TRUCKS OF HUMANITARIAN AID ARRIVE IN GAZA AS ISRAEL CONTINUES ITS AIR STRIKES AGAINST HAMAS 

AND — NINE REPUBLICANS ENTER THE RACE FOR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE 

THE MORNING RUNDOWN STARTS NOW.

TODAY IS MONDAY, OCTOBER 23RD.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

I’M KARAH RUCKER.

THIS MORNING – THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST ENTERS ITS THIRD WEEK AS ISRAEL HIT GAZA WITH MORE AIR STRIKES — CONTINUING TO FIRE BACK FOLLOWING HAMAS’ TERROR ATTACKS.

IN ADDITION, THE ISRAELI ARMY SAYS IT STRUCK HEZBELLAH TARGETS IN SOUTHERN LEBANON OVERNIGHT.

THE ISRAELI MILITARY SAID IT HIT MORE THAN 320 TARGETS INCLUDING A TUNNEL HOUSING HAMAS FIGHTERS IN GAZA – AS IT PREPARES ITS TROOPS AND TANKS FOR A GROUND INVASION.

AS THE WAR REACHES MULTIPLE FRONTS — MORE TRUCKS CARRYING HUMANITARIAN AID ARRIVED IN GAZA FROM EGYPT, ACCORDING TO PALESTINIAN OFFICIALS.

THE TRUCKS CARRY FOOD, WATER AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES.

HOWEVER, THE UNITED NATIONS HUMANITARIAN AGENCY SAYS WHAT IS BEING BROUGHT IN IS JUST A FRACTION OF WHAT IS NEEDED FOR THE CITIZENS OF GAZA.

ACCORDING TO HEALTH OFFICIALS IN THE TERRITORY – AT LEAST 4,600 PEOPLE HAVE DIED SINCE ISRAEL BEGAN ITS RETALIATORY AIR STRIKES IN RESPONSE TO THE HAMAS ATTACK THAT KILLED 1,400 PEOPLE.

THIS MORNING THE ISRAELI MILITARY SAID THE NUMBER OF HOSTAGES TAKEN BY HAMAS HAS RISEN TO 222.

ON FRIDAY, HAMAS RELEASED TWO AMERICAN HOSTAGES – JUDITH AND NATALIE (RAWNYN) RAANAN OF ILLINOIS – A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER.

HAMAS CITED “HUMANITARIAN REASONS” FOR THEIR RELEASE.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SPOKE WITH LEADERS OF CANADA, FRANCE, GERMANY, ITALY AND THE UNITED KINGDOM ON A CALL SUNDAY – ACCORDING TO THE WHITE HOUSE THE COUNTRIES “REITERATED THEIR SUPPORT” FOR ISRAEL AND “ITS RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF” AND CALLED FOR “ADHERENCE TO INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW” TO PROTECT CIVILIANS.  

AT HOME — THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HAS ISSUED AN ALERT TO U.S. CITIZENS – WARNING THAT MORE ANTISEMITIC AND ISLAMOPHOBIC HATE ATTACKS COULD OCCUR IN THE COUNTRY AS THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST INTENSIFIES.

AS CONCERNS GROW OVER HATE ATTACKS IN THE U.S., AS WELL AS HEIGHTENED TENSIONS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES AMID THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY HAS ISSUED AN APOLOGY FOR AN INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED THIS PAST WEEKEND —

NOT ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD – BUT ON THE VIDEOBOARD.

MICHIGAN STATE WAS DISPLAYING TRIVIA QUESTIONS ON THE BIG BOARD BEFORE KICKOFF – WHEN PHOTOS BEGAN BEING POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA SHOWING AN IMAGE OF ADOLF HITLER AS ONE OF THE ANSWERS.

THE UNIVERSITY SAID THE QUIZ WAS TAKEN FROM A YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND MSU SUSPENDED AN EMPLOYEE OVER THE INCIDENT.

– THE CREATOR OF THE  YOUTUBE CHANNEL TELLING CNN – THE UNIVERSITY USED HIS CONTENT WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION AND HE WOULD NOT HAVE CHOSEN THIS PARTICULAR QUESTION FOR A LIVE STADIUM AUDIENCE.

MICHIGAN STATE VICE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS ALAN HALLER ISSUED A STATEMENT SAYING THE IMAGE WAS QUOTE “HARMFUL TO OUR COMMUNITIES, ESPECIALLY OUR JEWISH COMMUNITY WHICH IS CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING A RISE IN ANTISEMITISM, INCLUDING ACTS OF VIOLENCE.”

LAST WEEK – HOUSE JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN JIM JORDAN DROPPED OUT OF THE RACE TO BE THE NEXT SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE – AFTER FAILING TO SECURE ENOUGH VOTES FOR A THIRD TIME AND FOLLOWING A CLOSED-DOOR MEETING OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED FOR JORDAN NOT TO REMAIN AS THEIR NOMINEE.

SUNDAY AT NOON WAS THE DEADLINE FOR OTHERS TO ANNOUNCE THEIR BID FOR SPEAKER.

NINE CANDIDATES HAVE STEPPED FORWARD.

JACK BERGMAN OF MICHIGAN.

BYRON DONALDS OF FLORIDA

MAJORITY WHIP TOM EMMER OF MINNESOTA

KEVIN HERN OF OKLAHOMA

GOP CONFERENCE VICE CHAIR MIKE JOHNSON OF LOUISIANA

DAN MEUSER OF PENNSYLVANIA

GARY PALMER OF ALABAMA

AUSTIN SCOTT OF GEORGIA

AND PETE SESSIONS OF TEXAS.

THESE NINE CANDIDATES WILL MAKE THEIR CASE DURING A CLOSED-DOOR REPUBLICAN FORUM TONIGHT.

AN INTERNAL SECRET-BALLOT VOTE IS SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY MORNING.

AND A VOTE FOR SPEAKER COULD BE BROUGHT TO THE FLOOR LATER IN THE DAY TUESDAY.

A MANHUNT IS UNDERWAY IN TENNESSEE – FOR THE SON OF NASHVILLE’S POLICE CHIEF – WHO IS ACCUSED OF SHOOTING TWO OFFICERS DURING A STOLEN CAR INVESTIGATION OVER THE WEEKEND.

METRO NASHVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT CHIEF JOHN DRAKE – SAYS HE AND HIS SON— 38-YEAR-OLD JOHN C DRAKE — HAVE BEEN ESTRANGED FOR YEARS.

THE CHIEF SAYS HIS SON HAS “RESORTED TO YEARS OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY” AND “NEEDS TO BE FOUND.”

AUTHORITIES SAY THE CHIEF’S SON SHOT AND INJURED THE TWO OFFICERS DURING A STRUGGLE SATURDAY OUTSIDE A DOLLAR STORE ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NASHVILLE.

A STATEWIDE ALERT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE SUSPECT— WHO IS WANTED ON TWO COUNTS OF ATTEMPTED FIRST DEGREE MURDER.

ACCORDING TO A PEER REVIEWED STUDY PUBLISHED LAST WEEK IN THE JOURNAL “NATURE MENTAL HEALTH”…

EATING A MEDITERRANEAN DIET — FULL OF VEGETABLE, FRUITS, AND FISH — MAY REDUCE OR PREVENT POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.

THE STUDY LOOKED AT NEARLY 200 WOMEN — AND FOUND THAT THOSE WHO FOLLOWED A MEDITERRANEAN DIET EXPERIENCED FEWER PTSD SYMPTOMS OVERALL.

THE STUDY ALSO FOUND THAT PLANT BASED FOODS IN GENERAL WERE NEGATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH PTSD SYMPTOMS WHILE RED MEAT AND PROCESSED MEAT WERE FOUND TO CORRELATE WITH PTSD SYMPTOMS.

PTSD SYMPTOMS CAN DEVELOP AFTER EXPOSURE TO A TRAUMATIC EVENT, LIKE SEVERE INJURIES, VIOLENCE, OR DEATH.

“THE U-S DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS” ESTIMATES THAT SIX-PERCENT OF ADULTS WILL HAVE PTSD AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIVES.

L3:NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH HOTLINE: 866-903-3787

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS DEALING WITH PTSD THERE IS A FREE HOTLINE TO HELP CONNECT WITH MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES… THAT NUMBER IS 866-903-3787.

FINALLY THIS MORNING – WITH THE WORLD SERIES JUST DAYS AWAY – BASEBALL FANS HAVE A NEW WAY TO GET CLOSER TO THE GAME’S ILLUSTRIOUS HISTORY – THROUGH REAL ESTATE.

FANS OF THE SPORT WILL SOON HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN PART OF THE CHILDHOOD HOME OF BASEBALL GREAT — MICKEY MANTLE.

RALLY – AN INVESTMENT PLATFORM – WILL BE OFFERING 47 THOUSAND SHARES OF HIS BOYHOOD HOME IN COMMERCE, OKLAHOMA – FOR $7 DOLLARS EACH.

RALLY SAYS THE NEW OWNERS WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE PROPOSALS AND VOTE ON DECISIONS — LIKE WHETHER TO TURN THE HOME INTO A MUSEUM FOR THE NEW YORK YANKEES LEGEND OR ADD A LITTLE LEAGUE FIELD TO THE BACKYARD.

THE OFFERING OPENS FRIDAY – THE SAME DAY AS GAME 1 OF THE WORLD SERIES.

THESE ARE YOUR TOP STORIES FOR THIS MONDAY.

AND BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE MORNING RUNDOWN NEWSLETTER  TO GET THE TOP STORIES EACH WEEKDAY MORNING – JUST GO TO SAN DOT COM SLASH THE RUNDOWN TO SIGN UP.

UNBIASED. STRAIGHT FACTS. THAT’S STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.

WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW.

UNTIL THEN I’M KARAH RUCKER. HAVE A GREAT DAY!