The death toll in Gaza rises above 20,000, according to local health officials. And the speaker of the House writes a letter to the president urging him to take executive action on the border crisis. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, Dec. 22, 2023.  

Health ministry says Gaza death toll surpasses 20,000

More than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war in Gaza began 11 weeks ago, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry on Friday, Dec. 22. Officials said more than 50,000 have been wounded.

While the ministry’s numbers released today do not differentiate between soldier and civilian deaths, health officials in Gaza have previously said approximately two-thirds of those killed have been women and children.
Israel and the U.S. have questioned the accuracy of the ministry’s numbers in the past due to the organization being controlled by Hamas. Israel says it blames the terrorist group for civilian deaths, claiming Hamas uses crowded residential areas for its military purposes.

Israel has carried out thousands of airstrikes in addition to its ground operations in its efforts to destroy Hamas following the Oct. 7 terror attacks. Israel says its army has killed thousands of Hamas militants since the fighting began, including roughly two thousand in the past three weeks.

The fighting has displaced nearly 85 percent of Gaza’s residents. and, according to a report released Thursday, Dec. 21, by the United Nations, more than half a million people in Gaza are starving, a quarter of the population.
Despite calls for a pause in the fighting, Israel says it will continue its campaign against Hamas.

The U.N. Security Council delayed a vote again on Thursday on additional aid deliveries and terms for a cease-fire. The U.S. said it would back a resolution calling for “creating the conditions” for a cease-fire as opposed to an immediate end to the fighting. A vote on a revised U.N. resolution is expected later Friday.

Egyptian officials say Israel had offered a temporary cease-fire for one week to get more hostages released, but Hamas turned down the deal instead wanting a permanent ceasefire before releasing any more of the 100 plus hostages.

At least 14 killed in Czech Republic’s worst mass shooting

At least 14 people were killed and more than 20 others were injured after a lone gunman opened fire Thursday at a Prague university in the Czech Republic’s worst-ever mass shooting.
 
Authorities said the 24-year-old suspect, who was a student at Charles University, died as well. On Thursday evening, police said it appeared the suspect died by suicide.  Police said a man believed to be the suspect’s father was found dead earlier in the day in a nearby town.  

The university building which sits near the popular tourist attraction of Old Town Square was evacuated.
 
Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said it did not appear to be a case of international terrorism.
 
“It’s a horrible crime, something the Czech Republic has never experienced,” Rakusan said.

A motive remains under investigation.

Jury finds 3 officers not guilty in death of Manuel Ellis

Three officers from Tacoma, Washington were found not guilty Thursday in the 2020 death of Manuel “Manny” Ellis while he was in police custody.  

Prosecutors said the officers hit, Tased and pinned Ellis to the ground during the March 2020 arrest. In cell phone video of the confrontation, the unarmed 33-year-old Black man could be heard saying he couldn’t breathe.

The county medical examiner ruled Ellis’ death a homicide caused by oxygen deprivation. But the officers’ attorneys argued that Ellis died from a lethal dose of methamphetamine found in his system and a heart condition, not from the officers’ actions.

Two of the officers were charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. The third was charged with first-degree manslaughter.

A jury found the three officers not guilty on all counts.

Speaker Johnson sends letter to President Biden

As Congress begins its holiday break with no new deal reached on border security, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday, blaming him for the crisis at the border and calling on him to take several executive actions to “stem the record tide of illegal immigration.”

Johnson told the president the southern border is “overrun” and U.S. Customs and Border Protection is at a “breaking point” seeing a record number of illegal crossings.

Johnson, citing CBP data, said on average more than 8,000 migrants illegally enter the U.S. each day, and this week saw a record number of crossings in a single day. The speaker said this is a direct result of the Biden administration’s policies.

Among the actions requested, the speaker called on the president to resume construction of the border wall and to expedite the return of migrants who cannot demonstrate asylum eligibility. 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during Thursday’s press briefing she had not yet reviewed the letter but said the president has done everything he can on his own. 

Senate negotiators were hoping to strike a deal on border measures before the break in order to pass a bill for additional funding for Ukraine, but ultimately left without reaching a compromise.

Rudy Giuliani files for bankruptcy after being ordered to pay $148 million

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and attorney of Donald Tump, filed for bankruptcy on Thursday — less than a week after a jury ordered him to pay $148 million in damages for defaming two Georgia election workers.

Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, a mother and daughter, said the false statements accusing them of voting fraud during the 2020 presidential election led to death threats and made them go through “a living nightmare.”

A day before the bankruptcy filing, a federal judge ruled Giuliani must immediately begin to pay the women, saying there was a risk he may conceal his assets. In the filing, Giuliani said he had between $100 million and $500 million in liabilities and $1 million to $10 million in assets.

“No person could have reasonably believed that Mayor Rudy Giuliani would be able to pay such a high punitive amount,” spokesperson Ted Goodman said.

Goodman said the bankruptcy filing will give Giuliani time to appeal the $148 million penalty.

Dreaming of White Christmas? Keep dreaming

If you’re dreaming of a White Christmas, you’ll most likely not get that wish this year.

A white Christmas is officially defined as having at least one inch of snow on the ground at 7 am local time on Christmas Day — and that’s not looking good for most of the U.S.

With mild December air sweeping across the country, The Weather Channel says those in the Northeast, the Midwest and the South are “out of the running.” In fact, Minneapolis may set record highs on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

To have a chance of seeing a White Christmas you have to head west.

The Weather Channel says your best chance is through the Rockies and the northern plains.  

So in other words, unless you’re spending the holiday in Colorado, or the surrounding area, you’ll just have to keep on dreaming of a white Christmas.