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- Israel Takes Out Hezbollah Leader
Good Monday morning. With Hurricane Helene's wrath in the news, here is a visual explainer for the category system of storm strength. Have a great day.
In Today’s Brief
SpaceX: Ride home arrives
Austria: Far-right win
Iran: Trump hacking charges
Dockworkers: Strike imminent
MLB: Big doubleheader
... and more
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Top Tips
1) Big blow
Israel assassinated longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah -- and several of his top colleagues -- in Lebanon.
Who was he? Nasrallah led the Iranian proxy militia for over 30 years and was one of the most powerful people in the Middle East. The terrorist group's military grew stronger than some nation-states under his watch and participated in various regional conflicts; Hezbollah has also wielded significant political power in Lebanon.
Shock and awe: The killing of Nasrallah, one of at least seven high-ranking Hezbollah leaders eliminated in air strikes, continue's Israel's run of success against the militia group. The assassination comes after remote electronic device strikes stunned Hezbollah and Israel has continued to hammer Lebanon from the skies while also turning its attention toward Yemen's Houthi rebels after months of Red Sea provocations.
Big picture: Israel continues to keep the door open to sending ground forces into Lebanon as the U.S. and other nations work to avoid an all-out war in the region while the Gaza conflict continues. President Joe Biden had called for a ceasefire while Hezbollah and Iran have vowed revenge, although the latter still has yet to follow through on its threats following the Israeli assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran.
2) Hit threat
A House Republican's former primary rival allegedly said he would have her killed.
The news: William Braddock, who sought the GOP nomination in Florida's 13th District in 2022, is accused of claiming a plot to have Rep. Anna Paulina Luna murdered. Braddock, 41, has been extradited from the Philippines on a charge of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person and is being held in Los Angeles. He was reportedly arrested months ago.
The details: Braddock is accused of telling a local activist during a recorded call that he would send a hit squad made up of Russian and Ukrainian nationals to kill Luna. "I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life ... But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done," he allegedly said, calling Luna "a f--king speed bump."
Big picture: Braddock faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Luna, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, holds a competitive seat. Democrats won it in 2020 behind former Rep. Charlie Crist, who was previously the state's governor, and are allocating significant resources to flip it again during this cycle.
3) Saying goodbye
A pair of show business legends died over the weekend.
Maggie Smith: The legendary British actress died at 89. She was a two-time Academy Award winner for her work in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite, but was most known in the current day for her performances in Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter film series. She also four Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes and a Tony Award.
Kris Kristofferson: The country music singer, songwriter and actor died at 88. He performed with The Highwaymen and wrote Me and Bobby McGee and other hit songs, winning three competitive Grammy Awards and notching an Oscar nomination. He also had a successful music career, winning a Golden Globe for A Star Is Born among other work.
Also remembered: Drake Hogestyn, who played John Black on Days of Our Lives, died at 70 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He appeared in over 4.2K episodes of the soap opera. John Ashton, who starred in Beverly Hills Cop, died at 76 from cancer.
Quick Tips
U.S. News
The SpaceX ship that will bring two stranded NASA astronauts home has arrived at the International Space Station. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams still have to wait until February to hitch a ride when the mission ends (More)
At least 90 people have died as a result of Hurricane Helene. The Category 4 storm devastated the Southeast, hitting Florida before moving north with a third of the casualties in one North Carolina county; over 2M people remain without electricity across several states (More)
A 20-year-old man was charged with a bomb explosion at a California courthouse. Five people were injured when the suspect, who had been recently arrested, initiated the attack; police found guns, ammunition and more incendiary materials in his car (More)
World News
Austria's far-right Freedom Party scored a historic win in the country's parliamentary general election. The Euroskeptic, pro-Russia party founded by an ex-Nazi in the 1950s is not expected to be able to form a government, but it should close with about 30% of the vote (More)
Nepal has closed its schools after floods and landslides devastated the country. Over 150 people have died in the Himalayan nation while over 50 are still missing; officials said some heavy rains finally began to let up yesterday, but Kathmandu has seen almost 13 inches of precipitation (More)
Japan is headed toward a snap election. Shigeru Ishiba, the new leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is expected to dissolve the House of Representatives and set an Oct. 27 vote once he officially takes over as the country's prime minister; he is seeking a public mandate for his government (More)
Campaign News
Three members of Iran's military were charged with hacking email accounts tied to former President Donald Trump's campaign. A grand jury approved the Department of Justice's indictments; the Treasury Department also sanctioned Iranians accused of election meddling (More)
CBS said its moderators will not fact-check the candidates during tomorrow night's vice presidential debate. Margaret Brennan and Norah O'Donnell will host the showdown between Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in New York (More)
Trump continued to escalate his attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris, implying she is "mentally impaired." He also said she should be "impeached and prosecuted" for her actions regarding migration along the southern border with Mexico (More)
Business & Markets
Major indexes closed mixed on Friday. The Dow Jones closed at another record high as the PCE price index inflation reading came in lower than expected at 2.2% YoY (Dow +0.33%, Nasdaq -0.39%, S&P 500 -0.13%).
The International Longshoremen's Association plans to strike at midnight, shutting down dozens of U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports. The union's roughly 45K dockworkers handle 50% of national imports by sea; the work stoppage will hammer supply chains and likely lead to higher prices on goods (More)
DirecTV is in talks to acquire satellite television rival Dish Network. EchoStar, Dish's parent company, faces bankruptcy and wants to pay off $2B in debt before it matures in November; past merger efforts between the companies have failed (More)
Entertainment & Sports
The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets will play a doubleheader this afternoon to determine the final two National League wild-card spots and conclude the MLB regular season. The teams need one win each to qualify for the postseason; the Arizona Diamondbacks will get into the field if either team sweeps the games (More)
Jim Gaffigan will play Tim Walz on Saturday Night Live this fall. The comedian debuted during the season premiere with cast member Bowen Yang playing J.D. Vance; Dana Carvey has returned to the series to play President Joe Biden (More)
New Jersey's MetLife Stadium will host the FIFA Club World Cup final next year. The tournament, featuring 32 of the best professional teams worldwide, will be held in 12 U.S. cities next summer as a lead-in to the 2026 World Cup in North America (More)
Quick Hitters
Very Cute: A toddler fell asleep on her family farm in Mississippi. Then the dog -- and the pig -- snuggled in and joined her.
Take Note: Being on social media during this presidential campaign can be a lot. Here are some tips to stay connected,but also keep your sanity and avoid being overwhelmed.
Chow Down: It is hard to mess up pancakes. But there are some ways to optimize how delicious they are.
New Idea: Researchers in China said they reversed a woman's Type-1 diabetes using her stem cells. It is the first time such treatment has been successful without using donor cells, which are difficult to supply.
Life Hack: Stop fretting about checking off every box on your "to-do" list. Maintaining a "to-don't" list can be just as effective, as experts say hyper-productivity often has many downsides.
Watch This
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Links
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Looking Ahead …
French far-right politician Marine Le Pen, her National Rally party and over two dozen others will stand trial for embezzling European Parliament funds starting today. If convicted, Le Pen -- a top contender to win France's 2027 presidential election -- could be banned from seeking public office.