10 things you need to know today: October 9, 2023

1. Israel declares war after Hamas attack

Israel formally declared war and approved retaliatory strikes against the Palestinian group Hamas for its surprise Saturday attack on towns in southern Israel. At least 700 people reportedly have been killed in Israel — 250 of them at a music festival — the heaviest toll there in decades. Another 400 people have died in the Gaza Strip. Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group said they had captured more than 130 people, including soldiers and civilians, and taken them from Israel into Gaza, with plans to trade them for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Members of Hamas and Hezbollah, a Shiite militant group in Lebanon, said Iranian security officials helped plan Hamas' attack at a meeting in Beirut last week, The Wall Street Journal reported. The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal

2. US moves aircraft carrier group toward Israel

The United States on Sunday started moving an aircraft carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea after President Biden promised his "full support" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel responds to an unprecedented attack by fighters from the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The White House said it was also sending fresh military assistance, which is "now on its way to Israel with more to follow over the coming days." Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that would include "munitions." The Biden administration can send the initial assistance package without congressional approval, but is concerned it could be hard to pass more aid due to the turmoil in the House following last week's ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker. The Washington Post

3. Supporters hold US rallies to support Israel, Palestinians

Supporters of Israel and Palestinians demonstrated around the United States on Sunday after Hamas militants killed hundreds of people in surprise attacks in southern Israel, touching off a counterattack by Israel's defense forces. Opposing demonstrators clashed near the United Nations headquarters in New York City after Palestinian supporters held a rally in Times Square. In San Francisco, a group rallied in support of Israel at Congregation Sherith Israel, one of the oldest U.S. synagogues. Students visiting the city from Israel's Ben-Gurion University, which is 25 miles from Gaza, participated in the rally. "My sister and my nephews are in a bunker right now... It's really hard to be so far away from your friends at this time," said Yuval Appleboim, 26. USA Today

4. Afghanistan earthquake death toll surpasses 2,400

The death toll from earthquakes in Afghanistan rose to more than 2,400 people, the Taliban administration said Sunday. One of the tremors registered 6.3 on the Richter scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Volunteers and rescue workers, using shovels and sometimes digging with their bare hands, rushed to free people trapped under rubble. "If we don't urgently receive advanced and trained rescue teams in the area soon, we will see an increase in the loss of lives that could have been avoided," a rescue worker identified as Sabir told Aljazeera in western Herat province.  Rescuers said they had no idea how many were buried under debris, dead or alive.  Reuters, Aljazeera

5. 2 killed in shooting at Bowie State University

Two 19-year-old men were fatally shot at Bowie State University Saturday night during the Maryland historically Black university's homecoming weekend, Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland Butler said at a Sunday news conference. The victims weren't students at Bowie State or nearby Morgan State University. Morgan State students were invited to Bowie State after gunfire last week disrupted their homecoming celebrations. Morgan State canceled its homecoming football game after the shooting sent people scrambling for cover while they were leaving an on-campus event. Four students and another person were injured in that incident. Police said the Bowie State killings appeared to be an isolated crime probably committed by a single attacker. CNN

6. Far-right makes election gains in 2 German states

Conservative parties won clear victories Sunday in elections in two German states, Bavaria and Hesse, in a sign of trouble for the left-wing coalition government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The Christian Social Union, a sister-party to the center-right Christian Democratic Union, is projected to win 36.6% of the vote in Bavaria and 34.6% in the smaller Hesse. But the biggest winner appeared to be the far-right populist Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which surged into second place in both states. The AfD's strong showing outside its traditional stronghold in the states of the former East Germany suggested its appeal was expanding and "can only worry every democrat in this country," said Ricarda Lang, a co-leader of the Greens. Politico

7. Harvard professor Claudia Goldin wins Nobel economics prize

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm announced Monday that Claudia Goldin, a professor at Harvard University, has won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences "for having advanced our understanding of women's labor market outcomes." Goldin's pioneering work in gender economics has explored why the gender pay gap persists, indicating that it won't necessarily disappear with economic development and that growth doesn't always improve labor outcomes for women. Goldin is the third woman to receive the Nobel in economics, after Elinor Ostrom in 2009 and Esther Duflo in 2019. Last year's winners — Ben Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond, and Philip H. Dybvig — were recognized for their research on banks and financial crises. Bloomberg, The Guardian

8. Exxon shale oil business head charged with sexual assault

David Scott, an Exxon Mobil senior vice president who oversees the energy giant's shale oil and gas production business, was arrested at a Texas hotel and charged with sexual assault, police said Sunday. Officers arrested Scott, 49, at a $120-a-night hotel near Exxon's Spring, Texas, headquarters after one of two women he was with left his room and called police from the lobby, Reuters reported, citing a worker who saw a security video. Exxon Mobil's shale oil and gas unit is in talks to buy Pioneer Natural Resources in a massive deal that could value the shale producer at $60 billion. An agreement is expected within days, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Reuters

9. 'The Exorcist: Believer' leads weekend box office

"The Exorcist: Believer" led the domestic box office over the weekend. The R-rated reboot of the horror classic franchise brought in $27.2 million in ticket sales at 3,663 North American cinemas, falling short of expectations of a $35 million debut. "This is a good opening for a horror sequel that's coming 19 years after the last 'Exorcist' and 50 years after the original in 1973," said David A. Gross, who runs movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. Paramount's "PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie" dropped into second place in its second week with $11.7 million, and "Saw X" was third with $8.2 million. Variety

10. Simone Biles adds 2 more golds at world championships

Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles won two more gold medals on the final day of the 2023 world championships on Sunday. She won her third and fourth gold medals of the competition in the balance beam and floor exercise competitions, after leading the U.S. women to a record seventh straight team victory. Biles also won the all-around gold, and a silver on vault. Biles' final performances capped a stunning comeback in her first world championships since 2019. Biles only returned to competition this summer after a two-year break following the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics, where she dropped out after suffering from disorientation gymnasts call "the twisties." Biles, now the most-decorated gymnast in history, said "it's a win in my book" just to be competing again. The Associated Press, USA Today