The Senate has confirmed Jack Lew as the new U.S. ambassador to Israel, with support from only two Republicans. Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of those Republicans, said the ambassadorship is "as important and timely as any nomination" due to the war against Hamas. Lew, who served as Treasury Secretary under President Obama, is expected to take up his post in Jerusalem soon.
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The Education Department has released a new plan to provide debt relief to four groups of borrowers with federal student loans, estimated to be up to 12 million people. The proposal is open for public comment and will be finalized after a period of review, with details on implementation and when it will take effect yet to be released.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has announced plans to issue subpoenas to three individuals in connection with a probe into ethics practices at the Supreme Court. The 11 Democratic members of the panel are targeting two wealthy Republican donors and an influential conservative legal activist in order to uncover more information about the trips provided to two Supreme Court justices. The investigation is a significant escalation of the Democrats' efforts to hold the high court accountable, and the subpoenas could provide important insight into the relationship between the justices and wealthy donors.
FBI Director Christopher Wray warned Congress Tuesday that the actions of Hamas and its allies in the Middle East could inspire other terrorist attacks, including by violent extremists in the United States. Wray noted that multiple foreign terrorist organizations have called for attacks against Americans and the West, and the FBI is increasing its efforts to combat terrorism domestically and internationally. Wray said that the FBI is committed to protecting the American people from all threats and will continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate action.
A 20-year-old man was found dead in a women's restroom at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Colorado with an AR-style rifle, a semi-automatic handgun, explosives, body armor, and tactical clothing. He had written a message on the bathroom wall indicating he did not want to kill anyone, and authorities believe he committed suicide. The park was closed at the time and no one else was injured.
Tragedy struck the community of Conroe, Texas on Saturday when Dr. Talat Jehan Khan, a Pakistani American and practicing Muslim, was fatally stabbed multiple times at her apartment complex. Witnesses reported that 24-year-old Miles Joseph Fridrich had an “evil look in his eyes” and was arrested after a brief chase on foot. Conroe Police Chief David Dickinson said they have not yet found evidence to support that the motive was linked to race or ethnicity, and Khan was remembered by her colleagues as a “kind and compassionate doctor” who was “loved by her patients and their families.”
Robert Card, the gunman responsible for the deadly shooting rampage in Lewiston, Maine last week, had exhibited erratic behavior three months prior to the attack, prompting the Army Reserve unit to conduct a medical evaluation and deem him "non-deployable due to concerns over his well-being." Local deputies attempted to make contact with Card in mid-September, but were unsuccessful, and the investigation is now shifting away from an intense manhunt and toward the search for a motive.
House Republicans have proposed a bill that would provide $14.3 billion in emergency funding for Israel, paid for by rescinding the same amount of IRS funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. The bill has been met with criticism from Democrats, and the outcome of the vote in the full House chamber this week will determine the fate of the bill and the funding for Israel. The bill sets up a collision with the White House and Democratic-controlled Senate over how to support a key U.S. ally.