News Wrap: Netanyahu returning to power in Israel after election victory

In our news wrap Thursday, final results in Israel's elections confirmed Benjamin Netanyahu's victory, political tensions spike in Pakistan after a gunman tried to kill former Prime Minister Imran Khan, at least two more people died in the latest mass protests in Iran and North Korea fired six more missiles into the sea in a war of nerves with the U.S. and South Korea.

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  • Judy Woodruff:

    President Biden and former President Trump are on the road tonight with five days to go in the midterm election campaign.

    The president has kicked off a four-state swing for Democrats starting in New Mexico and California. Mr. Trump is headlining a Republican rally in Iowa. We will return to the campaign right after the news summary.

    Final result in Israel's elections confirmed former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's victory today. Incumbent Yair Lapid conceded defeat and directed the transition to begin. Netanyahu's far right bloc will have a solid majority in Parliament.

    Political tensions have spiked in Pakistan after a gunman tried to kill Imran Khan, the country's one-time leader. The U.S. and others condemned the attack.

    Amna Nawaz has our report. And some of the images may be disturbing.

  • Amna Nawaz:

    Chaos erupted after former Prime Minister Imran Khan was shot and wounded as he waved as reporters from his convoy in the eastern city of Wazirabad. Khan was six days into a protest march from Lahore to Islamabad demanding early elections.

    Local police say Khan was shot in the leg, one of his supporters was killed, and at least nine other people were wounded including Khan ally and Senator Faisal Javed.

  • Faisal Javed Khan, Tehreek-e-Insaf Party Member (through translator):

    I pray for you all. Imran Khan is safe. Some friends are injured. I was told that one friend has expired. The remaining are seriously injured. We need your prayers.

  • Amna Nawaz:

    Witnesses reported there may have been two gunmen, including one man seen firing an automatic weapon. Police later released video of one of the alleged shooters in custody, saying he acted alone and targeted Imran Khan.

    In a show of solidarity, Khan supporters across the country rallied into the night.

  • Speaker:

    The majority of the citizens of Pakistan are with Imran Khan, and they pray for him for his long life and prosperity.

  • Amna Nawaz:

    Current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and ordered a full investigation.

    But Pakistan is no stranger to deadly political violence. The nation's first female prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated in 2007 at a rally just weeks before an election. Concerns of political instability in Pakistan have only grown since Khan was ousted by Parliament in April and began a series of mass rallies calling for snap elections.

    Prime Minister Sharif has refused, insisting elections be held as scheduled next year.

    For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Amna Nawaz.

  • Judy Woodruff:

    In Iran, at least two people have been killed in new protests over a woman's death in police custody. It happened as crowds in the city of Karaj marked 40 days since a protester died in the uprising. Online video showed thousands in the streets as helicopters dropped flash grenades.

    North Korea fired six more missiles into the sea today in a war of nerves with the U.S. and South Korea. One was a long-range weapon that triggered evacuation warnings and stopped trains in Northern Japan.

    Later, in Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterpart warned the North to step back.

    Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense: Certainly, we are focused on making sure that they don't choose to employ a nuclear weapon or choose to attack South Korea. You have seen us recently redeploy fifth-generation fighter aircraft. You have seen us exercise our strategic assets from time to time.

  • Judy Woodruff:

    The South Korean defense minister dismissed any thought of deploying tactical nuclear weapons to deter Pyongyang.

    A sprawling nuclear plant in Ukraine is running on emergency generators again tonight. Ukrainian and U.N. officials say shelling today cut the plant's external power links. Kyiv and Moscow traded blame for the damage to the Zaporizhzhia plant, which Russian forces occupy.

    Back in this country, Paul Pelosi, husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has been released from a San Francisco hospital and is now back home and resting. Pelosi had surgery for skull fractures and other injuries after being attacked at home by a man with a hammer.

    Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., rested their January 6 case today against Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers militia. He and four followers are accused of seditious conspiracy to stop the transition of presidential power. His lawyers have suggested that Rhodes will testify in his own defense.

    Meanwhile, a judge in New York announced that he will name an independent monitor to oversee the Trump Organization. The move will restrict the company from selling assets and restructuring while it is on trial for alleged fraudulent practices.

    And on Wall Street, fears of future interest rate hikes kept investors worried. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 146 points to close near 32000. The Nasdaq fell nearly 1.7 percent. The S&P 500 was down 1 percent.

    Still to come on the "NewsHour": the impact Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders could have on the midterms; author Robert Draper discusses how Republicans' embrace of conspiracy theories poses a threat to democracy; new data reveals a stark number of alcohol-related deaths among younger Americans; plus much more.

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