Tuesday morning news: November 14, 2023

Israel Hospital update » The Israeli military says it discovered a Hamas command center in an unlikely place, the basement of a children’s hospital.

Specifically the Rantisi Hospital in Gaza City. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari:

HAGARI: Underneath the hospital in the basement, we found a Hamas command and control center, suicide bomb vests, grenades, AK 47 assault rifles, explosive devices, RPGs and other weapons, computers, money, et cetera.

Hagari saying there’s also evidence Hamas at one time held hostages there.

Meanwhile, Israel faces criticism for fighting taking place near Gaza’s largest medical center, the Al-Shifa Hospital.

Doctors there say they’re fighting to keep newborns alive after critical supplies like oxygen and food were cut off.

President Biden with an urgent plea for Israel yesterday:

BIDEN: The hospital must be protected.

But the Biden administration also reiterated Israel’s right to defend itself.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan:

SULLIVAN: The loss of a single innocent life is a tragedy, whether it’s a Palestinian civilian, an Israeli civilian or anyone else. We grieve for every innocent that is lost. At the same time, we will continue to stand behind the proposition that Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorist attacks.

SCOTUS Update » Here in the U.S. the Supreme Court’s nine Justices have signed a new code of conduct, the first in that court’s history. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: The Court described the code as not new, saying it was mostly derived from historic tradition and lower court ethics standards.

Critics say the new code doesn’t explain how the justices will enforce it on themselves, leaving questions about its effectiveness.

The Court has faced mounting pressure in recent months from lawmakers and the public to adopt ethics rules amid reports that some justices received lavish gifts and perks.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

APEC summit » President Biden is set to meet tomorrow [Wednesday] with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco.

MAO NING: [Speaking Chinese]

Ahead of the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning saying the United States and China will discuss fundamental issues in the relationship between the two countries.

She added that the United States should consider China’s legitimate interests and not try to impose its will on China.

Trump Jr. Testifies » Donald Trump Junior returned to the stand in his father’s New York civil trial yesterday, but this time he was testifying for the defense.

Trump Junior praised his father’s real estate profile and said it attracted developers.

Former President Donald Trump and his sons, Trump Junior and Eric, are on trial for six counts of civil fraud for allegedly inflating the Trump Organization's assets on paperwork used in business deals.

Outside the courtroom Trump Jr. denounced the trial as a sham.

TRUMP JR: Every day it's going to be another nonsense, another lawsuit, they're going to keep trying it. Reality, fact, that doesn't matter because that's where we've gotten in a politicized country.

The judge has already ruled on a related count that the Trump Organization defrauded banks and insurers.

New York Attorney General Letitia James seeks two hundred fifty million in damages and wants the three Trumps barred from the New York real estate market.

Baby Indi Gregory » A terminally ill baby girl in the UK has died despite her parents’ legal fight to continue treatments. WORLD’s Lauren Canterberry has more.

LAUREN CANTERBERRY: Christian Concern, a group supporting Indi Gregory’s parents, says the infant passed away yesterday after doctors removed her life support Sunday.

The eight-month-old suffered brain damage due to a mitochondrial disease. Doctors in the UK argued her condition was incurable and that she should not be treated.

Gregory’s parents fought to continue life support while the Italian government granted her citizenship and attempted unsuccessfully to transfer her to a children’s hospital in Rome.

British judges repeatedly sided with the hospital, ruling that ending treatment and transferring Gregory to a hospice was in her best interest.

The UK Court of Appeals last week refused to let her be taken off life support at home.

It is the latest in a series of legal face-offs between British doctors and parents over the treatment of their terminally ill children.

For WORLD, I’m Lauren Canterberry.

Busy Thanksgiving Travel » If you plan on traveling for Thanksgiving, be prepared for big crowds and long lines.

The Transportation Security Administration is predicting what could be the busiest holiday season ever for air travel.

AAA’s Mark Jenkins says those taking to the roads will experience lower gas prices than in recent months.

JENKINS: Oil prices have plummeted. That's really creating a scenario where we should have low gas prices hanging around through the holidays, and less conditions, unexpectedly change.

Millions of drivers are expected to hit the road for Thanksgiving travel. AAA advises drivers to make sure their cars are ready for the road trip.

I'm Anna Johansen Brown.

Straight ahead: Wartime propaganda. Plus, the rise and fall of an LGBT-affirming church.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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