A staggering death toll in Gaza

Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY
·4 min read
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The death toll in Gaza reached a grim milestone. The Supreme Court might want to stay out of the 2024 election – but now it has to deal with Trump. And hackers stole a whole lot of Xfinity customer data.

👋 Hey y’all! Laura Davis here. It’s time for Wednesday’s news!

🌊 But first: He tried to cross the ocean in a giant hamster wheel. Then the federal charges came.

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Palestinian death toll tops 20,000 in Gaza

The leader of the Hamas political wing was in Cairo on Wednesday for talks toward a truce that could allow more prisoner-hostage exchanges and increased humanitarian aid for the devastated Gaza Strip. Ismail Haniyeh was holding "critical discussions" with Egyptian officials, Egypt Today reported, as the Palestinian death toll surpassed a staggering 20,000. Could a truce be near? The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel was offering a one-week pause in the fighting in return for the release of 40 hostages. 👉 Here's the latest.

Palestinians line up for a meal in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.
Palestinians line up for a meal in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.

SCOTUS just can’t quit Trump

A stunning decision late Tuesday to disqualify former President Donald Trump from Colorado's 2024 primary ballot has thrust the U.S. Supreme Court once again into the place it least wants to be: In the middle of a legal fight with the potential to shake up next year's election.

  • What's going on? The nation's top court is already weighing whether to hear Trump's claim that he's entitled to immunity from federal charges tied to his interference in the 2020 election. The justices have also agreed to decide a suit questioning whether those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol can face obstruction charges.

  • So what changed? As significant as those cases are, with Colorado ruling that Trump is ineligible to appear on the state's ballot because of his role in inciting the violence at the Capitol, the U.S. Supreme Court will almost certainly be shoved into the 2024 election more explicitly than before. 🔎 Take a closer look at the issues.

  • New: Trump asks SCOTUS to stay out of election fraud case.

  • Chris Christie slams Colorado decision to keep Trump off ballot.

  • GOP senator moves to block other states from disqualifying Trump.

Real quick

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10 Americans swapped for ally of Venezuelan president

The Biden administration released a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from U.S. custody Wednesday in exchange for 10 Americans detained in Venezuela and the return of a notorious fugitive. Six of the Americans freed from Venezuelan custody were considered wrongfully detained. The U.S. also secured the extradition of Leonard Francis, a Malaysian defense contractor known as "Fat Leonard," who fled to Venezuela while facing sentencing for orchestrating one of the biggest bribery scandals in U.S. Navy history. In exchange, Biden granted clemency to Alex Saab, long considered a bag man for Maduro who was arrested on a U.S. warrant for money laundering in 2020. 🤝 What to know about the prisoner swap.

Pedestrians walk near a poster asking for the freedom of Colombian businessman and Venezuelan special envoy Alex Saab, in Caracas, Venezuela, Sept. 9, 2021.
Pedestrians walk near a poster asking for the freedom of Colombian businessman and Venezuelan special envoy Alex Saab, in Caracas, Venezuela, Sept. 9, 2021.

Data for millions exposed in Xfinity security breach

*shakes fist* Keep an eye on your accounts, y’all. A data breach at Xfinity has given hackers access to the personal information of nearly all of the company's customers. Comcast, the parent company of Xfinity, sent a notice to customers Monday saying there was "unauthorized access to its internal systems" as a result of a vulnerability in software from cloud computing company Citrix, which is used by Xfinity. The company says it notified law enforcement and initiated an investigation, determining that information from 35.8 million people was acquired by hackers. 👾 What to know about the hack.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hello: laura@usatoday.com. This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel-Hamas war, Trump blocked in Colorado, Venezuela prisoner swap: Wednesday's news