Israel continues campaign into southern Gaza: As Israel orders Palestinians to evacuate parts of the south, humanitarian groups say nowhere is safe in Gaza. The UN says an “even more hellish scenario is about to unfold” and the IDF pushes into Khan Younis, Gaza’s second largest city, where thousands are sheltering in an overburdened hospital. The story evolves by the minute, so check here for updates. The death toll in Gaza stands at 15,899—a number that is certain to rise if Israel continues this offensive—and 42,000 have been injured since October 7. About 1.9 million people have been displaced.

Manny Ellis trial continues: Matthew Collins, one of three Tacoma police officers charged with killing Ellis, said he was so focused on cuffing Ellis that he did not hear him say he couldn’t breathe. Another officer on the scene that night, Masiyh Ford, testified that Collins was present when Ellis said he could not breathe. Collins, who said he’d do nothing different, testified that Ellis displayed “superhuman” strength and said he believed Ellis suffered from “excited delirium,” a cause of death major medical and psychological associations say is not real. Ellis suffocated, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner. More here from the Tacoma News Tribune.

George Santos, the motion picture: The Hill reports that HBO has optioned the rights to a book about Santos for a film already in development at the network. There’s a lot to say about a man with an invented biography who became the only congressman ejected from the House who wasn’t already convicted criminal or supported the Confederacy. Santos allegedly stole from Republican donors to buy Ferragamo, Botox, and OnlyFans, a site he claimed not to know about, so in the vernacular, it's like saying you’re unfamiliar with sex. I read on Twitter that a bunch of different actors should play him I’m Not There-style, an idea I love.

ICYMI: I published the sixth and (for now) final entry of Forced Out about trans political refugees fleeing red state laws limiting their civil rights and access to medical care. It’s about Bumblebee, a bubbly woman who transitioned just in time for Texas to pass a handful of anti-trans laws, and her journey to find a new home and family. It’s also about a person who lived her life online stepping into herself in the real world.

Murder-suicide in Vancouver, Washington: The man shot his wife, their two adult daughters, and his brother before killing himself. Clark County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the home for a welfare check hours after the apparent shooter texted a relative that he’d hurt people inside the residence. The Columbian reports that deputies used a drone to peer inside the home and found several dead. Autopsies are pending and the shooting is still under investigation.

The US sets a record for mass shootings: On average, we see 24 mass killings with guns a year, defined as incidents where a shooter kills four or more people. The shooting in Vancouver, and another in Dallas, were the 37th and 38th mass shootings of the year. That's the most since the AP, Northeastern University, and USA Today started keeping records of this senseless phenomenon in 2006. So far in 2023, 197 human beings have died this way. 

Human remains identified with crowdfunding: The Seattle Police Foundation raised $15,000 for private genetic testing of body parts that washed up in Discovery Park over a period of weeks in 2017 and 2018, reports KING 5. They belonged to 33-year-old Paul J. Bossart Jr, a revelation to his family who hadn’t heard from him since the Seattle transplant left the house in 2017 never to be seen again; it’s still unclear how he ended up in the water. There is a growing trend of using private geneticists on cold cases. Don’t get me wrong, bringing closure to families is a good thing. The Clallam County Sheriff crowdfunded the tests that identified a foot found in the Elwha River as belonging to the missing Jerilyn Smith. But while state and federal regulations keep police from misusing criminal genetic databases, there are no such guardrails for civilian services. Personally, I’m also curious why there’s no room in the budget for something actually useful.

AP investigation reveals how Mormon church covered up child sex abuse: Normally if clergy uncover evidence of child sexual abuse, they’re required to report it to police. But the Church of Latter-day Saints protects abusers using something called clergy-penitent privilege. A child predator could spill all the details of their crimes to a bishop (an LDS equivalent to a priest or pastor) and not be allowed to testify in court without the abuser’s permission. Reporters also found a service the church claims it set up to help bishops understand reporting requirements actually functioned as a tool to cover up abuse. There’s more than I can blurb. It’s a nauseating must-read. 

More video game workers unionizing: The games industry just grows and grows, especially in a year with bangers like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3. Despite an expected industry valuation of $185 billion, more than 8,000 workers lost their jobs in 2023. It’s not surprising the growing interest in organizing spread to this industry already known for wild crunch times, shit pay, and rampant sexual harassment. Polygon published this list of companies that have unionized or are going to.

Hackers break into Fred Hutch? The cancer center hasn’t said what got hit exactly but told its patients to monitor their bank statements and credit reports. It looks very ugly. As we all know, cancer is very expensive, and cancer patients, famously, don’t have a lot of extra money to spend. According to KUOW, the hack is being investigated as a federal crime. 

Former top Tucker Carlson producer accused of sexual assault: Former Fox staffer Andrew Delancey claims that Justin Wells repeatedly grabbed his genitals at Wells's apartment shortly after the network hired him in 2008 and that his superiors then persuaded him to not file a complaint. The civil suit, which accuses the company of negligence and Wells of assault and battery, was brought under the Adult Survivor’s Act. The law temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for sexual assault victims in New York. The window to file these cases just closed, but its supporters want to extend the deadline.

UW Medicine doctor allegedly inseminated his patient: Dr. Christopher Herndon agreed to surrender his license after a California woman alleged he swapped donor sperm with his own in 2009. The woman had requested the same donor she used for her first child, but when DNA testing revealed the children were not related, she signed her child up for an ancestry service. That’s where she discovered a DNA connection to Herndon’s sibling. UW Medicine is offering free genetic testing for Herndon’s intrauterine insemination patients at its reproductive care clinic but said there is currently no evidence of “impropriety” at UW.