Federal government averts shutdown thanks to last-minute funding. “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” opens on Broadway. A mass shooting on HBCU Morgan State University’s campus injures multiple people. House Republicans oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker.
Frank James is sentenced to life in prison for 2022 NYC subway mass shooting that injured 10 people. Progressive titan Cornel West launches independent presidential campaign. Simone Biles dominates in her gymnastics comeback.
Hamas launches October 7 attacks on Israel, leading to more than 1,000 deaths, capturing hundreds of hostages, and sparking deadly ongoing war. 2,400 people killed in Afghanistan earthquake. Mayor Eric Adams returns from Latin America trip addressing migrant situation. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., son of the senator, also kicks off independent presidential bid.
Powerball prize balloons to $1.73 billion, enough to afford rent a decent apartment in New York City. Hughes Van Ellis, one of the last three known 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre survivors, dies at age 102. Jada Pinkett Smith reveals she and Will Smith have been separated since 2016.
New York City paints the town purple in observation of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. One of two Aurora officers charged in Elijah McClain’s death is convicted of criminally negligent homicide. Rudolph Isley of the Isley Brothers dies at 84. Gov. Kathy Hochul backs NYC’s challenge to scale back right-to-shelter consent decree.
A Texas high school forced a Black student to enroll in a “disciplinary alternative education program” after suspending him in August over his locs. Israel orders Gazans to evacuate as ground invasion begins. Banana empire scion Daniel Noboa, 35, elected Ecuadorian president. Reentry program Fortune Society receives $3 million from Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg.
Dispute over which side fired a rocket at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital that killed more than 500 Palestinians underscores mounting civilian death count in Gaza. Mayor Eric Adams limits migrant families to 60 days in shelter. Rep. Jim Jordan fails to secure House Speaker vote. New brief alleges the lawyer for Fugees’ Pras used AI for closing arguments in a case where the rap legend was convicted for an illegal foreign influence scheme in April.
Legal cannabis dispensary Gotham Buds opens in Harlem after delays; local snack shops rejoice. Ex-WNBA player Tasha Butts, 41, dies from breast cancer before her first game as Georgetown women’s basketball head coach. “Shaft” actor Richard Roundtree, 81, dies from pancreatic cancer. Donald Trump’s lawyer Jenna Ellis pleads guilty to felony—the fourth defendant in the Georgia election subversion case to be convicted.
Mass shooter kills 18 and injures 13 in Lewiston, Maine, spurring an at-large manhunt before he’s found dead of a presumably self-inflicted gunshot wound. Rep. Jamaal Bowman ordered to pay $1,000 fine and serve three months’ probation after pleading guilty for pulling fire alarm that caused evacuation of federal building. Speaking of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson is finally elected speaker. Middle-schooler Kavion Brown-Godfrey’s body is found by the Wall Street Heliport after the teen disappeared into the East River a week before.
Magic Johnson officially becomes a billionaire, reports Forbes. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses a ceasefire with Hamas. “Friends” actor Matthew Perry dies at age 54. King Charles’s Kenya visit is met with demands for apology for British colonization and mass suffering. Black is Beautiful pioneer Helene “Nomsa” Brath dies at age 81. President Joe Biden signs first order addressing artificial intelligence. Countless New Yorkers dressed as Barbie and Ken celebrate Halloween 2023.