Thursday morning news: November 30, 2023

Israel-Hamas-Gaza latest » President Biden says one more American has been freed by Hamas and is on her way home.

BIDEN: I’ve got some good news to report.                                                                                                                                                                          

He spoke to reporters on a tarmac next to Air Force One.

BIDEN: Liat Beinin is safe in Egypt. She's crossed the border. She'll soon be home with her three children.

Four-year-old Abigail Edan has also been set free. The Israeli-American dual citizens were among 16 people released by the terror group Wednesday.

But another family received some heartbreaking news. The youngest of the hostages, a 10-month-old baby has reportedly been killed alongside his 4-year-old brother and their mother. That’s according to a statement by Hamas.

Hamas hostages families » On Capitol Hill the families of American hostages described their anguish in a House hearing.

CHEN: All of us now, our family members, this different universe that we live in. And we need you to do whatever you can. The holiday season is here. Unfortunately, we celebrated Thanksgiving with an empty chair. We want to be whole again with our families.

Ruby Chen, heard there, is the father of one of those hostages.

Orna Neutra’s son, who serves in the Israeli military, was also taken by Hamas.

NEUTRA: We urge you to press to bring the international community to demand proof of life and other basic humanitarian requirements and to bring them home as soon as possible. We must do everything to bring them back.

For the loved ones of those still held by Hamas, the October 7th attack isn’t over yet. And Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks said the inhumanity of the terror group’s actions is breathtaking.

MEEKS: You can’t be human and take, as we’ve seen, babies! Three years old — just to think that somebody’s going to take a 3-year-old and hold him hostage.

Schumer on antisemitism » Meantime, in the Senate chamber,

SCHUMER: I come to the floor to speak on a subject of great importance: the rise of antisemitism in America.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in U.S. history. He called surging antisemitism “a five-alarm fire that must be extinguished.”

He said liberal Jews feel particularly isolated as many on the left publicly protest Israel’s military response to Hamas terrorist attacks.

SCHUMER: When Jewish people hear chants like “from the river to the sea,” a founding slogan of Hamas, a terrorist group that is not shy about their goal to eradicate the Jewish people in Israel and around the globe, we are alarmed.

And he questioned the disproportionate criticism of Israel compared to Hamas.

In solidarity, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell described Schumer’s speech as “extraordinary.”

MCCONNELL: So again, I stand with him in condemning this hatred. And I stand with our ally, Israel as it defends its right to exist.

The Senate is currently weighing a substantial military aid package for Israel.

Kissinger obit » Henry Kissinger has died at the age of 100.

As a Jewish teenager, he fled Nazi Germany with his family, settling in New York in 1938.

He went on to become an influential statesman. Kissinger exerted uncommon influence on global affairs as national security adviser and secretary of state under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

He’s heard here in a recorded phone call informing then-President Nixon that North Vietnam agreed to continue the release of U.S. prisoners of war.

NIXON: Mr. Kissinger, the president.
KISSINGER: Mr. President.
NIXON: Oh, hi, Henry.
KISSINGER: Just wanted you to know we’ve won.
NIXON: Oh really?
KISSINGER: Yup.
NIXON: That’s great. Tell me about it.

He used secret channels to pursue ties between the United States and China. And he negotiated the Paris Peace Accords to end U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Kissinger was credited with many diplomatic achievements, including easing tensions with the Soviet Union. But he also had his share of critics. Some assailed him over his role in certain U.S. policies in Southeast Asia and for his support of authoritarian regimes in Latin America.

At age 99, he was still out on tour for his book on leadership.

Henry Kissinger died at his home in Connecticut.

Biden probe » House Republicans are firing back at Hunter Biden after the president’s son said this week that he’ll testify publicly, but does not want to do so behind closed doors. He said Republicans could manipulate private testimony in the press.

But Congresswoman Nancy Mace said lawmakers questioned Donald Trump’s son privately.

MACE: Don Jr. sat for not one, but two depositions before Congress. So, Hunter Biden, what are you so afraid of?

Republicans say President Biden was inappropriately tied to Hunter’s business dealings.

The White House says the ongoing impeachment inquiry is purely a political witch hunt.

Electric cars » A new survey suggests that electric cars are less reliable than gas-powered vehicles. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: Consumer Reports surveyed well over 300,000 owners of electric vehicles—or E-Vs. And those owners reported roughly 80 percent more problems than owners of conventional cars.

Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports … noted that E-Vs are still relatively new. And he said, “It’s not surprising that they’re having growing pains and need some time to work out the bugs.”

Meantime, nearly 4,000 car dealers across the country penned an open letter to President Biden this week. They’re calling on him to pump the brakes on proposed regulations that would require that E-Vs make up two-thirds of all new cars by 2032.

The dealers say the demand just isn't there yet and that unsold E-Vs are piling up on their lots.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Chatbots for the church. Plus, getting around language barriers to provide medical care for immigrants.

Time for news. Here’s Kent Covington.

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