Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says he's ordered the Ford carrier strike group to sail to the Eastern Mediterranean to be ready to assist Israel after the surprise attack by Hamas that has left more than 1,000 dead and thousands wounded on both sides. Meantime, a U.S. official says preliminary reports indicate that at least four American citizens were killed in the attacks and an additional seven were missing and unaccounted for. The USS Gerald R. Ford and its approximately 5,000 sailors and deck of warplanes will be accompanied by cruisers and destroyers in a show of force that is meant to be ready to respond to anything, from possibly interdicting additional weapons from reaching Hamas and conducting surveillance.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said authorities would cut electricity to Gaza and block the entry of food and fuel there as part of a “complete siege” he ordered.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has drawn a parallel between Russia’s invasion of his country and the Hamas militant group’s incursion into Israel, saying only “rules (and) international law” can ensure peace around the world.
ISLAMABAD (AP) — A senior Taliban delegation is visiting western Afghanistan's Herat province in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that killed at least 2,000 people and flattened entire villages. Saturday’s magnitude 6.3 quake hit a densely populated area in Herat and was followed by strong aftershocks. It was one of the deadliest earthquakes to strike the country in two decades. A statement from Kabul said the Taliban-appointed deputy prime minister for economic affairs and his team will visit the quake-affected region on Monday to deliver “immediate relief assistance” and ensure “equitable and accurate distribution of aid." The quake also trapped hundreds and people have been digging with their bare hands and shovels to pull victims from under the rubble.
STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Nobel economics prize has been awarded to Claudia Goldin, a professor at Harvard University, for research that has advanced the understanding of the gender gap in the labor market. Hans Ellegren, secretary-general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, announced the award Monday in Stockholm. Goldin is only the third woman to win the prize. Ellegren says Goldin “was surprised and very, very glad” upon hearing she received the award. Goldin has studied 200 years of women’s participation in the workplace, showing that despite continued economic growth, women’s pay did not continuously catch up to men’s and a divide still exists despite women gaining higher levels of education than men.
In this week's entertainment update: Rapper 21 Savage can now legally travel outside the United States and plans to make his international performance in his native London. Singer Maxwell will hose a cruise in February and has another album in the works. Lucinda Williams is heading back on tour three years after suffering a stroke.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s decision to insert himself into the chaotic race to replace Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker will serve as a test of the former president’s sway with lawmakers as he works to win a second term. Trump first volunteered to serve as an interim candidate. Then he offered Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, one of his closest allies in Washington, his “Complete & Total Endorsement!” Jordan's path to victory is complex, and he is facing at least one other candidate, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who's also on good terms with Trump. It’s unclear whether anyone has enough votes to win the gavel.
NECOCLI, Colombia (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has capped off a four-day trip to Latin America by calling for a “right to work” for migrants in the United States. He spoke Saturday during a visit to Necocli, the northern Colombia city where thousands of migrants start the perilous trek across the Darien Gap jungle into Panama, as they head for the U.S. Adams says countries in the region need to “come together” to find solutions to the immigration crisis being felt across the Americas as well as in cities in the United States, including his own. He is urging the U.S goverment to find pathways for migrants and asylum seekers to work legally in the United States.
The NFL's two undefeated teams remain undefeated, the Chiefs shake off Travis Kelce's injury, the Rangers slam the Orioles to go up 2-0 while the Twins knot up their ALDS with the Astros, and Georgia still tops the AP poll.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “The Exorcist: Believer” took possession of the weekend box office with a North American opening of $27.2 million. According to studio estimates Sunday, the latest sequel to the 1973 horror classic was a runaway No. 1 in its opening weekend for Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions, but it still fell short of expectations with no other new releases with which to compete. Last week’s top film, “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie,” was a distant second, with $11.8 million, and has earned $38.9 million after two weekends. Another horror sequel, “Saw X,” was third for Lionsgate Films, with $8.2 million.
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