Three news stories summarized & contextualized by analytic journalist Colin Wright.

Scalise, a McCarthy rival, seeks to unite Republicans in taking his place

Summary: The second highest-ranking Republican, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, is mounting a formal bid to ascend to the recently vacated position of US House Speaker, replacing the former Speaker and his key rival, Kevin McCarthy.

Context: Scalise is seen as a deeply conservative House Representative, which some speculate could help him unify the more centrist members of the party, who tended to support McCarthy, and the further-right members—a small group that was able to oust McCarthy from his position with the help of Democrats who also voted against him; Scalise is well-known for his successful fundraising efforts, and he was marginalized under McCarthy, so this effort represents an attempt to unify the Republican House, while also retaking some of the influence he lost under the previous leadership; the other main contender for the role, Jim Jordan, has been endorsed for the position by Trump, and it’s expected that many of the far-right members of the party will support him over Scalise when they vote on Wednesday.

—The New York Times

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Gaza under ‘total blockade’ by Israel, refugee camp hit

Summary: Following an unprecedented sneak attack by Hamas militants into Israel on Saturday, the Israeli government declared war on the group, blockaded the Gaza Strip, called up military reserves for a counterattack, and has reinforced its borders with Lebanon on fears of opportunistic incursions from the north.

Context: This story, which has dominated headlines for days, is expected to continue to grow in scope and horribleness, as Hamas and Israeli military forces continue to strike each other and a whole lot of civilians caught in between with missiles and artillery fire, as Israeli hostages continue to be held by Hamas, and as official death tolls continue to increase; analysts and diplomats worry that this conflict could spiral, pulling neighboring and interested regional parties into the mix, and that concern has escalated with reports—from Hamas and several news entities—that Iran helped plan the attack.

—Al Jazeera

Death toll from flash floods in Indian Himalayas climbs to 74, rescue gathers pace

Summary: Flooding triggered by the bursting of a dam in the Himalayan region of India has caused at least 74 deaths with 101 people still missing days after the event.

Context: Search and rescue efforts have been hindered by damaged roads and other infrastructure, and thousands of people are sheltering in dozens of camps established for survivors; the bursting of the dam was apparently caused by rainfall that brought double the usual amount of water to the region in the first five days of October.

—Reuters

The International Monetary Fund has lent $43 billion to Argentina over the past five years, and that money hasn’t helped the country out of an ever-worsening debt- and inflation-spiral (its economy currently suffers from 124% inflation and it’s in the midst of a deep recession); Argentina is still getting more IMF money, though, and that’s partially the consequence of Argentina’s centrality to the larger South American economy.

—Bloomberg

$7,500

Tax credit US electric vehicle buyers will soon receive immediately following their purchase of an applicable vehicle.

That credit is currently slow to arrive, having to work its way through the IRS and only deposited following the filing of taxes.

This credit is part of the larger Inflation Reduction Act collection of renewables-related incentives, and was meant to be an instant rebate on EVs from the get-go, but figuring out how to implement the rebate system at the government agency level has been a ponderous process—so beginning in January it’ll be an immediate thing, but until then it’ll remain a fairly sluggish payout system.

—NPR News

Trust Click

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