independent referee that can observe what leading AI companies are doing, and at least sound the alarm if they, if they have concerns.

China, the U.S. and the European Union all signed a declaration this week agreeing to work together on AI safeguards.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Donald Trump’s days in court. Plus, a trip to the equine dentist.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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