Israeli forces said the body of a woman kidnapped during the brutal Hamas attack was discovered in Gaza. A House ethics report found “substantial evidence” that Rep. George Santos committed federal crimes. And another batch of eye drops is being pulled from shelves.
???? Hello! is your old friend Laura Davis. Do you have any plans this weekend? I think I’m going to go rotate my tires! Now, here’s Thursday’s news, so the party can get started. ????
But first: a long trip. ???? In 1997, a Massachusetts boy threw a message in a bottle into the Atlantic Ocean. He washed up on the other side of the ocean. 26 years later.
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Israel says body of hostage found in Gaza
As Israeli forces searched Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital for traces of Hamas for another day, the body of one of the approximately 240 people kidnapped in Israel during the October 7 Hamas attack was recovered in a building nearby, the Israeli military said Thursday. Newborns and hundreds of other patients have suffered for days without electricity and other basic needs at the hospital. Now, Israel is under pressure to prove its claim that Hamas had turned the hospital into a command center that launched its brutal attack that killed some 1,200 people and sparked retaliation from Israel seeking to dislodge the militant group from Gaza. ???? Follow our live coverage.
???? Sign up for USA TODAY’s Israel-Hamas War newsletter to receive weekday updates on the escalating conflict.
Ethics report: ‘Substantial evidence’ Santos committed crimes
The House Ethics Committee released its long-awaited report on embattled Rep. George Santos, R.N.Y., concluding that there is “substantial evidence that Rep. Santos violated federal criminal laws.” The committee said it would forward its findings to the Justice Department as it pursues a criminal case against Santos on charges including money laundering, wire fraud and lying to Congress. Santos criticized the report, which contained more than 170,000 pages of documents, witness testimony and financial statements, calling it “biased” and an attempt to defame him and his legal team. He also said he will not seek re-election in 2024 for a second term. ???? This is what was in the report.
What everyone talks about
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A quiet year for wildfires in the West
It’s been a quiet wildfire season in the West. Thanks in part to a wet winter in California, this year’s wildfire season across the continental United States is turning out to be the calmest in 25 years. So far in 2023, wildfires have burned 2.5 million acres across the United States, and while that may seem like a lot, it’s the fewest acres burned to date since 1998, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Safety Center. Firefighters. It’s also only about a third of average, despite last summer’s horrific Maui wildfires and smoky air. So what’s behind the lower numbers in the lower 48 states? ???? This is what we found.
???? Sneak even more eye drops
Just weeks after warning consumers about more than two dozen eye drop products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalled another batch of eye drops from the market. The FDA announced Wednesday that 27 products from brands including CVS Health, Rite Aid, Target and Walmart were being recalled due to potential safety concerns. People who use these eye drops, which must be sterile, were at potential risk for eye infections, the FDA said, but none had been reported. ???? This is what you should know.
A break from the news
Laura L. Davis is audience editor at USA TODAY. She said hello:laura@usatoday.com. This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY network. Support quality journalism like this?Subscribe to USA TODAY here.
