In today’s newsletter: Sam Altman joins Microsoft after his surprise OpenAI firing. Former first lady Rosalynn Carter dies at 96. And Napoleon’s famous bicorne hat sells for $2.1 million.
Here’s what to know today.
Fighting erupts around another Gaza hospital
Heavy fighting appears to have erupted around another hospital in northern Gaza, as Israel’s military expands its ground assault on the Palestinian enclave. The reports from the Indonesian Hospital come after weeks of focus on Gaza’s main medical facility, Al-Shifa, which Israeli forces stormed for days. 31 premature babies were evacuated from the site yesterday, after 8 died, but hundreds of patients and staff remain trapped, while many more had been sheltering at the Indonesian Hospital.
Israel released videos that it said showed Hamas hostages and a tunnel at Al-Shifa, as the fate of Gaza’s hospitals become a focus of the war’s dueling narratives amid growing outrage at the plight of civilians under the Israeli assault. NBC News could not independently verify the videos, the details of what they were said to show or the IDF’s claims that Hamas operated a command center below the hospital, which both Hamas and hospital staff members have denied.
U.S., Israeli and Hamas negotiators are closing in on a deal to release some of the hostages taken during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in exchange for a pause in fighting, sources familiar with the negotiations told NBC News, though they caution nothing has been finalized yet.
Read more on the Israel-Hamas conflict:
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter dies at 96
Rosalynn Carter, the former first lady who championed mental health care and provided constant political counsel to her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, died at age 96 according to the Carter Center. She had entered hospice care in her home in Plains, Georgia, last week.
The humanitarian drew particular praise for her electoral instincts, down-to-earth appeal, and work on behalf of the White House, including serving as an envoy to Latin America. She devoted herself to several social causes in the course of her public life, including programs that supported health care resources, human rights, social justice and the needs of elderly people.
“Twenty-five years ago, we did not dream that people might someday be able actually to recover from mental illnesses,” Carter said at a mental health symposium in 2003. “Today it is a very real possibility.”
In a statement, former President Carter said: “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished. She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.” Jimmy and Rosalynn were the longest-married presidential couple in U.S. history.
Sam Altman to join Microsoft after OpenAI firing shakes Silicon Valley
Sam Altman has joined Microsoft to lead a new artificial intelligence project, the tech giant said this morning, after he was ousted as CEO of OpenAI in a move that sent shockwaves across Silicon Valley. As rumors swirled that Altman could return after a weekend of boardroom drama, Microsoft announced he would join them instead and Emmett Shear, a co-founder and former CEO of the video streaming platform Twitch, confirmed that he would be the new CEO of OpenAI.
As the tech industry closely follows the moves at OpenAI, Altman’s technological pioneering, charismatic leadership and shock firing have been drawing comparisons to another tech giant — Steve Jobs.
Federal prosecutors and Trump attorneys face off over gag order
Lawyers for former President Donald Trump and the Justice Department are set to square off Monday in a federal appeals court, where Trump’s lawyers will argue that his constitutional rights have been violated by a gag orderbarring him from disparaging witnesses and prosecutors associated with his election interference case.
The judges — two nominated by former President Barack Obama, one by President Joe Biden — issued an order this month pausing the gag order until they could hear arguments in the appeal. The judges will not issue a ruling at the hearing, but their questioning could give an indication of which way they’re leaning.
Argentina’s economy minister concedes defeat to populist Javier Milei in presidential runoff
Argentina’s Economy Minister Sergio Massa conceded defeat to populist Javier Milei in a polarized presidential runoff even before the country’s electoral authority released official results. Massa congratulated his opponent, a right-wing economist who has promised a dramatic shake-up for many of the nation’s institutions and welcomed comparisons of himself to Donald Trump.
With a Milei victory, the country will swing to the right amid discontent over soaring inflation and rising poverty, and empower a freshman lawmaker who describes himself as an anarcho-capitalist and got his start as a television talking head blasting what he called the “political caste.”
Neck injection could improve smell issues in some long Covid patients
Doctors have struggled to determine why people develop a distorted sense of smell, known as parosmia, after a viral infection. Cases of the disorder became a fixture of long Covid cases, confounding doctors and changing the lives of patients who recovered from the infection to realize their favorite tastes and smells were no longer appealing.
Some new research from Jefferson Health in Philadelphia suggests that a procedure called stellate ganglion blockis somewhat effective at reducing parosmia in patients who didn’t respond to pharmaceutical or topical therapies. The treatment involves injecting an anesthetic into the stellate ganglion — a tangle of nerves in the neck that deliver signals to the head, neck, arms and upper chest. It has been used for decades to treat chronic pain.
In other coronavirus news, people with special medical considerations are also hoping that the Novavax shot will bring fewer side effects than the Pfizer or Modern mRNA vaccine. Some have held out on their booster shot until they can track down a dose.
Politics in Brief
Election 2024: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to condemn a post that Elon Musk made on X endorsing an antisemitic tweet that alluded to a white supremacist conspiracy theory.
Young voters: A number of public polls show that Joe Biden is trailing behind Donald Trump among young voters ages 18 to 34.
Congress: Congressional leaders are hoping to pass a supplemental package to aid the war efforts in Ukraine and Israel, as well as make improvements to the U.S. immigration system, by the end of the year.
Staff Pick: ‘Everything’s been a healing process’: One year after Club Q
It’s been one year since five people were killed and dozens were injured at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Survivors say they’re concerned the venue’s management team is prioritizing profit over community as it plans to reopen. And some who are still healing emotionally and physically from the shooting say donations were distributed too slowly and didn’t see financial help for months. -Elizabeth Both, associate platforms editor
In Case You Missed It
Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
A travel carrier is a necessity for traveling, whether your pet likes it or not. Cat carriers run the gamut as far as size, style and build are concerned, so it’s important to think about what models your feline companion will be the safest and most comfortable in. NBC Select talked to cat behaviorists, trainers and veterinarians for key factors to consider while shopping for one.
Sign up to The Selection for exclusive reviews and shopping content from NBC Select.
Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Both. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
