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Harris Gets Taylor Swift's Vote After Wild Debate

Harris Gets Taylor Swift's Vote After Wild Debate

Your unbiased daily news brief

James Kratch
September 11, 2024

Good Wednesday morning. Today is the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks; there will be remembrance ceremonies today in New York City, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the Pentagon and elsewhere. Have a good day.

In Today’s Brief

Indiana: Cemetery thefts
Iran: New sanctions
RFK Jr. Ballot battles
Apple: Back taxes
UFC: McGregor return

... and more

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1) A slugfest

Vice President Kamala Harris went on the offensive against former President Donald Trump in last night's spirited presidential debate — and then scored what many consider the most sought-after endorsement of the cycle.

The scene: Harris walked across the stage and initiated a handshake with Trump to start the event at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center. That proved to be a bellwether for her approach. The vice president spent most of the evening baiting Trump into numerous testy exchanges while urging the nation to "turn the page." The full debate can be watched here.
The biggest news? Pop star Taylor Swift endorsed Harris in a social media post after the debate ended. She said the vice president "fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them." Swift encouraged her fans to register to vote and called herself a "childless cat lady," a dig at Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance's controversial comments.
Debate highlights: Trump continually tied Harris to President Joe Biden's policies, but Harris argued she is not Biden. Her strategy appeared to be goading Trump into heated moments spats; he appeared angry and frustrated at several points. He made headlines for refuted claims about immigrants eating pets and refused to commit to vetoing a potential national abortion ban, questioning running mate Vance's promise he would do so. The candidates also sparred over border security, the Russia-Ukraine war and Afghanistan withdrawal, the economy and other issues.
Still unanswered: While most analysts said Harris got the best of Trump, she did not fully flesh out all her policy plans.Harris refused to say if she believes there should be any limits on abortion; she also bobbed and weaved around questions about issues she has flipped on since becoming the Democratic nominee or past statements. There were also Republican grousings about ABC moderators Linsey Davis and David Muir being tougher on Trump.
Next up: Harris' campaign said she wants to debate Trump again in October, Fox News has pushed to host that event, but nothing is formally booked. The vice presidential debate between Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be hosted by CBS on Oct. 1 in New York.

2) Document drop

A recently declassified memo sheds new light on one of the most infamous cases in U.S. history.

The news: A top codebreaker who decrypted Soviet Union communications concluded Ethel Rosenberg knew her husband, Julius, was a Kremlin spy, but did not participate in espionage work herself. The assessment was written days after she was arrested in August of 1950.
Look back: The Rosenbergs, American citizens born and located in New York City, were charged and convicted of spying for the Soviets and stealing top-secret information about U.S. nuclear weapons and other military operations. They were executed in 1953; other co-conspirators were convicted, but did not face death sentences.
Big picture: The Rosenbergs maintained their innocence up until they were put to death. Their sons, Michael and Robert Meeropol, argued the same. Historians long believed Julius was a spy, and documents declassified after the Cold War have provided significant evidence. But questions about Ethel's role and guilt have lingered for decades; this new information comes as the Meeropol brothers push for President Joe Biden to proclaim their mother was wrongfully convicted and executed.

3) Clipped wings

Two jets collided yesterday on a taxiway at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

What happened: A Delta Airlines jet was preparing to take off for Tokyo when it clipped a smaller Endeavor Air planeheaded to Louisiana. The Delta jet knocked the Endeavor flight's tail off. Endeavor is a regional subsidiary of Delta.
The fallout: There were no injuries on either plane; there were about 280 combined passengers on the jets. Officials said the incident's impact on operations at the nation's busiest airport was minimal. The Federal Aviation Administration said it will investigate the incident.
Of note: This is the second safety issue Delta has had at the Atlanta airport in recent weeks. Two workers were killed in August when a jet tire exploded at a maintenance facility.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

Police have made arrests in a spree of Indiana cemetery thefts. Cops allege a man and woman stole over a dozen bronze veteran markers; the suspects each face 15 counts of felony cemetery mischief and a count of felony theft (More)
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is again blocking U.S. military promotions. The Republican former college football coach has a procedural hold on Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Clark ascension to four-star general, accusing him of helping conceal Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's January hospitalization; Tuberville blocked hundreds of promotions for months last year (More)
Attorneys for an alleged Texas mass shooter are alleging prosecutorial misconduct. They say their client, accused of killing 23 people at an El Paso Walmart in 2019, is the victim of a slew of improprieties; they want the case dismissed or the death penalty taken off the table (More)

World News

The U.S., United Kingdom, France and Germany announced new sanctions on Iran, alleging Tehran has supplied ballistic missiles to Russia. The Kremlin is conducting its largest naval exercise since the end of the Cold War with China in the Sea of Japan (More | More)
Israel has reportedly floated giving Hamas leader Yahya Sinwah safe passage as part of a Gaza deal. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for an overhaul to the Israeli military approach in the West Bank after a Turkish-American protester was killed (More | More)
Jamaica will deploy two dozen police officers and soldiers to help Haiti's government combat gangs. Kenya already has a 400-person police force backed by the United Nations on the ground in the violence-stricken Caribbean nation; Jamaica said it plans to send about 200 men in total (More)

Campaign News

North Carolina's Supreme Court ruled Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s name must be removed from the state's ballot. Michigan's high court said the former independent presidential candidate will remain on that state's ballot; Kennedy is fighting in court to exit Wisconsin's ballot as well (More | More | More)
The White Stripes are suing former President Trump for "flagrant misappropriation" of their music. They are the latest recording artists to pursue legal action for unauthorized use of their work for campaign activities, joining Beyonce, Celine Dion and others (More)
Former Biden Administration aide Maggie Goodlander won the contentious Democratic primary in New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District. Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte won the Republican gubernatorial primary; Goodlander is National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan's wife (More)

Business & Markets

Major indexes closed mixed yesterday. The Nasdaq was up over 100 points;' the Dow Jones slid slightly after a big session to open the week (Dow -0.23%, Nasdaq +0.84%, S&P 500 +0.45%).
Apple must pay over $14B in back taxes to Ireland. The European Court of Justice rejected the tech giant's final appeal, ruling it received tax breaks that were illegal under European Union law (More)
Southwest Airlines Chairman Gary Kelly will retire after next year's annual meeting. CEO Bob Jordan will stay in his role; both men have been targets of an activist investor campaign calling for a shakeup of the company's boardroom and business strategies (More)

Entertainment & Sports

Conor McGregor is expected to make his UFC return early next year. Dana White, the MMA circuit's CEO, said the fighter should soon be healthy enough for his first bout since 2021 (More)
Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch said the company is interested in merger and acquisition pursuits. The revelation came during a Goldman Sachs media conference; he also said the proposed Venu sports streaming platform pact between Fox, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery is misunderstood by critics (More)
Sean "Diddy" Combs was ordered to pay $100M in a Michigan sexual assault default judgment. An inmate in the state alleges he was drugged and assaulted by the embattled music mogul in 1997; Combs, who faces several sexual misconduct accusations, failed to appear at a virtual hearing on Monday (More)

Quick Hitters

Fun Stuff: A couple visiting the U.S. from Taiwan encountered a pair of real-life cowboys and asked to ride their horses. The men obliged, making an incredibly heartwarming moment.
Be Careful: Someone recently dropped a bag of Cheetos inside a cave at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. It happens. But what seems innocuous can be "world-changing," according to park officials.
Take Note: Avoiding bright lights at night could be a simple, and cheap, way to reduce the risk of diabetes. Numerous studies have found correlations and other health issues caused by exposure.
Go Figure: Remember "Raygun," the Australian Olympic break dancer that sparked many jokes and memes? She is now ranked No. 1 in the world, somehow.
Cooking Hacks: Your air fryer can do more than french fries. Here are a dozen tips to get the most out of the appliance.

Watch This

Check out the trailer for The Franchise, a new HBO comedy series spoofing superhero films.