In the news today: Democrats dominate several U.S. elections; Lebanon’s Hezbollah has become a critical player in the Israel-Hamas war; and the third GOP debate takes place today in Florida. Also, Ivanka Trump will be testifying in New York after her father’s heated turn on the stand. | Issue 1 supporters cheer as they watch election results come in on Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) |
Democrats win in several states on abortion rights, and other highlights from Tuesday’s elections |
Democrats have a lot to be happy about after winning major races in Tuesday’s election. Abortion rights supporters won big in an Ohio ballot measure and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear was reelected in Kentucky after running television ads painting his challenger as an extremist on abortion. Read more.
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In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear was reelected in a state that Donald Trump had won by 26 percentage points over Joe Biden, and in Virginia, Democrats retook full control of the General Assembly after two years of divided power, holding control of the state Senate and flipping control of the Virginia House of Delegates. Later on Tuesday, Dan McCaffery won an open seat on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court after positioning himself as a defender of abortion rights.
In Ohio, a ballot measure preserving abortion rights passed in a state that Trump won by eight percentage points in 2020. Republicans had already tried to derail the measure by calling an unusual August referendum to make it harder to pass ballot measures — an initiative that was roundly rejected by Ohio voters. The outcomes suggest a transformed political landscape since a conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a federal right to abortion last year.
- In some historic election firsts, former Biden White House aide Gabe Amo will become the first Black member of Congress from Rhode Island, and Philadelphia will have its first female mayor after Democrat Cherelle Parker defeated Republican David Oh in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.
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How Lebanon’s Hezbollah group became a critical player in the Israel-Hamas war |
Hezbollah has traded fire with Israeli troops along the border since the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7 incursion in southern Israel sparked war in the Gaza Strip. Both sides have suffered casualties, but the fear is that the conflict will escalate and spiral into a regional fight. Read more. |
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Hezbollah is the Arab world’s most significant paramilitary force, with a robust internal structure and an arsenal that includes 150,000 precision-guided missiles, according to Israeli estimates. In recent years, Hezbollah sent forces to Syria to help fellow Iranian ally President Bashar Assad against armed opposition groups. It also supported the growth of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, Yemen and Syria.
For Hezbollah, fully entering the Israel-Hamas war would risk dragging Lebanon — beset by economic calamity and internal political tensions — into a conflict it can ill afford, fueling domestic opposition to the group. But staying on the sidelines as Israeli troops take control of the Gaza Strip could compromise Hezbollah’s credibility, and a Hamas defeat would be a blow to Iran.
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Third GOP debate will focus on Israel and foreign policy, but also on who could beat Donald Trump |
Foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war are expected to be prominent in Wednesday’s third Republican primary debate, as a narrowing field of candidates seeks to cut into Donald Trump’s lead without being able to challenge the former president in person. Read more. |
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With voting set to start in leadoff Iowa in January, no one has thus far been able to shake Trump’s dominance of the Republican primary. Many of the candidates have gone after each other hoping to break out as a viable alternative to the former president, emphasizing their differences on foreign policy but also ripping Trump for his criticisms of the Israeli prime minister. Trump himself will again skip the debate in Miami, instead holding a rally in a nearby suburb and saying he won’t participate due to his large lead in early polls.
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On Nov. 8, 1923: Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power in Germany with a failed coup in Munich that came to be known as the “Beer-Hall Putsch.” In the image above, American G.I.s of the Seventh U.S. Army march past the entrance of the Buergerbraukeller, site of the 1923 putsch, May 3, 1945. (AP Photo/Jim Pringle) A look at what else happened in history on November 8 |
Workers blow the fall leaves into piles in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) |
There’s a movement to ‘leave the leaves’ in gardens and lawns. Should you do it?
Done thoughtfully, leaving the leaves is one of the best ways to turn yard waste into free fertilizer, and that’s good for your plants, the environment — and your wallet. But it’s important to consider the types of leaves you’re dealing with and where they’re landing. |
WATCH: Spinal implant helps advanced Parkinson's patients walk again
Marc Gauthier suffers from advanced Parkinson's disease. In 2021, Swiss doctors implanted a device in his spine to see if electrical currents can help stimulate muscles in the limbs. |
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Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Sarah
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Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Sarah
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