Have you ever wondered why McDonald's doesn't sell onion rings? A former McDonald’s chef is sharing the reason why. In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Wednesday, Israel has stepped up its offensive on the Gaza Strip in response to an unprecedented attack by Hamas. The military pounded neighborhoods with airstrikes Tuesday and expanded the mobilization of reservists to 360,000. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is confirming that U.S. citizens are among the hostages captured by Hamas in this weekend’s attack on Israel. He condemned the militant group for “sheer evil.” Locally, a new indictment filed Tuesday charges U.S. Rep. George Santos with stealing the identities of donors to his campaign and then using their credit cards to ring up tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's trial has taken a star turn. His former fellow top executive and ex-girlfriend Caroline Ellison testified against him on Tuesday in Manhattan federal court. And tens of millions in the Americas are getting front-row seats for a rare “ring of fire” eclipse of the sun. ☀️

It took 15 rounds of voting to name Kevin McCarthy the Speaker of The House, and it only took one to out him as the speaker. Learn more about it in national news. In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Wednesday, a neighbor who witnessed 9-year-old Charlotte Sena being rescued in upstate New York is describing the scene as right out of a movie. A federal judge in New York has dismissed a lawsuit that accused McDonald’s and Wendy’s of misleading consumers with ads that show bigger, juicier burgers than their restaurants actually serve. And a 104-year-old Chicago woman is hoping to be certified as the oldest person to ever skydive after making a tandem jump from 13,500 feet in northern Illinois, proving that you are never too old to learn.