What's Happening

International

Aid Agencies Warn of Growing Hunger and Impending Humanitarian Disaster in Northern Gaza

What's going on: Relief organizations are sounding the alarm over the dire humanitarian situation in northern Gaza. The Israeli Military issued evacuation orders after launching a new ground operation in the area, which has resulted in both food and water shortages. No food has been allowed to enter northern Gaza since October began, the UN World Food Program (WFP) told CNN last Friday. This puts about 1 million people at risk of going hungry, while “the threat of famine persists,” WFP added. Yesterday, the Biden administration sent a letter warning Israeli leaders that there would be consequences, such as cutting off arms shipments, unless more aid enters Gaza within the next 30 days. Israeli officials said humanitarian aid was allowed into the area on Monday. Meanwhile, despite Israel’s additional evacuation orders, some residents in northern Gaza fear that conditions in the south will be just as dire, as one such resident shared with ABC News. Plus, some Palestinians are too old, sick, scared, or otherwise unable to leave. 

What it means: This comes at a time when raw sewage and unsanitary conditions are causing diseases, such as hepatitis and polio, to spread in Gaza, while many hospitals remain only partially operational. “The health care system in Gaza has collapsed,” a Doctors Without Borders spokesperson recently told ABC News. Meanwhile, The New York Times just published a guest essay from 65 doctors, nurses, and paramedics about the devastation they’ve seen on the ground. Currently, agencies are largely focusing on the impacts of hunger on adults and children alike. As one mother of five said: "We have little water and food because we did not expect this sudden and frightening siege. As a mother, I do not know what I will do if we run out of food and water. How will we get food?"

Related: Israel Told the US It Will Target Iran’s Military (CNN)

Politics

Georgia Judge Issues Election-Related Rulings Ahead of Nov. 5

What's going on: Nope, Georgia county election officials can’t delay or refuse to certify election results. And no, the state’s poll workers will not have to hand count election ballots. That’s according to separate rulings that dropped yesterday, or just 21 days before Election Day. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote that if election officials were allowed to refuse to certify the election, it would mean “Georgia voters would be silenced.” Hours later, McBurney also blocked the hand counting mandate, saying the rule was “too much, too late” and could create chaos. Both decisions, made on the first day of in-person voting in Georgia, marked a setback for some conservatives in the battleground state who’ve said both rules are necessary to prevent election fraud. However, research has shown hand counting increases the chance of fraud, according to The Associated Press.

What it means: In recent years, some Republicans have politicized the once-routine process of certifying the election results. After the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump and his allies pressured county officials not to certify his loss. Many election workers across the country also received death threats. Since then, state and federal officials have tightened certain election laws to ensure voters’ voices are not undercut. However, some experts worry more false election claims could take hold and potentially lead to more violence like on Jan. 6, 2021. Meanwhile, other 11th-hour rule changes have been made in other states this year, from North Carolina to Arizona, raising concerns that they could lead to confusion among voters and election officials.

Related: Trump’s Musical Town Hall Featured “Ave Maria” and “Memory” from Cats the Musical (CBS News)

Politics

A Handful of State Supreme Court Races Could Determine Abortion Care Access

What's going on: VP Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have made headlines in the past few months for their stances on reproductive health care. While abortion is a major topic in the presidential election, it could be the state supreme court races that ultimately determine access. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade more than two years ago, states gained the authority to pass their own abortion laws. Since then, the Center for Reproductive Rights reports that 30 states have heard legal challenges regarding abortion restrictions. The high courts in Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, and Iowa have upheld six-week abortion bans. The Alabama Supreme Court put IVF access in the spotlight after ruling embryos are children. (Alabama judges are running unopposed this year.) These courts not only decide the legal validity of individual abortion laws, but they also interpret vague medical exceptions. Now, 82 judicial seats in 33 states are up for grabs, according to Ballotpedia.

What it means: Women under 30 said abortion is the single most important issue for them, according to one poll. It could be a decisive issue for voters in key swing states. Progressive candidates hope abortion will be enough to get them into office — particularly in Arizona where two justices, who voted to uphold an abortion law older than the Civil War, are seeking re-election. Last year, Wisconsin voters flipped a conservative Supreme Court seat to blue, with experts saying gerrymandering and abortion were the most prominent issues. One liberal judge in North Carolina is hoping to pull a Wisconsin. The Tarheel state is currently operating under a patchwork of abortion laws that the state’s supreme court will likely have to rule on. Want to make sure you’re prepared on Election Day? Look up your sample ballot.

Related: What You Need To Know About Trump’s and Harris’s Stances on Abortion and IVF (CBS)