News Wrap: Netanyahu fires Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant

In our news wrap Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu fired his defense minister Yoav Gallant amid a growing rift, Ukrainian troops have engaged with North Korean soldiers for the first time since they were deployed to fight for Russia and Boeing workers are returning to the job after their union voted to accept a new contract ending a 53-day strike.
Geoff Bennett:
All right, our thanks to our panel. They’re going to stay around with us. They will be here all night.
There is other news on this Election Day.
In a surprise Cabinet shakeup. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his popular defense minister, Yoav Gallant. The two appeared unified last year following the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants, but there’s been a growing rift between the two men, with Gallant pushing for a more pragmatic and diplomatic approach to ending the fighting in Gaza, as the prime minister sticks with relentless military pressure.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister (through interpreter):
Over the past few months, trust has cracked between me and the minister of defense. Significant gaps were discovered between me and Gallant in the management of the military campaign. This crisis of trust does not allow for the proper continuation of the campaign.
Geoff Bennett:
Netanyahu appointed his foreign minister, Israel Katz, to take Gallant’s place. This all comes as Palestinian health officials say a new wave of Israeli strikes killed at least 30 people in Gaza, mostly in the north, where aid has been cut off for weeks. Israel’s military says it targeted a weapons storage facility in the strikes.
Officials in Kyiv say Ukrainian troops have engaged with North Korean soldiers for the first time since they were deployed to fight for Russia. One official says the Ukrainian military fired artillery at North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk border region. Kyiv’s defense minister said the clashes were small in scale and that more should be expected in the coming weeks.
Meantime, Ukraine’s president warned of global consequences.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President (through interpreter):
The first battles with North Korean soldiers open a new chapter of instability in the world. Together with the world, we must do everything to ensure that this Russian step toward expanding the war, toward real escalation, becomes a losing one for Putin and for North Korea.
Geoff Bennett:
The reported clashes could not be independently verified. The Pentagon estimates that some 10,000 North Korean soldiers are now deployed to Russia’s border regions.
Tens of thousands of Boeing workers are returning to the job as soon as tomorrow, after their union voted to accept a new contract ending a 53-day strike. Union members voted 59 percent in favor of the deal. It includes a 38 percent pay raise over the next four years. That’s slightly short of the 40 percent raise that workers wanted.
And Boeing refused to restore a company pension plan that was frozen nearly a decade ago.
(Cheering)
Geoff Bennett:
Union reps called the vote a victory, but among the workers themselves, there were mixed reactions.
Eep Grace Bolano Duque, Boeing Worker:
This was definitely not a victory. We were threatened with regressive offers.
John Olson, Boeing Worker:
I think what we got was a fair deal. I think it’s a good stepping-stone for contracts in the future.
Geoff Bennett:
By one estimate, the strike was costing Boeing $50 million a day as it shut down production of some of its bestselling planes. President Joe Biden congratulated the two sides on reaching a deal, saying it ensures that Boeing remains a critical part of America’s aerospace sector.
In Spain, authorities have approved more than $11 billion in relief aid to help those affected by last week’s devastating floods. The package includes direct payments of up to $65,000 to affected homeowners, plus financial aid for businesses and municipal governments.
Speaking in Madrid today, Spain’s prime minister compared the government funds to the measures taken during the COVID pandemic, saying the benefits should be felt immediately.
Pedro Sanchez, Spanish Prime Minister (through interpreter):
It is a good first step, an agile and ambitious step with concrete and realistic measures that are already in force and that will help people and businesses in the coming days and weeks.
Geoff Bennett:
Cleanup efforts are ongoing for the wreckage left behind from last week’s flooding. At least 218 people are known to have died. Authorities in the eastern region of Valencia say 89 people remain missing.
On Wall Street today, stocks ended higher as investors await the results of today’s election. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped more than 400 points, or about 1 percent. The Nasdaq added nearly 260 points on the day. The S&P 500 also ended firmly in positive territory.
And Japan’s Mount Fuji is missing its signature snowy look. For centuries, the nation’s tallest peak has been a sacred subject of Japanese art and culture. And this time of year is normally when snowfall brightens up the summit. But for the first November since records began 130 years ago, the peak is bare.
The site has raised concerns about climate change, with Japan’s meteorological agency saying that unusually high temperatures are to blame. The average temperature on the summit last month was almost 35 degrees Fahrenheit, the highest since the 1930s.