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Today's top stories
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is back in Israel. He says he's working on protecting civilians in Gaza caught in the crossfire of Israel's war with Hamas. More than 1,400 people in Israel were killed nearly four weeks ago when Hamas attacked, taking more than 200 hostages. Since then, more than 9,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian officials.

Check out npr.org/mideastupdates for more coverage, differing views and analysis of this conflict.
Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has been found guilty on all seven counts, including fraud and money laundering. The former "crypto king" faces up to 110 years in prison. His sentencing will take place in March.
There are 243 drug shortages in the U.S. as of this Wednesday, according to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists. Though shortages have eased since they reached a 20-year high this summer, many health care providers say the situation is the worst they've seen in their decades-long careers. The shortages have compromised patient care, led employees to work more overtime and cost hospitals more money.
Life advice

How good are your public speaking skills? Whether you love the attention or you get major stage fright, the assistant directors of UT Austin's speech team have some advice for fixing seven common public speaking mistakes. Here are a few of them:
Weekend picks

Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
Movies: NPR's Aisha Harris writes about how Martin Scorsese's filmmaking has evolved with his latest movie Killers of the Flower Moon. (Note: This review contains spoilers.)
TV: Netflix's All The Light We Cannot See is a hopeful and heartening tale set during World War II.
Books: What happens at the center of a black hole? Carlo Rovelli's White Holes brings readers a new understanding of time and space.
Music: A newly restored 40th-anniversary version of the Talking Heads documentary concert film Stop Making Sense is in theaters. Founder David Byrne talks about how he's changed since the film was made.
Games: The new horror game Alan Wake 2 is at once scary, cerebral and silly. It's only one out of several great new horror releases.
Theater: X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X opens tonight at New York's Metropolitan Opera, 37 years after it first premiered. The opera's creative team believes the show's message is more relevant than ever.
Quiz: If you've been reading my newsletters closely this week, you should get at least an 8/11 on this week's quiz. How did you do?
3 things to know before you go
This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.
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