Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In Gaza: “The Israeli military announced it was expanding its ground assault against Hamas to all of the Gaza Strip, following the collapse of the truce deal that saw more than 100 hostages and 240 Palestinian prisoners freed.”
* On arelated note: “Up to 1.8 million Gazans — around 80 percent of the population — have been forced to leave their homes since Israel began its bombardment in response to Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7. That number is expected to rise after Israel issued a new evacuation order on Saturday for areas in the south.”
* Maritime attacks: “Ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck three commercial ships Sunday in the Red Sea, while a U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defense during the hourslong assault, the U.S. military said. The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed two of the attacks.”
* The COP28 climate summit and the future of fossil fuels: “For nearly three decades, policymakers representing nearly 200 countries at the U.N.’s annual climate conference have failed to meaningfully address the chief driver of the climate crisis: the burning of coal, oil and gas. Many gathering in Dubai for COP28 believe the talks can only be considered a success if they result in a deal to ‘phase out’ all fossil fuels.”
* In related news: “Leading scientists worldwide delivered a striking dose of reality to the United Nations on Sunday: it’s ‘becoming inevitable’ that countries will miss the ambitious target they set eight years ago for limiting the warming of the Earth.”
* Important cooperation: “India’s space aspirations show no signs of slowing, as the country strengthens cooperation with the United States on a slew of upcoming science and human spaceflight missions. The partnerships between the U.S. and India’s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organization, were part of a key visit to the country last week by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.” * SCOTUS: “Members of the Supreme Court seemed conflicted on Monday over whether to allow the bankruptcy reorganization of opioid maker Purdue Pharma, which includes a provision that protects the Sackler family from liability from future lawsuits.” * An amazing story: “A former U.S. ambassador was arrested on charges of secretly working for Cuba and boasting that his decades of work for Havana had ‘strengthened the revolution immensely,’ authorities said Monday. Victor Manuel Rocha, the 73-year-old onetime U.S. envoy to Bolivia, was expected to make his first appearance before a federal judge Monday following his detention in Miami on Friday, authorities said.” See you tomorrow.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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