Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In the Middle East: “Israel vowed Iran ‘will pay’ for its missile attack and an Israeli official told NBC News the country would retaliate swiftly. Tehran urged the U.S. to ‘step aside’ and warned of ‘a far more crushing response,’ as fears grew of all-out war in the Middle East.”
* In related news: “The Israeli military announced the deaths of eight soldiers in Lebanon today and said that infantry and armored units would join its invasion of the country’s south targeting Hezbollah. The Iran-backed militant group said this morning that it had repelled Israeli forces from a Lebanese border town.”
* The aftermath of a deadly storm: “The death toll from Hurricane Helene has risen to 176 and hundreds are still missing as a result of the storm and its aftermath, with many caught in historic flooding across southeastern states.”
* In related news: “President Joe Biden is set to visit North Carolina today. Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris will visit Georgia. Republican nominee Donald Trump visited Georgia yesterday. Biden announced he’s directed the DoD to deploy up to 1,000 active-duty soldiers to reinforce the North Carolina National Guard, aiding in the delivery of supplies, food and water to isolated communities.”
* Speaking of the Tar Heel State: “As a deadly storm system approached the southeastern U.S. last week, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s office asked top state officials to support his call for emergency help. He needed approval from the other elected officials in North Carolina’s executive branch, a group of nine known as the Council of State, to exercise certain authorities under the N.C. Emergency Management Act. … Within an hour of making the request on Sept. 24 — before Helene ravaged the western part of the state — most of the council had responded with supporting votes. But come 9 a.m. the next morning, one member had yet to cast a vote: Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor.”
* Donald Trump continues to argue that it’s “late” in the hurricane season. (Hurricane season doesn’t end until the end of November.)
* A closely watched labor dispute: “A strike by 45,000 dockworkers halting shipments at U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports entered its second day on Wednesday with no negotiations currently scheduled between the two sides, sources told Reuters. The lack of progress is raising concerns among those reliant on shipments that the disruption could be prolonged.”
* The White House isn’t exactly neutral: President Joe Biden’s administration has put pressure on U.S. port employers to raise their offer to secure a deal with dockworkers to end the strike. ‘They made incredible profits, over 800% profit since the pandemic, and the owners are making tens of millions of dollars from this,’ Biden told reporters on Wednesday. ‘It’s time for them to sit at the table and get this strike done.’”
* In case any misguided politicians believe the planet is cooling, it is not: “An exceptional autumn heat wave, which began in the southwestern United States last week, sent temperatures soaring to 117 degrees in Palm Springs, Calif., on Tuesday — matching the highest temperature ever observed in the United States during October.”
See you tomorrow.
