Daily Briefing: Thousands trapped in Gaza hospital

United Nations officials have urged immediate international action to end the attacks on Gaza hospitals. Also in the news: President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set to meet one-on-one during a summit of leaders from the Asia-Pacific region and did you catch that ''Karma is the guy on the Chiefs.''

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Is your home ready for cold winter temps?

Here is the news to know Monday.

'People who tried to evacuate the hospital, they were shot at in the streets'

The area around al-Shifa Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip was slammed by heavy shelling Sunday as the fate of the thousands of patients, staff and civilians seeking shelter there grew more desperate by the hour.

Hospital officials dismissed claims by the Israeli military that it had provided an escape route: “No one can get out. No one can come in," Dr. Marwan Abusada, head of surgery at al-Shifa Hospital told Al Jazeera. "People who tried to evacuate the hospital, they were shot at in the streets."

• Palestinian officials say thousands of civilians have taken refuge among patients and staff, but Israeli officials accuse Hamas of concealing a command post in the hospital compound. Hamas denies it.

• More than half of Gaza’s hospitals are closed. With inadequate supplies, fuel, and electricity, incubators at the hospital have been idle and the Gaza Health Ministry said about 36 babies are at risk of dying. The hospital’s last generator ran out of fuel Saturday, causing the deaths of three premature babies and four other patients.

• A hostage deal with Hamas could be near, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday. Nine Americans are still missing after the war between Israel and Hamas broke out following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Related: The Israel-Hamas war is making college choice harder. To receive weekday updates about the war, sign up for our newsletter here.

San Francisco, hoping to resuscitate post-pandemic image, hosts APEC

Amid talks of San Francisco's downward spiral, or "doom loop," and with the city preparing to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, which will be held in the U.S. for the first time since 2011. Leaders from the 21-member APEC group will gather in San Francisco to talk about how to better spur trade and economic growth across the Pacific region. But the main event will actually play out on the sidelines as President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping meet face-to-face. Perhaps APEC, which started over the weekend and ramps up Monday, can spark the city's bounce back amid a longstanding homelessness crisis, rising crime and the exodus of major retail outlets. Read more

• Opinion: Here's why political and economic stakes are high for San Francisco's APEC conference.

More news to know now

• Sen. Tim Scott has dropped out of the 2024 presidential election, days after the third GOP primary debate.

• The suspect in a Detroit synagogue leader's fatal stabbing was released without charges.

• Four people are dead, including a Texas police officer, during a hostage standoff.

• A tuberculosis outbreak in Omaha exposed 500 kids and staff at a YMCA.

• For subscribers: 52 years after he sent it home from Vietnam, this veteran was reunited with his box of medals and mementos.

• On today's The Excerpt podcast, what to know about the FDA approval of tirzepatide for weight loss. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

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

What's House Speaker Mike Johnson's plan to avert a shutdown?

The government's current spending plan expires at midnight Friday, and certain government operations will halt if House Republicans cannot agree on a plan that also gets approval from President Joe Biden and the Democratic Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Saturday he will seek to avoid a government shutdown with a "two-step" temporary spending plan – but his proposal drew immediate criticism from some fellow conservatives and the White House. His two-step plan would extend operations until Jan. 19 for some agencies and until Feb. 2 for others while Congress negotiates long-term spending. Read more

• These advocates pushed the power of the Black vote in Mississippi. Then came the ballot shortages.

Donald Trump Jr. returning to stand in New York civil fraud trial

Donald Trump Jr. will be returning to the witness stand two weeks after state lawyers quizzed him during a New York real estate fraud trial that also featured testimony from his father and siblings Eric and Ivanka Trump. In his original statements, Trump Jr. said he never worked on the annual financial statements at the heart of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit. The lawsuit accuses Donald Trump of falsely inflating his wealth by billions to lock in deals on loan terms and insurance. If found liable, the former president and other defendants could be on the line for $250 million in damages. Read more

• The ''QAnon shaman'' from Jan. 6 Capitol attack could run for Congress?

Keep scrolling

• Alabama can't charge people for assisting with out-of-state abortion travel.

• This Pittsburgh clinic treats pets and humans alike.

• Gabrielle Union is warning against the stigma on menopause.

• ''I'm Just Ken'' is Grammy-nominated.

• This Peoria book store is a true reading lovers hub in Illinois.

•  Is the Sriracha shortage over?

What we learned in NFL Week 10: C.J. Stroud is running the top rookie race

What a wild Sunday afternoon, the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks all winning with field goals on the final play of their respective games. It marked the most game-winning scores with no time remaining in the fourth quarter in a single week in the league’s 104-season history. And the player to watch was Texans QB C.J. Stroud. Coming off his rookie-record 470-yard passing day in Week 9, Stroud put up 356 more in Sunday’s 30-27 upset of the Bengals in Cincinnati. He joined Cam Newton and Andrew Luck for the most games (3) with 350+ pass yards among rookies – with eight more games yet to play. Read more

• College football Week 11 winners and losers: Michigan shows its muscle as Penn State flops.

• Texas A&M fired football coach Jimbo Fisher, triggering a record $77 million buyout.

Photo of the day: 'Karma is the guy on the Chiefs'

In case you missed it (if that's possible!) Taylor Swift closed out her second show in Buenos Aires, Argentina, by changing the lyrics to her song "Karma" to reference tight end Travis Kelce, who attended the show that night. "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me," Swift sang about the NFL player who flew south during the team's bye week. Kelce watched the show from the VIP tent with Swift's dad, Scott Swift. Read more

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: Israel-Hamas war, government shutdown, Trump New York trial, NFL, Taylor Swift: Daily Briefing