Tuesday morning news: November 7, 2023

Trump trial » Former President Trump says the civil fraud trial that threatens his real estate empire in New York is the work of political operatives.

TRUMP: It’s a very unfair situation. This is really election interference. That’s all it is. This trial is ridiculous.

Trump heard there just before taking the stand in the trial on Monday. And there was more than a little friction in the courtroom. Judge Arthur Engoron repeatedly chastised the former president … as Trump blasted the proceedings from the witness stand, calling the trial a “witch hunt.”

Engeron told Trump to simply answer the questions, adding “this is not a political rally.”

It was New York’s Democratic Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the suit against the Trump Organization. She told reporters Monday:

JAMES: Mr. Trump has repeatedly and consistently misrepresented and inflated the value of his assets.

But Trump says he’s done nothing wrong, and James “should be ashamed of herself.”

HALEVI: [Speaking Hebrew]

Israel offensive » Israel’s top general says the Israeli military is “inflicting severe damage to Hamas.”

Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi said Israeli Defense Forces—or IDF— are successfully targeting terrorist leaders and “destroying Hamas’ infrastructure in Gaza.”

SOUND: [Israeli military blast]

An Israeli field cannon heard there taking aim at one of those targets.

The IDF has severed northern Gaza from the rest of the besieged territory to isolate Hamas. That’s ahead of an expected ground battle with militants in Gaza City that could mark the start of an even bloodier phase of the war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says terrorist forces must be destroyed.

NETANYAHU: That battle is now being waged by us against Hamas in Gaza. There is no substitute for victory.

Biden-Netanyahu » President Biden spoke with Netanyahu by phone on Monday.

The White House says he reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel’s defense, but also reiterated the need to minimize harm to civilians.

The Biden administration is still pushing for a so-called humanitarian pause in the fighting, but has yet to sell Israel on that idea for fear that it would allow Hamas to regroup.

But National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters:

KIRBY: This remains something that we are actively discussing with our Israeli counterparts, and we consider ourselves at the beginning of this conversation, not at the end of it.

Blinken, deterrence » Meantime, Secretary of State Tony Blinken is back in Washington after a round of high-stakes diplomacy in the Middle East. Blinken visited Israel, and then met with leaders in several Arab countries.

BLINKEN: We had very important conversations throughout this trip with countries in the region on the role that everyone can play in making sure that the conflict doesn’t expand, doesn’t spread to other countries.

CIA Director William Burns is now reportedly in the Middle East, meeting with world leaders and intelligence partners.

And the Pentagon has dispatched an Ohio-class submarine to the region through the Suez Canal. It’s the latest in a series of U.S. military moves designed to deter Iran and its proxies from expanding the war to other fronts.

U.S.-China talks » President Biden and other top US leaders are set to meet face to face with their Chinese counterparts in California this week for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. WORLD’s Lauren Canterberry has more.

LAUREN CANTERBERRY: The summit kicks off on Thursday in San Francisco amid growing friction between the U.S. and China over issues ranging from trade to national security.

U.S. leaders say they want to keep lines of communication open and keep those tensions from boiling over.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will host Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng for two days of talks. And …

President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to meet during the summit next week for the first time in nearly a year.

For WORLD, I’m Lauren Canterberry.

Election preview » The Virginia State Senate and House of Delegates are up for grabs tonight. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has been working to help his party take control of both chambers. The election could have big implications for pro-life laws in the state.

Youngkin told ABC’s This Week:

YOUNGKIN: I really feel that this is a moment for us to come together around reasonable limits where we can protect life at 15 weeks where a baby feels pain with full exceptions in the case of rape and incest when the mother's life is at risk.

And in Ohio voters will decide today whether to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution.

Among other elections, voters in Kentucky and Mississippi will decide whether to reelect incumbent governors or choose a new chief executive.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Tensions rise on campus as the Israel-Hamas war unfolds. Plus, November’s Classic Book of the Month.

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