Speaker Standstill, Gaza Blast, and the World's Coolest Neighborhoods

House Speaker Standstill 

Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R, OH-4) fell short yesterday in securing enough votes on the first ballot to become the speaker of the House. He won 200 votes in the first round of voting, short of the 217 votes needed to take the gavel. Jordan was nominated last week after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R, LA-1) withdrew from the race.

Jordan, the founding chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and backed by former President Donald Trump, will face another vote today at 11 am ET. In the first round, 20 Republicans voted for a different candidate, including Scalise, who received seven votes, and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R, CA-20), who received six. Both Scalise and McCarthy voted for Jordan. All 212 Democrats support House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D, NY-8). 

It's the second time in the 118th Congress in which the House is struggling to select a speaker, following the historic 15 ballots it took for McCarthy to become speaker in January. The House has been leaderless for two weeks since McCarthy was ousted.

Gaza Hospital Blast

At least 500 people died yesterday after an explosion from an airstrike that struck a hospital in Gaza City, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. Hamas claimed it was an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military said it was not involved in the incident, claiming the blast was from a misfired rocket from a militant group in Gaza known as Palestinian Islamic Jihad (see overview). 

A Hamas official reportedly claimed yesterday the group would release the civilian hostages it took from Israel during a surprise attack Oct. 7, if Israel ceases airstrikes in Gaza. The official also claimed Hamas would release soldiers held hostage if Palestinians held in Israeli jails were released. At least 199 people are being held hostage by Hamas.  

The death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 3,000, with at least 12,500 people injured. At least 61 additional Palestinians have died, with at least 1,250 injured, from clashes in the West Bank. The death toll in Israel remains near 1,400, with close to 4,000 people injured. 

The explosion came ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit to Tel Aviv today as Israel prepares for a possible ground invasion and international calls for humanitarian assistance in Gaza continue. 

See all updates on the war here.

More Semiconductor Restrictions

US officials announced new restrictions on semiconductor exports to China yesterday, the Biden administration's latest strategic attempt at slowing China's advanced chipmaking capacity. Leading American chipmakers Nvidia and Intel—which view China as a major source of growth—saw their shares drop over the news.

China currently leads the world in the construction of new semiconductor factories as it looks to dominate the global market for older, basic chips, which are present in nearly every consumer electronic product, from smartphones to laundry machines. The Biden administration views advanced chips—those with transistor lines smaller than 7 nanometers, 10,000 times smaller than a human hair—as so-called "force multipliers," a foundational technology key to developments in artificial intelligence,  weapons systems, and quantum computing. 

The latest rules expand previous restrictions by increasing scrutiny of "gray zone" chips designed to circumvent the ban, as well as prohibiting exports to China via third parties or subsidiaries. Watch how microchips are made here.

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