Hello from CNN, I’m Joe Beck with the five things you need to know for Tuesday, October 31st. Israel ruled out a ceasefire and stepped up its attacks in Gaza. The country’s forces said they hit around 300 targets last night, as UN officials called for the fighting to stop so people in Gaza could get desperately needed food, water and medical supplies. One official described a sense of helplessness after speaking to families in the region on the phone and said an eight-year-old told them, quote, We don’t want to die. A CNN reporter says 13 aid trucks crossed from Egypt into Gaza today, and an Egyptian border official says another 81 are going through security checks. White House National Security Adviser John Kirby says the US is leading efforts to get aid to the region.
And if it wasn’t for, frankly, the American leadership, I don’t think he would have seen, in fact I know you wouldn’t have seen the increase in aid.
But the situation is still desperate. Listen to this American stranded in Gaza.
American trapped in Gaza
00:01:02
Our greatest fear now is that a ground invasion is imminent. At this point, we don’t care how intense the bombing is, as long as we get out alive in the morning.
And as the conflict rages in the Middle East, it continues to spark new outbreaks of hatred around the world. The second day of the trial to decide whether former President Donald Trump should be disqualified from the 2024 presidential election in Colorado is approaching. The case revolves around a provision of the 14th Amendment that bars officials from future office if they, quote, engage in riots or give aid or comfort to rioters. Yesterday, Eric Olson, who represents the Republicans and independent voters who filed the lawsuit, argued why Trump should not be allowed to run.
Trump is involved in riots and therefore cannot be on the ballot. No man, not even a former president, is above the law.
But Trump lawyer Scott Gessler criticized the procedure, saying it was up to voters to decide.
“They want to destroy that opportunity by preventing him from running for office.” This is anti-democratic. We argue here that this is, at its lowest level, election interference.
The Constitution is unclear about how the 14th Amendment prohibition should be applied, and it has only been used twice since the 19th century. American workers may have a little more money in their pockets. The Labor Department reported today that wages and benefits rose 1.1% last quarter, a faster-than-expected pace. But it may not be all good news, as wage growth may contribute to higher prices. Although economists don’t always agree on how much workers’ wages rise, this ultimately fuels inflation. The auto workers’ strike finally appears to be coming to an end, and it’s not a minute too soon for Stellantis. The company says the exit cost it $3 billion in lost revenue and hit production along with sales. Industrial action by the United Auto Workers lasted about six weeks before reaching tentative agreements with all the big three carmakers in the past few days. But Stellantis still reported better-than-expected earnings for the July to September period, up 7% from the same period last year. So did General Motors, with a 5% increase. Taking aspirin to help your heart may not be a good idea for everyone. This is the next one. Taking aspirin long-term to prevent heart problems may be ineffective or even dangerous for some high-risk cardiovascular patients with stents. This is according to a new study published in the scientific journal Circulation. CNN’s Meg Tyrrell tells us more.
Joe, Aspirin is usually used to reduce the risk of blood clots, but because it can also increase the risk of severe bleeding, researchers are studying the best ways to use it. Now, this new report looks at patients with a heart problem called acute coronary syndrome, which can include heart attacks, treated with an artery unblocking procedure. They are then given aspirin and another medicine to prevent clots. These researchers found that patients could stop taking aspirin after three months and had no higher risk of complications. On top of that, the risk of heavy bleeding is significantly reduced, suggesting that in this case, less may be more.
That’s all for now. Our next episode is at 5pm Eastern.