10 things you need to know today: November 3, 2023

1. Eric Trump denies working on father's financial documents

Eric Trump said in court Thursday he "did not work" on financial statements at the heart of allegations that former President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization fraudulently inflated property values to get favorable loans. In sometimes combative testimony, Eric Trump, who now runs the company, acknowledged emailing information to the company's controller, but said that was just for the company's general financial records. A day earlier, his older brother, Donald Trump Jr., also testified he wasn't involved in his father's financial statements. An expert witness called by New York Attorney General Letitia James' office said the inflated property valuations helped the company get loan rates that saved it $168 million. ABC News, CNN

2. Israel encircles Gaza City

Israel's military announced Thursday that its ground troops had surrounded Gaza City in an offensive to crush Hamas. As international criticism intensified over civilian deaths from Israeli airstrikes in the Palestinian enclave, Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Israel Friday and will press its government for brief pauses in the fighting so humanitarian aid can be delivered to desperate civilians, and hostages Hamas is holding can be released safely. President Biden said the U.S. this week helped 74 Americans leave Gaza during the first wave of civilian evacuations since Hamas conducted deadly Oct. 7 surprise attacks that triggered the war with Israel.  The New York Times, USA Today

3. US imposes more sanctions against Russia

The United States on Thursday imposed broad new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The measures are designed to limit Moscow's ability to fund its war by targeting the developer of a massive Siberia project, Arct-2 LNG, intended to ship chilled natural gas, or liquefied natural gas, to global customers. The Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on seven Russia-based banks and dozens of industrial companies in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and China, including Gazpromneft Catalytic Systems, which makes chemical agents for advanced Russian oil refining. The U.S. added a dozen Russian companies as well to a trade blacklist over their involvement with drones Russia's military could use in the war. Reuters 

4. Senate confirms 3 top military nominees

The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly confirmed three senior military nominations previously blocked by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who has held up nearly 400 military promotions to protest Pentagon abortion policy. Adm. Lisa Franchetti was confirmed as chief of naval operations, making her the first woman to officially lead the Navy and sit on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Senate also confirmed Gen. David Allvin as Air Force chief of Staff, a job he has done in an acting capacity since his predecessor, Gen. Charles Brown, was confirmed as chair of the Joint Chiefs. The approvals came a day after several Republicans publicly criticized Tuberville for holding up the promotions, which they and the Pentagon said endangered national security. The Hill 

5. Ex-Memphis officer pleads guilty in Tyre Nichols case

Former Memphis police officer Desmond Mills Jr. pleaded guilty Thursday to his role in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop. As part of a federal plea deal, Mills admitted to using excessive force and making "misleading statements." Prosecutors recommended a 15-year sentence, and Mills agreed to cooperate in the other cases and plead guilty to related state charges. He is the first of five officers facing charges to publicly admit guilt. Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, said the hearing was hard "because this was really the first time I actually heard somebody tell and say what they actually did to my son." The Associated Press, Commercial Appeal

6. Sam Bankman-Fried convicted in FTX fraud trial

A federal jury in New York on Thursday found FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried guilty of stealing billions of dollars from the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange's customers. The conviction on all seven counts completed a spectacular fall for Bankman-Fried that started with the exchange's sudden collapse a year ago. The 31-year-old former crypto mogul agreed to return to the United States from his home in the Bahamas to face a host of fraud charges. He testified in his own defense, a risky move. Prosecutors had expected to win after depicting Bankman-Fried as a greedy billionaire who lied to customers and pressured underlings to commit crimes. The Wall Street Journal

7. 'The last Beatles song' released

Apple Corps on Thursday released a song called "Now and Then" that the music label billed as "the last Beatles song." The song about lost love was built from a piano-and-vocal demo the late John Lennon recorded at the end of the 1970s, after the band had broken up. It was part of a collection of demos his widow, Yoko Ono, gave the surviving Beatles in 1994. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr constructed an arrangement around the recording in 1995, the same year they released "Free as a Bird," another posthumous song, on the "Anthology 1" compilation album. The former Beatles released a few other songs but Harrison, who died in 2001, became frustrated with "Now and Then," which he called "[expletive] rubbish." The New York Times

8. House passes GOP's Israel aid package

House Republicans passed their $14.3 billion Israel aid bill on Thursday. All but 12 House Democrats rejected the legislation because it would pay for the aid by taking money from Internal Revenue Service enforcement, paradoxically making the bill more expensive, and it falls far short of the broader foreign-aid package the Biden administration requested. The vote set up a battle with a Senate controlled by Democrats where there's bipartisan support for a bigger package that includes aid for Ukraine. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said the House bill included "necessary and critical assistance as Israel fights for its right to exist." He said the House would consider Ukraine aid next, pairing it with border-related matters. The Wall Street Journal

9. Texas Rangers fans celebrate team's first World Series title

Thousands of Texas Rangers fans are celebrating their team's first World Series title with a parade in Arlington on Friday. The Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to bring home the championship fans have been denied for the team's 63-year existence. "It's just awesome. This is the vision, right?" said Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, who got the team's first hit in the seventh inning. "It's a really special moment." "Everything I’ve ever worked for is for this moment," said Marcus Semien, who homered in a four-run ninth inning that sealed the Series. Fox 4, The Associated Press

10. ALS activist Ady Barkan dies at 39

Ady Barkan, an activist who used his fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to push for health care access, has died, his wife, Rachael Scarborough King, announced this week. He was 39. Barkan was diagnosed with ALS in 2016. As he pushed for his own health care, he became a leader in the campaign to save the Affordable Care Act. He made headlines in 2017 when he confronted then-Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on a plane and urged him to vote against a bill he said would hurt programs for people with ALS. Barkan, co-founder of the health care nonprofit Be A Hero, was featured in the 2021 documentary "Not Going Quietly," directed by Nicholas Bruckman. The Hollywood Reporter