Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 'Sticking Points' Hold Up Hostage Deal
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reiterated Monday the White House belief that "we're closer than we've ever been'' to reaching a deal for the release of hostages. President Joe Biden also said an agreement is near, without providing specifics. The relatives of some Israeli hostages met Monday with top officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Udi Goren, whose cousin is captive in Gaza, said they were told the hostages won't be prioritized over crushing Hamas. “This is incredibly disappointing because … taking down Hamas, we keep hearing from them, is going to take months or years,” Goren said. The Israeli military said its airstrikes killed three Hamas company commanders and destroyed a weapons depot where they were hiding.
2 President Biden Pardons Liberty and Bell, Two Lucky Turkeys
Liberty and Bell will live to see another day. President Joe Biden pardoned two turkeys from a family farm in Minnesota − who got their names from the famous Liberty Bell in Philadelphia − as part of a long White House tradition ahead of Thanksgiving. "These birds have a new appreciation of the words 'let freedom ring,'" Biden said, adding they traveled 1,000 miles to get to Washington and have committed to being "productive members of society" at their new home at the University of Minnesota. "I hereby pardon Liberty and Bell," Biden said. It marked the 76th anniversary of the National Thanksgiving Turkey Celebration, which President John F. Kennedy turned into a playful ritual sparing two lucky birds from becoming Thanksgiving dinner.
3 OpenAI's Sam Altman At Microsoft...Unless He Goes Back To OpenAI
The drama continued yesterday around Sam Altman and OpenAI. Around 3 a.m. yesterday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced on X that the company was hiring Altman after the OpenAI board said it “no longer had confidence” in Altman, but yesterday it was revealed that the move to Microsoft wasn’t finalized. Reports say that over 740 of OpenAI’s 770 employees signed a letter demanding that the board resign and bring Altman back to run the company…including Ilya Sutskever, a member of the board and one of the people who voted Altman out. “Your actions have made it obvious that you are incapable of overseeing OpenAI,” the letter read in part before saying “We, the undersigned, may choose to resign from OpenAI and join the newly announced Microsoft subsidiary run by Sam Altman and Greg Brockman.” Nadella says that Microsoft is still committed to supporting OpenAI, but there are apparently efforts still ongoing to reverse the damage and get Altman back in charge of the company. Nadella said during a CNBC interview yesterday that OpenAI’s governance needs to change no matter where Altman winds up. Microsoft is a major source of funding for OpenAI, with $14 billion committed to the company.