News Wrap: Netanyahu calls allegations of genocide in Gaza 'the biggest lie'

Geoff Bennett:

We start today's other headlines at the U.N. General Assembly.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a fiery speech, during which he dismissed allegations of genocide in Gaza as the biggest lie of the century. And he said attacking Iran was, as he put it, one of the easiest decisions he's ever had to make.

But many delegates did not hear those words directly.

Man:

I request an order in the hall, please.

Geoff Bennett:

Dozens walked out as the prime minister started his speech. He called those who left moral cowards, adding that Israel's military actions have actually helped keep them safe.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister:

In defending itself, Israel is also -- also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall. It's hard to imagine more mind-blowing hypocrisy, but that's exactly what it is.

Geoff Bennett:

Earlier today, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas renewed his call for a two-state solution in prerecorded remarks. The 90-year-old was unable to attend in person after the Trump administration denied him a visa. In his speech, Abbas accused Israel of carrying out what he called a genocidal war against the Palestinians.

Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter says his son remains in critical condition after officials say a Palestinian man rammed his car into a military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank yesterday. The suspect was later shot dead. Speaking from the hospital, Leiter thanked doctors caring for his son Neria who is a reservist in the Israeli military.

Yechiel Leiter, Israeli Ambassador to the United States: He saved my son's life. He's still hanging in the balance. But the professionals here at Shaare Zedek stabilized the situation. And hopefully they're going to see him through.

Geoff Bennett:

Leiter's older son, who also served, was killed during the first months of the Israeli war in Gaza. The West Bank has experienced a surge in violence in recent weeks.

Turning now to Ukraine, officials say at least eight people were killed in the latest barrage of Russian drones and missiles. In Ukraine's Northeastern Kharkiv region, strikes killed at least six farmworkers, while an attack on this neighborhood in the capital, Kyiv, killed a man and woman.

Those blasts also knocked out power and caused homes to crumble. But residents say they're determined to carry on even with another harsh winter on the horizon.

Liubov Pazuk, Kyiv, Ukraine, Resident (through interpreter):

We know how to make a we know how to make a fire. We will not starve and we will not freeze either. The most important thing is that our people continue to believe that what matters most to us is our land, the land beneath our feet.

Geoff Bennett:

Last week, the U.N. said that more Ukrainian civilians have been killed so far this year than in all of 2025.

Tropical Storm Nolo is strengthening south of Hawaii as it bears down on the Big Island with the potential for life-threatening floods. Nolo is forecast to become a major hurricane as it approaches Hawaii, before turning west this weekend. Schools and most government offices on the Big Island are closed through tomorrow, as Nolo is expected to dump as much as 35 inches of rain.

Meantime, tens of millions along the East Coast are starting to feel the effects of a massive nor'easter offshore. The coastal storm is expected to bring flooding, powerful wind gusts, and heavy rain from the mid-Atlantic to New England in the days ahead.

Election officials across Texas say they are scrambling to clear a massive backlog of voter registration applications caused by an error at the state level just as counties are preparing for voting in the midterm elections.

State officials have not publicly explained exactly what went wrong, but local election officials say the problem left large numbers of registration applications unprocessed and may have prevented some eligible Texans from voting in the state's March primary. County offices are now racing to process those applications ahead of the November election, adding another challenge for election administrators as voting gets under way across the country.

In Iowa, President Trump's lawyers say they will appeal a judge's decision to throw out the president's lawsuit against The Des Moines Register and its former pollster Ann Selzer.

Mr. Trump filed a lawsuit in 2024, claiming the paper deliberately misled consumers by publishing poll results that he claimed were meant to hurt him and help Democrats. The judge called those claims faulty, adding that the coverage was constitutionally protected political speech.

The paper's parent company, USA Today, called the dismissal a -- quote -- "victory for the First Amendment."

Mortgage rates are now above 7 percent for the first time since early last year. Mortgage giant Freddie Mac said today that the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage is 7.03 percent. Rates were heading below 6 percent earlier this year, but have been rising steadily since the start of the Iran war.

Meantime, on Wall Street today, stocks ended little changed. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped about 160 points. The Nasdaq rose just three points, so basically flat, and the S&P 500 was also virtually unchanged.