Daily Briefing: Election Day victories for Democrats

Tuesday’s off-year elections offered a wide glimpse into the minds of Americans ahead of the 2024 elections. Also in the news: Israel's leader said his country will have a "security responsibility" in Gaza after the war with Hamas ends. Who's your best guess for People's Sexiest Man Alive in 2023? (Keep scrolling to find out!)

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Squishmallows, suitcases and stoves for s'mores: These are the most-searched holiday gift ideas for 2023.

Now here we go with Wednesday's news.

Big implications for off-year Election Day

Democrats won several victories Tuesday night, after Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear was reelected, Ohio voters passed a ballot measure to protect abortion rights in the state and Democrats in Virginia won control of the state's Senate and House of Delegates.

But Republicans won in Mississippi, after Democratic candidate Brandon Presley conceded the state's governor race to Tate Reeves, the Republican incumbent.

• Election lesson: Abortion delivers for Democrats. In Kentucky, a solidly red state, Beshear sailed to a second term after a campaign that focused front and center on abortion rights. In Ohio, an increasingly reliable Republican state, voters by double digits approved an amendment enshrining access to abortion in the state constitution.

•  Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin had rallied Republicans in the state behind a vision of a red Virginia and total Republican legislature. Now Youngkin will have an uphill battle with his proposed 15-week abortion limit.

• Were the results a loss for Trump? Last night served as a prelude for voter sentiment on key issues and how Republicans and Democrats will fare on the national stage next year.

Netanyahu open to 'little pauses' for aid to Gaza

Thousands of Palestinians are fleeing south on foot with only what they can carry after running out of food and water in the north as Israel says its troops are battling Hamas militants deep inside Gaza City. Israel remains steadfastly opposed to a cease-fire in Gaza until the more than 240 hostages held by Hamas are released, but short pauses to allow the flow of humanitarian aid are possible, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says. Netanyahu has expressed a cease-fire would hinder efforts to free the hostages and delay the war’s conclusion.

• Netanyahu indicated Israel plans to maintain a tight grip and will have “overall security responsibility” in Gaza when the war winds down.

• More than 400 U.S. citizens and their families have left Gaza through the Rafah crossing into Egypt since last Wednesday, including 96 in the last 24 hours, the White House said.

• Some Jewish Americans are heading overseas to fight Hamas. As Israeli first responders were called up for military service or were killed or wounded in the Hamas attacks, first responders from the U.S. rushed to fill the void.

Related: Here's how Hollywood is reacting to the war between Israel and Hamas. If you'd like to receive weekday updates about the war in the Middle East, sign up here.

More news to know now

• Ukrainian cities took the worst attack from Russia yet while world watches Gaza.

• The House censured Rashida Tlaib as she defended her comments over Israel.

• Will Mike Johnson try to cut Social Security or Medicare?

• It looks like a regular video-streaming site. It's fundraising for white supremacists.

• For subscribers: How Billy the Kid's Indiana ties shaped his fate.

• On today's The Excerpt podcast, the third GOP debate is tonight. What's Donald Trump's strategy to keep skipping? Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Ivanka takes the stand in Trump New York real estate fraud trial

Ivanka Trump — former President Donald Trump's oldest daughter — is slated to testify Wednesday in a high-stakes New York civil fraud trial. The results of the case could permanently block her father and brothers from doing business in the nation's financial capital and could cost the Trump family empire a whopping $250 million in penalties. The testimony from Ivanka — a former top White House advisor — comes two days after Donald Trump turned State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron's Manhattan courtroom into a fiery soapbox. Read more

There was no law for domestic violence when the Second Amendment was enacted. Now what?

The Supreme Court on Tuesday signaled it will likely uphold a law banning domestic abusers from owning guns, even as the justices wrestled with how such a decision might affect other challenges of gun laws under the Second Amendment. In one of the most closely watched cases of the year, a Texas man named Zackey Rahimi is asking the justices to throw out his conviction under a federal law that bars people from possessing guns if they are the subject of a domestic violence restraining order. The court's decision, expected next year, could have sweeping implications for other gun laws if it clarifies the standard by which those prohibitions are judged. Read more

Keep scrolling

• Snow is in the forecast in the East and West this week.

• Nintendo is making a live Zelda movie.

• Can we count on renewable energy?

• ''My Name is Barbra'' is everything you could want from a Barbra Streisand memoir.

• Orcas strike back (again), sinking another yacht in Europe after a 45-minute attack.

• A Los Angeles Airbnb renter finally left a property after 570 days.

• Ohio State remained No. 1 in the second College Football Playoff rankings.

Patrick Dempsey named People's Sexiest Man Alive for 2023

Patrick Dempsey, known fondly as McDreamy to many, has been named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive of 2023, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel revealed during his talk show Tuesday. The "Grey's Anatomy" heartthrob and race car driver succeeds last year's recipient, actor and "Captain America" star Chris Evans. "I'm glad it's happening at this point in my life," the 57-year-old actor told People about the honor. Read more

Photo of the day: Cherelle Parker elected first female mayor of Philadelphia

Democrat Cherelle Parker, a former member of the Philadelphia City Council, was elected to serve as the city's 100th mayor on Tuesday. She will also make history as the first woman to hold the office. Check out more photos from Election Day.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Election Day results, Israel-Hamas war, Ivanka Trump testimony, Patrick Dempsey: Daily Briefing