Newsweek - The Bulletin - september 30, 2024 - The situation in the Middle East, U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, U.S. Elections, Hurricane Helene

 NEWSWEEK - THE BULLETIN 

September 30, 2024

Good morning! Here are today’s top headlines: The situation in the Middle East escalates as Hamas’ leader was killed in Lebanon amid a series of Israeli airstrikes, including the first to hit central Beirut. In a significant move before leaving office, President Joe Biden announced $8 billion in military assistance to Ukraine in what may well be the last package of support. As the election nears, the impact of Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris lies more in boosting voter turnout than in directly increasing support for the Democrats, experts have told Newsweek. Meanwhile, polls show that Donald Trump is leading Kamala Harris in five of the seven key swing states which will prove vital in determining who wins the election. Lastly, social media users have posted pictures showing the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene, the storm that has flooded and destroyed roads and buildings across Florida and Appalachia.

Sonal Nain is a Newsletter Producer at Newsweek. She is based in London, UK and writes for the morning flagship newsletter, The Bulletin. Sonal joined Newsweek in February 2024. Prior to that, she worked as a reporter and sub-editor, with her work featured in The Times, Time Out, Eastlondonlines, and other international outlets. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Goldsmiths, University of London. You can reach Sonal at s.nain@newsweek.com or on Twitter @SonalNain4. Languages: English, Hindi

WORLD IN BRIEF   JD Vance vs Tim Walz debate: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance are set to debate each other on October 1 at 9 pm ET, and their head-to-head could be the last time the two campaigns formally meet before polling day in November. Here's how to watch it. Eric Adams refuses to resign: Embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams told a church congregation yesterday that he has no intention of resigning in the wake of him pleading not guilty to federal corruption and bribery charges. Read the indictment. Austrian election: Austria's Freedom Party is set to come out on top in the European country's national election on Sunday, according to projections, marking the first time a far-right party has won since the Nazis first came to power in Europe nearly eight decades ago. Learn more. Kristofferson dies at 88: The entertainment world is mourning the loss of Kris Kristofferson, the country music icon and actor who passed away at 88. Read heartfelt tributes to his legacy. Senator faces IVF bill backlash: Fox News host Shannon Bream confronted Senator Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican, on Sunday about her voting against a bill that would federally protect access to in vitro fertilization (IVF). Find out how Britt responded. North Korea vows nuclear retention: North Korea "will never give up" its nuclear weapons, the country's state media said on Sunday, after the U.S. and its G7 allies called for a complete denuclearization. Read the full statement. Russian pundit warns Poland's fate: Andrey Sidorov, a Russian state TV pundit, recently warned that Poland "may cease to exist" amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Here's what he said. In the ongoing war in Ukraine, Ukraine has eliminated Russian soldiers on jet skis along the Dnipro River in a drone strike on Friday, according to a video posted by a Ukrainian news outlet.

TODAY'S TOP FIVE

1   Hamas Leader in Lebanon killed, Israel Targets Beirut The rundown: Palestinian militant group Hamas has said its leader in Lebanon was killed in the early hours of Monday morning amid a series of Israeli airstrikes, including the first to hit central Beirut. Find out more about this development. Why it matters: Fateh Sherif Abu El-Amin, Hamas' leader in Lebanon, was killed along with his wife, son, and daughter, in a strike that targeted their house in a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern city of Tyre, Hamas has said. Israel has hit targets across Lebanon and killed 1,030 over the past week, according to the country's Health Ministry as Hezbollah sustained heavy blows to its command structure, including the killing of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Until Sunday, strikes had not yet hit locations near the city center. Israeli officials had no immediate comment. Read more in depth-coverage: Israeli Special Forces Enter Lebanon: Reports What happens next? President Joe Biden said Sunday that he would speak soon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and believes that an all-out war in the Middle East must be avoided.

2   Biden's Parting Gift to Ukraine The rundown: President Joe Biden announced $8 billion in military assistance to Ukraine last Thursday, in what may well be the last package he greenlights before he leaves office and this year's presidential election in November. Here's what this aid package means. Why it matters: This is the 66th equipment package Biden's administration has provided to Ukraine and is part of the outgoing president's push to continue to send weapons to Kyiv amid debate in U.S. politics about how much money the country should continue to spend on helping its ally in its ongoing war against Russia. It came before the end of the U.S. fiscal year on Monday, September 30, when $5.9 billion in funding for Ukraine was set to expire. Biden said he had authorized $5.5 billion in Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the president to transfer defense money from the U.S. Department of Defense to foreign countries without the need for congressional approval for each transfer. Read more in-depth coverage: Ukraine Gets HIMARS Boost in New US Aid Package What happens next? In total, as of September 26, the U.S. has committed more than $59.3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration. The president, who will leave office in January said, “Through these actions, my message is clear: The United States will provide Ukraine with the support it needs to win this war."

3   Trump Leading Harris in Five of Seven Swing States: Poll The rundown: Donald Trump is leading Kamala Harris in five of the seven key swing states, which will prove vital in determining who wins the election, according to a poll. Why it matters: A survey of likely voters in battleground states from AtlasIntel found that Trump is ahead in Michigan (50.6 percent to 47.2) and Pennsylvania (51 percent to 48.1). AtlasIntel said the former president also has a "narrow" advantage in the toss-up states of Arizona (49.8 percent to 48.6), Georgia (49.6 percent to 49) and Wisconsin (49.7 percent to 48.2). Harris is leading in North Carolina (50.5 percent to 48.1) and Nevada (50.5 percent to 47.7). AtlasIntel was named the most accurate polling group of the 2020 presidential election by 538. Read more in-depth coverage: Donald Trump Over-Performing Among Key Voter Group by Double-Digit Margin What happens next? The AtlasIntel polling shows that Trump would win two of the so-called "blue wall" battleground states that are crucial to Harris. Harris only needs to win the three blue wall swing states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan to give her the required 270 Electoral College votes to win the election.

4   Where is the Taylor Swift Bump For Kamala Harris? The rundown: The impact of Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris lies more in boosting voter turnout than in directly increasing support for the Democrats, experts have told Newsweek. Why it matters: Following the first debate between Harris and former president Donald Trump this month, Swift announced she was endorsing the vice president in an Instagram post. She also urged her supporters to register to vote. Her endorsement came after weeks of speculation, but polling indicates that it may not have had the desired effect. Pollster Tom Bonier noted that increased voter registration is a better way of measuring the impact of the pop star's endorsement. Melissa Deckman, another expert, told Newsweek that Swift may be poised to make inroads with Gen Z voters "that may have important marginal effects in close battleground states." Read more in-depth coverage: Kamala Harris Gets New Republican Endorsement From Critical Swing State What happens next? Thomas Gift, a political scientist who heads the Centre of U.S. Politics at University College London, told Newsweek, “Every year we hear that this is the election when young voters will come out in droves. The problem is that it rarely happens. Taylor Swift's endorsement of Harris could help on the margins. But we shouldn't underestimate the extent of voter apathy among this demographic.”

5   Hurricane Helene Before and After Photos Reveal Devastation Left by Surge The rundown: Social media users have posted pictures showing the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene, the storm that has flooded and destroyed roads and buildings across Florida and Appalachia. See the dramatic before and after photos here. Why it matters: After making landfall in Florida, where tidal storm surges battered buildings, it then traveled north, hitting Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee, as well as impacting parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky. At least 95 people have been killed by the storm, according to The Associated Press. The storm made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with catastrophic 140-mile-per-hour winds and torrential rain. Footage showed houses swept away by the ocean. In North Carolina, heavy rains caused severe flooding and mudslides in the western part of the state, among other destruction. Read more in-depth coverage: Hurricane Helene Update: More Than a Million Americans Still Without Power What happens next? South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said on X that work was underway to clear roads and restore power, but he added that this would "take some time, many days in some places." Meanwhile, more than a million Americans remain without power following Hurricane Helene's deadly assault on the Eastern U.S. Rescue efforts are still under way in Asheville, North Carolina and other areas.

ONE DEEPER READ: I Was Born and Raised in Haiti. Rhetoric Like Trump's Leads to Dark Places ONÈ! "Onè" is a Haitian Creole greeting meaning "honor." By saying "Onè!" I honor you as my interlocutor, and I honor your family, your ancestors and your community. In Haiti, the response to my "Onè!" would be: "Respè!"—indicating mutual respect. Haiti deserves honor and respect for its unique history of freedom struggle—a gift to the world. But the country where I was born and raised, and Haitians in the United States, are often in the news for all the wrong reasons. Today, it's Donald Trump and J.D. Vance's canard about Haitians in Springfield, Ohio. THE FULL STORY

1 World Trade Center, Floor 72 New York, New York 10007 Unsubscribe I Update your preferences I View in browser