Tuesday morning news: October 17, 2023

House speaker » At the Capitol, House members will try again today to elect a new speaker of the House. The chamber is planning a floor vote after Republicans nominated Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan for the post.

And the recently ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he plans to back Jordan.

MCCARTHY: I feel very good about where Jim Jordan is at. He has been an integral part of our team when we took the majority, helping us get the majority.

GOP members had voted to nominate Majority Leader Steve Scalise, but he dropped out last week when he couldn’t muster the 217 supporters needed to win a vote where it really counts, on the House floor.

FBI terror warning » The FBI is warning of growing terror threats against the United States. Director Christopher Wray said he’s worried about copycat attacks like those Hamas recently carried out in Israel. 

Republicans say the growing terror threat puts a new spotlight on the porous southern border. Sen. Ron Johnson:

JOHNSON: 1.7 million known ‘got-aways.’ We don’t know who these people are. We just know that they got through the border without even being encountered or processed. You think there may be a terrorist or two in there?

Data from the U.S. southern border leaked earlier this month revealed that border agents have arrested more than 150 people on the FBI’s terrorist watch list since 2021.

Brussels attack » Meantime, in Belgium, authorities raised the terror alert in Brussels after a deadly attack near a soccer match. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher reports.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: A gunman fatally shot two Swedes in Brussels last night near a stadium packed with 35,000 fans.

The shooting forced authorities to halt the Sweden-Belgium soccer match.

They also raised the terror alert in the city to level 4, its highest rating, which means “the threat is extremely serious.”

Authorities said “The population needs to be actively vigilant and avoid any unnecessary travel.”

The government also raised the terror alert for the rest of the country toits second-highest level.

It was not immediately clear why investigators believed the shooting may have been an act of terrorism or if it was linked to the Israel-Hamas war.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

Israel/Biden » President Biden has postponed a planned campaign trip to Colorado.

He said right now, his focus is on the war between Israel and Hamas.

BIDEN: I think they have to know that the president of the United States of America cares deeply about what’s happened. Deeply. We have to communicate to the world. This is critical.

Biden is weighing a decision to visit Israel in what would be a striking show of wartime support.

On Monday, the president met with intelligence chiefs and other leaders at the White House as Israeli troops and tanks prepared to roll into Gaza.

Israel » Israel’s military has warned residents to get out of harm's way ahead of a ground invasion.

Israel Defense Force spokesman Jonathan Conricus:

CONRICUS: We are gearing up indeed for significant combat operations. We will be focusing on the northern Gaza Strip. I can say that which usually a military doesn't advertise its intentions ahead of time. I can say it because we've asked the civilians to evacuate.

Some are worried that war could break out on a second front … in Israel's north. Hezbollah controls territory in southern Lebanon along Israel’s northern border.

Iran backs both Hamas and Hezbollah.

The Pentagon has dispatched two aircraft carrier strike groups to the Eastern Mediterranean to try and prevent the war from widening.

Ukraine » And the Biden administration says it certainly hasn’t forgotten about Ukraine. US diplomat Penny Pritzker:

PRITZKER: I have talked to many people on the Hill, there’s widespread support among the American people, and there’s unwavering support by President Biden for Ukraine.

And a Russian assault in eastern Ukraine appears to be running out of steam … now more than 600 days into Russia’s invasion.

Since Sunday, Ukrainian forces have repelled 15 Russian attacks from four directions just outside of Dontesk.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Getting the facts right on the ground in Israel. Plus, Checking out church libraries.

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