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FBI: ISIS Follower Planned Election Day Terror
Your unbiased daily news brief
James Kratch
October 09, 2024
Good Wednesday morning. One Direction could make a lot of money if they got the band together. Have a great day!
In Today’s Brief
Milton: The latest
Hezbollah: Wants to talk
Trump: Putin claims
TikTok: New lawsuits
NFL: Coaching change
... and more
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Top Tips
1) Poll attack
Federal officials said they thwarted an Election Day terror plot.
The news: An Afghani national living in Oklahoma was allegedly planning to carry out an attack on behalf of ISIS. Department of Justice prosecutors said Nasir Tawhedi, 27, bought semiautomatic firearms and ammunition to further his plans. He also allegedly liquidated his family’s assets and resettled relatives overseas in preparation. He was arrested following a sting operation.
More details: Tawhedi entered the country in 2021 on a special immigrant visa and is currently on immigration parole. Charging documents named a juvenile Afghan national with legal permanent resident status as an arrested co-conspirator; that person also lives in Oklahoma. The FBI said it found digital data on Tawhedi’s devices showing he was an ISIS follower as well as donations to a charity that funnels money to the terrorist group and search history and social media messages regarding an attack.
Worth noting: Ken McCallum, the head of British security service MI5, told reporters in London that ISIS has re-emerged as a credible terror threat in the United Kingdom and Europe. The comments came before news of the Oklahoma arrests broke. McCallum also alleged Iran and Russia are becoming more brazen in efforts to sow dissent and create chaos on foreign soil.
2) Getting patty
McDonald's is in a beef with the meat packers.
What happened: The fast food giant is suing the nation's largest meat suppliers and their subsidiaries. McDonald's alleges that Tyson, Cargill, JBS and National Beef Packing Company have engaged in a price-fixing scheme, specifically targeting beef.
The details: McDonald's claims the suppliers colluded to form "a monopoly in which direct purchasers were forced to buy at prices dictated" by the meat packers. The fast food chain alleges the scheme is at least a decade old and violated antitrust laws by reducing production to inflate prices. The suppliers have been subjected to federal probes in the past, as well as other industry lawsuits.
Big picture: The lawsuit is another angle to the economic and political controversies surrounding alleged price gouging and food prices amid inflation. And in an unrelated development: McDonald's french fry supplier unexpectedly closed a Washington plant and laid off close to 400 workers.
3) Wild card
The battle to control the Senate may be decided in a different part of the heartland.
The news: Dan Osborn, an independent, is running a surprisingly competitive race against Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer, a Republican. Polling is limited, but recent surveys have shown Osborn either effectively tied with Fischer or leading the two-term member.
The profile: Osborn is a Navy veteran, mechanic and union leader. He is a political newcomer, but he first gained prominence in the state during a 2021 strike at a Kellogg's factory in the state. His populist messaging appears to be resonating in the reliably GOP state.
Two horses: There is no Democrat running for the Senate seat, so Republicans are deriding Osborn as one "in disguise" while he sees a significant influx of out-of-state donations. Osborn has pledged he will not caucus with either party if elected.
Big picture: The GOP is a slight favorite to regain control of the upper chamber. It needs two seats, it is almost guaranteed a flip in West Virginia and polls suggest Montana Sen. Jon Tester's re-election bid is in doubt. But if Fischer gets upset in Nebraska, all bets are off and the balance of power may come down to which party wins the presidency. Also keep in mind: Vice President Kamala Harris has a shot to win one of Nebraska's electoral votes in the district that includes Omaha. If Osborn can run up a big margin on her coattails, that could make the difference.
Quick Tips
U.S. News
Early estimates project Hurricane Milton could cause $175B in damage. Millions are evacuating before the storm makes landfall today in Florida; it was at Category 5 as of last night and should be Category 3 or 4 later today, but the hurricane's size makes it extremely dangerous regardless of strength rating (More | More)
A first-ever federal survey found 3.3% of U.S. high school students identify as transgender. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found an additional 2.2% identify as questioning; over a quarter of those students attempted suicide in the last year (More)
American Water Works said its computer networks and systems were breached by hackers. The drinking and wastewater supplier, the nation's biggest, said it does not believe operations were impacted; the New Jersey-based company services over 14M people in 14 states and on 18 military bases (More)
World News
Hezbollah said it is ready for ceasefire negotiations. Israel's military has devastated the Iranian-backed, Lebanon-based militia group in recent weeks; airstrikes have largely wiped out the terrorist organization's leadership (More)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum laid out a plan to combat drug cartel violence in her country. Analysts argued her proposals are a continuation of predecessor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's policies; he was criticized for avoiding direct confrontation with the cartels (More)
South Korea believes North Korean troops are fighting on behalf of Russia in Ukraine. A Ukrainian media report said six North Korean officers were killed in an airstrike in Kremlin-occupied territory; Seoul believes Pyongyang will deploy more personnel to the region (More)
Campaign News
Former President Donald Trump has reportedly spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin as many as seven times since 2021. Trump denied a report by The Washington Post's Bob Woodward that he secretly provided Covid-19 testing supplies to Putin in 2020; the claim is in Woodward's soon-to-be-released book War (More)
Vice President Harris pitched a plan to allow in-home medical care to be covered by Medicare. She said she would not have done anything differently than President Joe Biden has in office during an appearance on The View (More | More)
New polls forecast ticket-splitting atop ballots in a pair of battleground states. Surveys in Arizona and Pennsylvania have Trump edging Harris while Democratic Senate candidates lead their Republican rivals according to the same pollsters (More)
Business & Markets
Major indexes closed higher yesterday. The Nasdaq was up over 200 points as oil prices cooled (Dow +0.30%, Nasdaq +1.45%, S&P 500 +0.97%).
Fourteen states are suing TikTok, alleging the social media platform has "addicted" minors and negatively impacted their mental health. Lawsuits were filed separately; the app's Chinese parent company ByteDance is fighting a federal law that could lead to its ban (More)
Spirit Halloween is broadening its horizons. The seasonal pop-up store chain will keep 10 Northeast locations open after its titular holiday and operate them as Spirit Christmas shops as part of a pilot program (More)
Entertainment & Sports
The New York Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start to the year. He went 20-36 in four-plus seasons with no playoff appearances; defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbricht was named the NFL team's interim head coach (More)
Former MLB star Luis Tiant died at 83. The Cuban pitcher was a three-time All-Star and started three games for the Boston Red Sox in the 1977 World Series; he also had a lengthy coaching career and was known for his gregarious personality (More)
A woman suing Vince McMahon has asked WWE to release current and former employees from nondisclosure agreements. Janel Grant is accusing the former professional wrestling promoter of sexual battery and trafficking; her attorneys allege others could come forward with similar claims if NDAs are waived (More)
Quick Hitters
Real Hero: The pilot of a small plane traveling from Nevada to California went into cardiac arrest. A passenger with no previous flying experience managed to land the flight safely with the help of air traffic control.
Still Going: The coronavirus pandemic brought on many sudden lifestyle changes in 2020. Some of those quarantine era adjustments have now become standard operating procedures for some folks.
Deep Dive: With 34M users, Duolingo has become a daily obsession around the world. Here is a look at why the gamified language-learning app has become so popular.
History Lesson: Mail-in voting has become a divisive political issue. But it has also played a long, practical and relatively uncontroversial role in American elections for well over a century.
Life Hack: Struggling with back pain? This set of stretches can help soothe things regardless of what is causing your discomfort.
Watch This
The first trailer for A Complete Unknown, a Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothee Chalamet, has been released. The film will hit theaters on Dec. 25.
Links
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Looking Ahead …
The cost of a Mega Millions lottery ticket will more than double next year, jumping from $2 to $5. But officials say the hike -- which takes effect next April -- will allow for bigger prizes and more frequent jackpot payouts.