Good Morning! Today’s edition is 882 words, a 3-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Republicans Block Nationwide IVF Bill

• Newsom Signs Law Protecting Actors From AI

• Which Income Class Do You Fall In?

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Big Story

Exploding Pagers

Israel's Mossad spy agency planted explosives inside 5,000 pagers that were sent to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

• The pagers exploded on Tuesday, killing nine people and injuring nearly 3,000, including Hezbollah fighters and Iran's envoy. The devices were from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo, though the actual manufacturer was BAC in Hungary. Israel has not commented, but Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate for what they call a "massacre."

• The explosions were a major security failure for Hezbollah, marking their biggest breach in years. The devices had been altered at the production level by Mossad to contain explosives that could be activated with a coded message. The hidden explosives went undetected for months.

• Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. While Hezbollah does not want a full-scale war, the situation along Israel's northern border remains tense.

Big Story

Republicans Block IVF Bill

Democrats in the Senate tried to pass a law to create a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and make more health insurers cover it.

• Republicans blocked the bill, calling it an election-year tactic, with only two Republicans voting in favor. Democrats argue Republicans are being hypocritical for not supporting the legislation while claiming they support IVF. The bill came after a court ruling in Alabama that made frozen embryos count as children, causing concerns that IVF could be restricted.

• Republicans said the federal government shouldn't force states to follow certain rules on IVF and criticized the bill as an attempt to make them look bad. Meanwhile, others, including former President Trump, have expressed support for IVF and have proposed requiring insurance to cover fertility treatments.

• The debate over IVF has caused problems for Republicans, as some state laws granting legal personhood to embryos could restrict the procedure. Several Republicans have introduced alternative bills, like expanding health savings accounts or blocking Medicaid for states that ban IVF, but these efforts have not gained much support from Democrats.

Big Story

Unclaimed Body Research Program Stopped

The University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) in Fort Worth stopped a program that used unclaimed bodies for medical research after an NBC News investigation.

• Since 2019, over 2,000 unclaimed bodies from Dallas and Tarrant counties have been used for research, with some being sold to companies and even the U.S. Army. The school announced it would review the program and fired the leaders involved. Tarrant County is considering ending its contract with HSC, which allowed using unclaimed bodies for medical training.

• NBC News found that some families didn't know their loved ones' bodies had been used in research or sold. At least 12 people who died were used without their families’ permission, and 10 companies that bought the bodies were unaware they weren't willingly donated.

• Eli Shupe, a bioethicist, has been pushing against the use of unclaimed bodies in medical research since 2021, arguing it's wrong to use a body without consent. Her research showed that this practice has increased in Texas between 2017 and 2021.

Little Stories

• California Governor Gavin Newsom signed new laws to protect Hollywood actors from having their digital clones made with AI without permission. The laws aim to regulate the growing AI industry, which has had little oversight. Newsom is trying to balance protecting people from AI risks while supporting the state's fast-growing industry. (More)

• The FBI and U.S. Postal Department are investigating suspicious packages sent to election officials in 17 states. Some packages contained an "unknown substance," but no injuries have been reported. The packages were sent to secretaries of state and other election officials across the U.S., from New York to Alaska. (More)

• A 71-year-old French man admitted in court that for almost 10 years, he secretly drugged his wife and let many men rape her while she was unconscious. The case has gained a lot of attention in France, raising awareness about sexual violence. The man also confessed to raping his wife himself, and the 50 men on trial with him knew what they were doing. (More)

• David Lochridge, a former OceanGate worker, told the U.S. Coast Guard that he had "no confidence" in how the Titan submersible was built. Lochridge had raised safety concerns years before the sub's deadly 2023 implosion, which killed five people during a trip to see the Titanic wreck. He said he was known as a "troublemaker" for speaking up about the dangers. (More)

• Black women are about 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than White women, and new research shows this applies to all types of the disease. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, found that the risk for Black women varies by tumor type, with death rates being 17% to 50% higher. The research looked at data from 18 studies, analyzing over 228,000 breast cancer cases, including more than 34,000 in Black women. (More)

Extra Credit

💵 Which economic class are you in? Calculate your income.

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