An Ignoble Experiment: The 7: Alabama plans a controversial execution; Obamacare’s future; Jon Stewart’s ‘Daily Show’ return; and more

2024/01/25

The 7: Alabama plans a controversial execution; Obamacare’s future; Jon Stewart’s ‘Daily Show’ return; and more

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By Jamie Ross

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Good morning. It's Thursday, Jan. 25, and I'll be watching for the first full moon of the year — ominously called the wolf moon — when it gets dark tonight. Now let's get to the news.

Fighting has intensified around the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

What's happening? Thousands of civilians are trapped or struggling to flee the area, aid groups said. A blast killed 12 people sheltering at a U.N. training center yesterday.
What else to know: The U.N.'s top court will deliver an initial ruling tomorrow on South Africa's request that the court order Israel to stop its military campaign in Gaza.

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Ohio lawmakers banned gender-affirming care for trans minors.

The details: People under 18 will be stopped from accessing treatments like puberty blockers and hormone therapy in the state. Lawmakers overrode the governor's veto yesterday.
The bigger picture: More than 20 states have imposed similar restrictions in recent years. And hundreds of anti-trans bills have made their way through state legislatures.

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Alabama plans to carry out an execution using nitrogen gas tonight.

The prisoner: Kenneth Eugene Smith, convicted in a 1988 murder-for-hire scheme. The state tried to execute him by lethal injection in 2022, but officials couldn't find a vein.
Why it's controversial: Smith would be the first person to be executed in this way. Human rights experts say the untested method could cause pain and amount to torture.
The latest: The Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution yesterday.

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Obamacare enrollment hit a record level.

The numbers: More than 21 million people have signed up for health plans through the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces, it was announced yesterday.
But its future isn't secure: Former president Donald Trump says he wants to try again to repeal the program if reelected. He hasn't put forward a viable replacement.

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Grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 jets could fly again in the next few days.

Why? The FAA has cleared airlines to begin formal inspections of the planes. Alaska and United Airlines both aim to resume services within a week, they announced yesterday.
Will it be safe? The airlines say so. But federal investigators are still looking into this month's terrifying accident, in which part of an Alaska Airlines plane flew off in midair.

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Jon Stewart is returning to "The Daily Show" for the 2024 election year.

How it will work: He'll host the Comedy Central show on Mondays, starting Feb. 12, and serve as executive producer for every episode as rotating hosts cycle through other nights.
Why now? The show hasn't found a permanent host since Trevor Noah left in 2022. Stewart, the star from 1999 to 2015, turned it into an Emmy-winning cultural force.

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An American chemist's salty tea recipe distressed British tea-lovers.

What to know: Michelle Francl, a professor at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, wrote in a new book that a dash of salt and a squeeze of lemon could help tea to taste less bitter.
The reaction: News outlets in Britain — where tea-drinking is, of course, almost mandatory — ran shocked headlines. It even led to an intervention by the U.S. Embassy in London.

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Before you go … there's a new software update for iPhones: Here's why you should get it. Plus: The new do's and don'ts of texting etiquette.

And now … test your news knowledge with The Post's daily quiz, On the Record. Click here to play. Or try our word game, Keyword.

The January Reset: Want to save more money in 2024? Try these three strategies.

You're all caught up. See you tomorrow.