10 things you need to know today: October 25, 2023

1. UN, US demand pause to get aid into Gaza

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday called for Hamas and Israel to suspend fighting in Gaza, saying the Hamas attacks that killed 1,400 Israelis were "appalling" but "cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people." Israel's U.N. ambassador, Gilad Erdan, called for Guterres to resign for saying the Hamas attack "did not happen in a vacuum." Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.N. agencies called for a humanitarian pause in the war to permit more food, water and medicine to be trucked into the Gaza Strip. The appeal came as the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory's health ministry said Israeli airstrikes had killed hundreds more people. Bloomberg, Reuters

2. House Republicans pick 4th speaker nominee as infighting continues

Republicans on Tuesday nominated a fourth candidate for House speaker, low-profile Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), hours after their third pick, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), was selected but promptly withdrew. As soon as Emmer, the No. 3 House Republican, was nominated in a closed-door meeting, two dozen far-right Republicans indicated they would not vote for him if his nomination came before the full House, and former President Donald Trump attacked Emmer on social media as a "Globalist RINO." It wasn’t clear whether Johnson would fare better. Dozens of Republicans indicated they wouldn't vote for him, suggesting the gridlock that began when hardliners ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy would continue. The New York Times, The Washington Post

3. Another pro-Trump lawyer pleads guilty in Georgia

Jenna Ellis, one of the lawyers who challenged the 2020 election on former President Donald Trump's behalf, on Tuesday became the fourth defendant to plead guilty in Trump's Georgia election-interference case. Ellis said she and co-defendants, including Rudy Giuliani, "knowingly, willingly and unlawfully" made false statements about election fraud in Georgia. She tearfully said she felt "deep remorse." Ellis had been facing felony racketeering charges. In exchange for her cooperation, prosecutors let her plead guilty to a lessor count of aiding and abetting false statements. She will serve five years probation, perform 100 hours of community service and pay $5,000 in restitution. Her plea came days after two other pro-Trump lawyers, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, also flipped. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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4. Cohen testifies Trump told him to inflate property values

Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen testified Tuesday in the former president's civil fraud trial in New York, saying he and former Trump Organization finance chief Allen Weisselberg inflated the estimated value of company properties to "whatever number Trump told us to." Trump and his family's property business are accused of falsifying the values of the company's buildings to secure favorable loans and insurance. Trump, now the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, attended the hearing. Cohen said it was the first time he and Trump had seen each other in five years. "Heck of a reunion," he said during a break. The Associated Press

5. Freed Israeli hostage says she went through 'hell'

Yocheved Lifshitz, one of the two elderly Israeli hostages released by Hamas this week, said Tuesday she went through "hell." Lifshitz, 85, said her captors took her into Gaza on the back of a motorbike, then forced her to walk miles through a network of tunnels. She said at first Hamas militants hit her, but later treated her "gently." She said they fed the captured civilians and let them wash. Lifshitz, who was freed along with 79-year-old Nurit Cooper after negotiations mediated by Egypt and Qatar, was shown in a video released by Hamas shaking hands with a captor and saying, "shalom," the Hebrew word for peace, tranquility, hello and goodbye. USA Today

6. Dozens of states sue Meta, saying its sites are addictive

Dozens of state attorneys general on Tuesday sued Meta, parent of Facebook and Instagram, accusing the social media powerhouse of harming young users with addictive features, including frequent notifications and infinite news feeds. The lawsuit accuses the company of contributing to a national mental health crisis. "Meta has profited from children's pain by intentionally designing its platforms with manipulative features that make children addicted to their platforms while lowering their self-esteem," said New York Attorney General Letitia James. Meta said it was "disappointed" the officials sued instead of "working productively" with the company, saying it shared "the attorneys generals' commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online." CNN

7. Special counsel reportedly gives Meadows immunity to testify on Trump

Former President Donald Trump's last White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, spoke with special counsel Jack Smith's team several times this year after Smith granted him immunity to testify under oath, ABC News reported Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter. Smith's team is investigating Trump's role in the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and his handling of classified documents, and Meadows reportedly testified he had told Trump multiple times after the 2020 presidential election that allegations of widespread voter fraud were baseless. He also said Trump was being "dishonest" when claiming he won the election shortly after polls closed, according to ABC. Trump previously referred to Meadows as "a great chief of staff." ABC News

8. Georgia high court upholds abortion ban

Georgia's Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the state's abortion ban, keeping abortion illegal in Georgia after the sixth week of pregnancy, with limited exceptions. Many women at that point are not yet aware they are pregnant. Doctors and abortion-rights advocates challenged the law as unconstitutional after state lawmakers passed it in 2019, more than three years before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that had established the right to abortion in 1973. The Georgia case is not entirely settled. The ruling only addressed whether the ban was void because of when it was passed. The high court sent the challenge of the law itself back to a lower court for trial. The New York Times, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

9. UAW expands strike to GM's biggest plant

The United Auto Workers union on Tuesday expanded its unprecedented strike against all three of Detroit's big automakers, with 5,000 union members walking out at General Motors' biggest plant. GM's Arlington assembly plant in Texas makes the Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade, big sport utility vehicles that are some of GM's most profitable models. GM said it was "disappointed by the escalation of this unnecessary and irresponsible strike," saying it had just made a "comprehensive" new offer increasing the total value of its proposed agreement by 25%. A day earlier, union members walked out at a Michigan factory the UAW called the "largest plant and biggest moneymaker" for Chrysler's Stellantis. Bloomberg

10. 'Shaft' actor Richard Roundtree dies at 81

Richard Roundtree, the actor best known for playing the title role in Gordon Parks' 1971 action thriller "Shaft," died Tuesday of pancreatic cancer. He was 81. Roundtree made his feature debut with his portrayal of detective John Shaft in the classic that helped start a decade of so-called Blaxploitation filmmaking. "Richard's work and career served as a turning point for African American leading men in film," his longtime manager, Patrick McMinn, said in a statement. Roundtree's Shaft, a private detective, was "one of the first Black action heroes," according to The New York Times. The film's success "demonstrated Hollywood's historical failure to consider Black talent and the moviegoing audiences that they could reach," Variety reported. The New York Times, Variety