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* Difficult diplomacy: “The United States is discussing with Israel and Qatar a proposal for a pause in fighting in Gaza of up to three days that would allow for the delivery of more humanitarian aid and the possible release of some hostages held by Hamas, according to two foreign diplomats and a U.S. official.”
* In New York: “Ivanka Trump, former President Donald Trump’s older daughter, is testifying today in the $250 million civil fraud trial. ... Ivanka Trump testified she was not involved in her father’s financial statements, which are at the heart of Attorney General Letitia James’ case. But James told reporters this morning that the ex-White House adviser is ‘inextricably tied to the Trump Organization.’”
* The latest Jan. 6 guilty plea: “A man who online sleuths dubbed ‘Spider Nazi’ has pleaded guilty in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.”
* In related news: “Federal authorities are searching for a former New Jersey National Guard police sergeant wanted on charges related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Online sleuths who go by the name ‘Sedition Hunters’ have known Gregory Yetman’s identity since early 2022, referring to him by the nickname #GreenHeavySprayer because he was seen in Jan. 6 footage using a large sprayer on law enforcement at the Capitol, they told NBC News.”
* In Texas: “An explosion has triggered a large fire at a chemical plant in Shepherd, Texas, sending massive plumes of black smoke into the sky. The ‘plant explosion’ and following chemical fire unfolded Wednesday morning at Sound Resource Solutions, which makes solvents for glue and paint remover, the San Jacinto County Office of Emergency Management said.”
* This impeachment inquiry apparently isn’t over yet: “House Republicans on Wednesday issued subpoenas to Hunter and James Biden — President Joe Biden’s son and brother, respectively — as well as a Biden family associate, Rob Walker, in an escalation of Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into the president.”
* The intensifying climate emergency: “This October was the hottest on record globally, 1.7 degrees Celsius (3.1 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the pre-industrial average for the month — and the fifth straight month with such a mark in what will now almost certainly be the warmest year ever recorded.”
See you tomorrow.