The Evening: Evacuees from Gaza arrive in Egypt
Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Wednesday.
Evacuees from Gaza arrived in EgyptDozens of people left Gaza and entered Egypt today, the first such exits since the start of the war between Hamas and Israel. They included some people with foreign or dual nationalities as well as seriously injured Palestinians and their families. By late in the day, buses had ferried 361 foreign nationals over the border to Egypt, and ambulances had carried 45 severely injured Palestinians and some of their family members to Egyptian hospitals, an Egyptian state-owned television channel reported. Ramona Okumura, a Seattle resident who is a volunteer for the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, confirmed in a text message that she was able to cross into Egypt from Gaza at the Rafah border crossing. "Just finished. In Egypt now. Free!" she wrote. The crossings came after a deal was negotiated last night among Israel, Egypt, Hamas, the U.S. and Qatar. The 500 to 600 American citizens in Gaza were not among today's evacuees, other than those working for aid groups, but they were scheduled to follow in batches beginning tomorrow. What's next: Some diplomats and analysts say the war may breathe new life into the long-discounted two-state solution, which President Biden has said should come after the conflict is over.
The Fed held borrowing rates steadyThe Federal Reserve announced today that it would leave interest rates at the same level they have been at since July, while leaving the door open to a future increase. It's a cautious stance from policymakers who think that borrowing costs are now high enough to pull down inflation, but who are not yet ready to declare victory. The major question facing Fed officials is whether they will need to make one final rate increase in the coming months, a possibility they left alive today. "The full effects of our tightening have yet to be felt," said Jerome Powell, the Fed chair.
The House will vote on whether to expel SantosThe House of Representatives, fresh off nearly a month of paralysis and Republican infighting, is starting its first legislative week back. As soon as tonight, lawmakers are set to vote on a trio of disciplinary measures. Most significant is a vote over whether to expel Representative George Santos, the admitted fabulist who has been charged with fraud. The measure, opposed by Speaker Mike Johnson, appears unlikely to reach the two-thirds majority it requires to pass. Republicans are also looking to censure Representative Rashida Tlaib, whom they accuse of "antisemitic activity." Democrats want to censure Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, charging her with antisemitism as well as "racist rhetoric and conspiracy theories."
Infant deaths increased for the first time in 20 yearsThe number of babies in the U.S. who died before their first birthdays rose last year, significantly increasing the infant mortality rate for the first time in two decades, according to government data released today. The report did not delve into the cause of the increase, but most of the babies born in 2022 were conceived in 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic. One of the more disturbing findings was an increase in infant mortality among babies born to women ages 25 to 29. Black infants have the highest mortality rate in the U.S. More top news
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When a celebrity is your narratorAudiobook memoirs are traditionally voiced by the authors. But for the narration of Britney Spears's best-selling memoir, "The Woman in Me," the pop star passed the baton to another star: the actress Michelle Williams. Snippets of Williams's audio performance as Spears have proved popular on social media. But she's not the only celebrity to try out audiobook narration. Julianne Moore recorded Michael Cunningham's novel "Day," and Lucy Liu was the voice behind Celeste Ng's "Our Missing Hearts." Sometimes the actors reach out to publishers, indicating their interest in narrating; other times, the publishers look to cast big names in the hopes of drawing in new fans.
L.A. has a fruit fly issue. The solution? More flies.Last month, three Mediterranean fruit flies were spotted in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Leimert Park. Their presence worried officials: The flies, which lay eggs that hatch into maggots inside fruit and vegetables, are considered the world's worst agricultural pest. To combat their spread, officials are planning to drop millions of sterile male flies over the affected region. The aim? Birth control. When sterile males mate with females, their tiny and infertile eggs most likely will not affect fruit.
Dinner table topics
Cook: Crispy mustard chicken with bread crumbs is a modern take on a retro classic. Watch: "Fences" is one of the best movies to stream before it leaves Netflix this month. Read: In "The Race to Be Myself," the runner Caster Semenya writes about gender-based discrimination. Listen: We asked 11 musicians and writers to share their favorite Thelonious Monk songs. Gauge: Phone carriers have spent weeks advertising "free" iPhones. They're not free. Compete: See how well you remember Matthew Perry as Chandler in our "Friends" quiz. Prepare: These affordable kitchen tools will make your life easier come Thanksgiving time. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
Introducing the state cocktail of Wisconsin (maybe)If someone sitting next to you at a bar orders an old-fashioned, only to interrupt the bartender and clarify that they want it made with brandy, you might think they are either a button-pushing contrarian or simply wrong. But my colleague Sopan Deb proposed another option: Perhaps they're from Wisconsin. The Midwestern state has a long history of making the classic drink with brandy rather than whiskey. In fact, two state legislators recently introduced a resolution making the brandy-based old-fashioned the official Wisconsin state cocktail. Have a spirited evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.
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