Wednesday morning news: November 8, 2023

BESHEAR: Thank you Kentucky!

Election » A big Election Night win last night for Democratic incumbent Governor Andy Beshear. He held off Republican challenger Daniel Cameron, who was gracious in defeat.

CAMERON: And I ask that you pray for Gov. Beshear and his team and for all of our commonwealth.

But in Mississippi, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves defeated Democratic rival Brandon Presley.

Reeves told reporters hours earlier …

REEVES: We believe that we’re going to be very successful here today, and we believe that we’re going to win this thing outright.

That prediction proved accurate.

It was a disappointing day for pro-lifers in Ohio, though as voters passed a measure that will enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution.

Debate preview » Meantime, in Miami five Republican candidates for president will take the stage in a matter of hours for the third presidential debate, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who says his state is a blueprint for the rest of the country.

DESANTIS: I’ve had a lot of people flee California and New York who’ve fled here over the years. And that’s fine. We’re proud of that. But … I mean, we really want to make sure the country gets fixed.

DeSantis just received the endorsement of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. But he remains a very distant second in GOP polls … with about 13 percent support to Donald Trump’s 58 percent.

Trump is once again sitting out.

NBC News will host the debate at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

MRC report » And speaking of NBC, a new report finds that the traditional big-3 broadcast networks have shown little interest in Republican policy debates, focusing instead on Donald Trump’s legal issues. WORLD’s Carl Peetz reports.

CARL PEETZ: The conservative watchdog group, the Media Research Center analyzed three months of news coverage on ABC, CBS, and NBC.

Its report finds that the networks have virtually ignored Trump’s rivals and policy issues.

It states that in the time networks spent covering Republican candidates, nearly 80 percent of the coverage focused on Trump’s legal battles, and that 93 percent of their Trump coverage was negative.

The MRC says the networks spent less than SEVEN percent of that time talking about GOP policy positions.

For WORLD, I’m Carl Peetz.

Israel-Hamas war 1-month mark, hostages » The Israel-Hamas war is now officially more than a month long with no end in sight.

In Washington, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle gathered for a candlelight vigil on the Capitol Steps. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries:

JEFFERIES: We gather to unequivocally condemn the acts of terror, honor the memory of those brutally murdered and pray for the safe return of those held hostage.

And at a news conference on Capitol Hill, the mother of a man believed to be among those hostages pleaded with U.S. government leaders for help.

LIEBER: I do need you now because there’s nothing helping me now. I pray, which I didn’t do before. But — just — please help me.

Israel 1-month, hostages » The White House has continued to press Israel for a humanitarian pause in the war, partly in hopes of securing the release of those hostages.

The U.S., however, is not calling for a full ceasefire. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby explained the difference saying of humanitarian pauses…

KIRBY: They’re localized in terms of geography. They’re limited in time or duration. And they’re usually for a specific purpose or purposes, getting stuff in, getting people out.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear once again on Tuesday that he will not agree to a ceasefire until Hamas releases hundreds of hostages …

NETANYAHU: As far as tactical little pauses, an hour here, an hour there, we’ve had them before.

Israel observed a four-hour pause on Tuesday.

The White House, though, is reportedly asking for a three-day pause. And Israel fears that would give Hamas too much time to regroup.

U.S. envoy in Beirut » Meantime, in Lebanon a U.S. envoy is picking up where Secretary of State Tony Blinken left off in his recent Middle East trip. U.S. officials met with leaders in Lebanon, trying to stop the Israel-Hamas war from spreading in the region.

Amos Hochstein is a senior adviser to President Biden:

HOCHSTEIN: The United States does not want to see conflict in Gaza escalating and expanding into Lebanon. Restoring calm along the southern border is of utmost importance to the United States, and it should be the highest priority for both Lebanon and Israel.

The Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah has fired rockets at Israel, and Israel has returned fire.

Reports say one of Israel’s rockets over the weekend killed four Lebanese civilians in a car.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: The highs and lows of political polling on Washington Wednesday. Plus, World Tour.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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