US charges 6 Hamas leaders with terrorism over Oct. 7 attack

THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE HAS ANNOUNCED CHARGES AGAINST SIX SENIOR HAMAS OFFICIALS FOR KILLING AT LEAST 43 AMERICANS SINCE THE TERRORIST ATTACK ON OCTOBER 7TH IN ISRAEL. 

IT’S BEEN NEARLY 11 MONTHS SINCE HAMAS LAUNCHED ITS ASSAULT — 

AND THERE’S STILL WAR RAGING IN GAZA AND MASS PROTESTS TAKING PLACE IN THE STREETS OF ISRAEL AFTER SIX MORE BODIES OF HOSTAGES WERE RECOVERED. 

U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND SAYS THE FEDERAL CHARGES UNSEALED TUESDAY WON’T BE THE LAST EFFORTS BY THE DOJ TO HOLD HAMAS ACCOUNTABLE FOR ITS HEINOUS CRIMES. 

MERRICK GARLAND | U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL 

On October 7th, Hamas terrorists murdered nearly 1200 people, including over 40 Americans, and kidnaped hundreds of civilians. They perpetrated the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.”  

The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’s operations. These actions will not be our last. 

GARLAND SAYS THE DEPARTMENT IS ALSO INVESTIGATING THE DEATHS OF AMERICANS as “ACTS OF TERRORISM” — INCLUDING THE DEATH OF HERSH GOLDBERG-POLIN — 

A 23 YEAR OLD AMERICAN-ISRAELI FOUND KILLED IN GAZA OVER THE WEEKEND. 

THE RECOVERY OF SIX DEAD HOSTAGES IN GAZA SPARKED A MASSIVE ROUND OF PROTESTS IN ISRAEL. 

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WANTING MORE ACTION TO BE TAKEN TO SEE THE RELEASE OF THE REMAINING HOSTAGES. 

THE CHARGES FILED AGAINST SIX HAMAS LEADERS INCLUDE CONSPIRACY TO PROVIDE MATERIAL SUPPORT TO A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. 

CONSPIRACY TO MURDER U.S. NATIONALS AND TO USE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. 

HOWEVER — OF THE SIX HAMAS OFFICIALS CHARGED — THREE OF THEM ARE DEAD — AND THE OTHER THREE HAVE NOT BEEN CAPTURED.

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY SAYS KYIV WILL BE HOLDING ON TO THE RUSSIAN TERRITORIES IT SEIZED LAST MONTH — INDEFINITELY — AS ITS WAR WITH RUSSIA STRETCHES INTO A SECOND YEAR. 

IT’S PART OF A PLAN TO FORCE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE. 

ALMOST A MONTH AGO — UKRAINIAN TROOPS TOOK OVER RUSSIA’S KURSK REGION IN AN UNEXPECTED OPERATION 

UKRAINE NOW CLAIMS IT CONTROLS NEARLY 500 SQUARE MILES OF RUSSIAN TERRITORY AND HAS TAKEN HUNDREDS OF RUSSIAN PRISONERS OF WAR. 

PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY SAYS IT’S NOT ABOUT LAND — IT’S ABOUT SOMETHING MORE. 

RICHARD ENGEL | NBC NEWS 

“You’re always frustrated that people are pressuring you, it seems like, to make a peace deal and I don’t know if they fully understand what it would mean if Ukraine lost this war. Putin says you don’t exist, there’s no such thing as Ukraine. If you lost the war, Putin openly says you don’t exist.” 

“Yeah.” 

“You’re done.” 

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY | UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT 

“He thinks that there’s not any nation, there are no Ukrainians, this is not a country, and this is not a people; this is part of Russia. And he wants to destroy — of course he will destroy, of course, we don’t have any alternative.” 

ZELENSKYY WOULD NOT DISCUSS WHETHER UKRAINE PLANNED TO TRY TO SEIZE MORE RUSSIAN TERRITORY. 

MEANWHILE — UKRAINE’S FOREIGN MINISTER HAS RESIGNED… AND A UKRAINE PARLIAMENT DEPUTY, WARNED WEDNESDAY WOULD BE THE QUOTE “DAY OF RESIGNATIONS” — WITH MORE THAN HALF OF ZELENSKY’S CABINET MEMBERS EXPECTED TO BE REPLACED.

WITH LESS THAN 9 WEEKS TO GO UNTIL ELECTION DAY – BOTH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES WILL BE ON THE ROAD TODAY. 

THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE – VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS – WILL BE GIVING A SPEECH IN NEW HAMPSHIRE WHERE SHE’S EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR NEW BENEFITS FOR ENTREPRENEURS AND SMALL BUSINESSES — INCLUDING A TAX DEDUCTION OF UP TO 50 THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR STARTING A SMALL BUSINESS  — TEN TIMES THE 5 THOUSAND DOLLAR AMOUNT CURRENTLY GRANTED TO SMALL BUSINESSES IN THEIR FIRST YEAR. 

SHE IS ALSO SET TO ANNOUNCE A GOAL OF 25 MILLION SMALL BUSINESS APPLICATIONS DURING HER FIRST TERM IF SHE’S ELECTED PRESIDENT – THIS WOULD SURPASS THE 19 MILLION NEW SMALL BUSINESSES UNDER THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION. 

MEANWHILE – THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE – FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WILL BE HOLDING A TOWN HALL IN THE BATTLEGROUND STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA. 

TRUMP WILL BE TAKING QUESTIONS DURING THE EVENT AT THE FARM SHOW COMPLEX IN HARRISBURG HOSTED BY FOX NEWS host SEAN HANNITY. THE TOWN HALL WILL AIR LATER TONIGHT ON THE NETWORK. 

AND BOTH VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES WILL ALSO BE HOLDING EVENTS TODAY – WITH MINNESOTA GOVERNOR TIM WALTZ IN PENNSYLVANIA AND OHIO SENATOR JD VANCE IN ARIZONA.

A FEDERAL JUDGE HAS REJECTED FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S REQUEST TO INTERVENE IN HIS NEW YORK CRIMINAL CASE. 

TRUMP’S LAWYERS WERE HOPING TO MOVE THE CASE TO FEDERAL COURT SO THEY COULD TRY TO HAVE HIS CONVICTION OVERTURNED IN THE WAKE OF THE SUPREME COURT’S PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY RULING. 

THE JUDGE SAID TRUMP’S CONVICTION FOR FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS INVOLVED HIS PERSONAL LIFE — NOT OFFICIAL ACTIONS — WHICH THE SUPREME COURT RULED ARE IMMUNE FROM PROSECUTION.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SAYS HE WON’T STOP TRYING TO ELIMINATE STUDENT LOAN DEBT FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICANS — AS A NEW LAWSUIT CLAIMS HE TOLD SERVICERS TO CANCEL BILLIONS OF DOLLARS’ WORTH OF DEBT IN SECRET. 

THE LAWSUIT — BROUGHT BY SIX REPUBLICAN STATES – LED BY MISSOURI ATTORNEY GENERAL ANDREW BAILEY  — ALLEGES THEY HAVE DOCUMENTS PROVING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION PLANS TO BEGIN CANCELING LOANS *THIS WEEK* — EVEN THOUGH A CANCELLATION PLAN TECHNICALLY DOES NOT EXIST YET. 

USUALLY, STATES CANNOT FILE TO BLOCK FEDERAL REGULATION UNTIL IT’S OFFICIALLY IN PLACE… BUT IN THIS CASE, THE STATES SAY THEY HAVE PROOF THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION IS IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN *WITHOUT* ONE OFFICIALLY BEING IN PLACE. 

THE LAWSUIT CLAIMS THE ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN PLANNING THIS MOVE SINCE MAY. 

THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAS NOT COMMENTED ON THE PENDING LITIGATION.

AHEAD OF TOMORROW’S KICK-OFF OF THE NFL’S 2024 SEASON — 

THE AMERICAN GAMING ASSOCIATION IS PREDICTING AMERICANS ARE ABOUT TO DISH OUT THE BIG BUCKS ***BETTING ON GAMES — 

SAYING 35 BILLION DOLLARS WILL BE PLACED IN LEGAL WAGERS THIS SEASON. 

IF THE ASSOCIATION IS RIGHT — 

THAT WOULD BE A ROUGHLY 30 PERCENT INCREASE FROM THE AMOUNT BET ON THE NFL LAST YEAR.  

LAST SEASON THERE WAS NEARLY 27 BILLION DOLLARS SPENT ON BETTING ON NFL GAMES. 

BUT SINCE THEN — 

EVEN MORE STATES HAVE PASSED LAWS TO ALLOW FOR **LEGAL BETTING MARKETS — LIKE NORTH CAROLINA, MAINE, AND VERMONT — 

BRINGING THE TOTAL TO 38 STATES AND WASHINGTON D.C. WHERE IT’S ALLOWED. 

AND BETTING ON THE NFL — IS APPARENTLY WHERE AMERICANS FEEL THE MOST LUCKY. 

MORE BETS ARE PLACED AND MORE MONEY IS WAGERED ON THE NFL THAN ANY OTHER LEAGUE.