10 things you need to know today: November 7, 2023

1. Trump criticizes judge in fraud trial testimony

Former President Donald Trump testified under oath in his New York civil fraud trial on Monday, expressing defiance but acknowledging his role in valuing properties in financial statements the judge has already found fraudulent. Trump said Judge Arthur Engoron was presiding over "a very unfair trial," and called New York Attorney General Letitia James "a political hack" for pursuing the $250 million case against him and other executives at the Trump Organization, including his two eldest sons. "Can you control your client?" Engoron asked Trump lawyer Christopher Kise after one Trump outburst. "This is not a political rally. This is a courtroom." Reuters, The New York Times

2. Israel cuts off northern Gaza as US presses for humanitarian pause

Israeli forces closed in on Gaza City on Monday as Secretary of State Antony Blinken left the region without securing a humanitarian pause in the fighting. Israel's air and ground attacks cut off the northern Gaza Strip in a push to isolate and crush Hamas in response to its Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. Blinken expressed optimism that more food, water, medicine and fuel would reach desperate Gaza civilians soon. Aid groups warned of a broadening humanitarian disaster in the Palestinian enclave, where the Hamas-run government's health ministry says the death toll has surpassed 10,000. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Gaza is "fast becoming a graveyard for children." The Washington Post, BBC News

3. Tuesday elections center on abortion debate

Voters go to the polls in several states Tuesday in off-year elections that could serve as a barometer for 2024. The abortion rights debate has been a focus of the most closely watched campaigns, as it was in previous votes since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022 and cleared the way for Republican-controlled state legislatures to tighten abortion restrictions. Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who has called a new state abortion law "extremist," faces a tough reelection fight against Trump-endorsed Daniel Cameron, Kentucky's first Black attorney general. Ohio voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution to protect abortion access. In Virginia, control of both houses in the split state legislature are up for grabs. The Associated Press, The Washington Post

4. Israel arrests Palestinian activist in West Bank raid

Israel's military said Monday it had arrested prominent Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi, 22, in a West Bank raid. Tamimi, who gained fame at age 14 when she was filmed biting an Israeli soldier who was pushing her younger brother and was later jailed for slapping two Israeli soldiers in her family's yard, was charged on suspicion of "inciting violence and calling for terrorist activity to be carried out" on social media, the Israel Defense Forces said. She was transferred to Israeli security forces for questioning. Tamimi's mother, Nariman al-Tamimi, told AFP her daughter didn't write the post in question, and that dozens of social media accounts use her name although she has "no connection" to them. CBS News

5. Father of Highland Park shooting suspect pleads guilty to reckless conduct

Robert Crimo Jr., father of Highland Park, Illinois, mass shooting suspect Robert "Bobby" Crimo III, pleaded guilty on Monday to seven misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct. Prosecutors said Crimo Jr. knew his son posed a threat to others and shouldn't have helped him buy guns. Crimo Jr. signed his son's application for an Illinois Firearm Owners Identification card nearly three years before he allegedly fired more 70 rifle rounds from a rooftop and killed seven people during a 2022 Fourth of July parade. The elder Crimo will serve 60 days in jail and two years of probation, along with 100 hours of community service. His son has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges. Chicago Tribune, CNN

6. Poland prime minister gets first chance to form government

Polish President Andrzej Duda said Monday he was giving right-wing Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki the first shot at forming a governing coalition. Morawiecki's ruling Law and Justice party won the largest number of seats in last month's elections but lacks a majority, so Morawiecki is considered unlikely to succeed. Allied pro-European Union opposition parties took the majority in Poland's election. If Marawiecki can't win a vote of confidence for his government, lawmakers will appoint a prime minister, Reuters reported. Duda, a Law and Justice ally, said previously he would give the leading party the first chance to form a government, which a Law and Justice spokesperson said conformed with "the longstanding constitutional tradition of our country." Reuters

7. Second Colorado officer acquitted in Elijah McClain's death

A Colorado jury on Monday found Aurora police officer Nathan Woodyard not guilty of homicide and manslaughter in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain. McClain died after officers detained him and paramedics injected him with ketamine. Woodyard was the third officer to stand trial in the case, and the second one to be acquitted. Earlier this month, officer Randy Roedema was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault. Woodyard stopped McClain and put him in a neck hold, and prosecutors argued he should be convicted of manslaughter. The death of McClain, who was Black, triggered an investigation that found the Aurora police department was racially biased against Black people. USA Today, The Denver Post

8. Italy to build 2 migrant-processing centers in Albania

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Monday her country would build two centers to process tens of thousands of undocumented migrants in Albania. Meloni said the centers were scheduled to open in spring 2024. She said migrants rescued at sea by Italian boats would be sent to the centers, but those who reach Italy's shores would not. Meloni said the buildings, which Italy will pay to build, would be able to handle 3,000 migrants per month or up to 36,000 a year. Albania will provide security personnel for the facilities. Meloni said she supported admitting Albania to the European Union, saying it was "already behaving" like a member state. BBC News

9. WeWork files for bankruptcy protection

Flexible-office-space company WeWork, which offers sleek workspaces and conference rooms for startups and freelancers, filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday after years of losses. The once-hot startup, valued at $47 billion at its January 2019 peak but just $47 million as of Friday, started struggling as the pandemic cut demand for office space. WeWork said in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in New Jersey that it was undertaking a "comprehensive reorganization" and 92% of its creditors had agreed to its restructuring plan. WeWork, which has 660 locations in 37 countries, plans to renegotiate all of its leases and shut down in some places. The New York Times

10. Dive boat captain convicted of negligence in deadly fire

A federal jury in Los Angeles on Monday found former scuba dive boat captain Jerry Boylan guilty of gross negligence in the deaths of 34 people killed in a 2019 fire. Prosecutors said Boylan was responsible for the safety of everyone on board the boat, the 75-foot Concepcion, but failed to post a required roving night watch or properly train his crew in firefighting. The blaze broke out before dawn as the Concepcion was anchored off California's Santa Cruz Island. Thirty-three passengers and a crew member were trapped below deck in a bunk room. Lawyers for Boylan, who was the first to abandon ship, blamed Concepcion owner Glen Fritzler, saying crew training was his responsibility. Los Angeles Times, The Associated Press