ADVERTISEMENT

In the news today: The US is sending a missile defense system and more troops to Israel; Harris calls out hurricane misinformation; and tensions soar between the Koreas. Also, a NASA spacecraft will scour a Jupiter moon for the ingredients for life.

A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launching station loaded onto an aircraft in Texas, 2019. (Staff Sgt. Cory D. Payne/U.S. Air Force via AP)

WORLD NEWS

The US is sending a missile defense system and troops to Israel to aid defense against Iran

The United States will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to Israel, along with the troops needed to operate it, the Pentagon said Sunday, even as Iran warned Washington to keep American military forces out of Israel. Read more.

Why this matters:

• Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon spokesperson, said in a statement that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized the deployment of the THAAD battery at the direction of President Joe Biden. In a brief exchange with reporters before leaving Florida on Sunday, Biden said he agreed to deploy the THAAD battery “to defend Israel.”
  
  

• The delivery of the sophisticated missile defense system risks further inflaming the conflict in the Middle East despite widespread diplomatic efforts to avoid an all-out war. Israel is widely believed to be preparing a military response to Iran’s Oct. 1 attack, when it fired roughly 180 missiles into Israel.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• Israeli strike on hospital tent camp kills 4 and ignites a fire that burns dozens
  
  
• Israel says 4 soldiers killed by Hezbollah drone attack while Israeli strike in Gaza leaves 20 dead
  
  
• Netanyahu examines plan to empty northern Gaza of civilians and cut off aid to those left inside

POLITICS

Harris calls out hurricane misinformation in North Carolina visit

Kamala Harris used an appearance Sunday before a largely Black church audience in battleground North Carolina to call out Donald Trump and others for spreading misinformation about the government’s hurricane response. President Joe Biden visited Florida for the second time this month to survey storm damage. Read more.

Key points:

• Harris did not mention Trump’s name, but he is most prominent among those promoting false claims about the Biden administration’s response to Hurricanes Milton and Helene, including saying that Washington was intentionally withholding aid from Republicans in need across the Southeast. The former president falsely claimed the Federal Emergency Management Agency had run out of money to help them because it was spent on programs to help immigrants who are in the United States illegally.

   

• Harris' North Carolina appearance marks the start of a week in which Harris will work to shore up support among Black voters. She is counting on Black turnout in competitive states such as North Carolina to help her defeat Trump, who has focused on energizing men of all races and has tried to make inroads with Black men in particular.

   

• With a little more than three weeks before the election, the hurricanes have added another dimension to the closely contested presidential race. Trump has said the Biden administration’s storm response was lacking, particularly in western North Carolina after Helene. “They blame me for everything. It’s OK,” Trump told Fox.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• FACT FOCUS: A look at the false information around Hurricanes Helene and Milton
  
  
• Harris is laying out a new plan to empower Black men as she tries to energize them to vote for her
  
  
• Florida neighbors band together to recover after one-two punch from hurricanes Helene and Milton

WORLD NEWS

North Korea is preparing to destroy northern parts of inter-Korean roads, Seoul says

South Korea said Monday it has detected signs that North Korea is preparing to destroy the northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use, as the rivals are embroiled in soaring tensions over North Korea’s claim that South Korea flew drones over its territory. Read more.

Why this matters:

• Destroying the roads would be in line with leader Kim Jong Un’s push to cut off ties with South Korea, formally cementing it as his country’s principal enemy and abandoning the North’s decades-long objective to seek a peaceful Korean unification.
  
  

• The development comes as North Korea has recently accused South Korea of launching drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang, its capital, three times this month and threatened to respond with force if it happened again. South Korea has refused to confirm whether it sent drones but warned it would sternly punish North Korea if the safety of its citizens is threatened.
  
  

• Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years, with North Korea continuing a run of provocative missile tests, which the U.N. views as banned tests of long-range missile technology, and South Korea and the U.S. expanding their military drills. Observers say North Korea could perform major weapons tests ahead of next month’s U.S. presidential election to increase its leverage in future diplomacy with the Americans.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• Sister of North Korea’s leader threatens South Korea over drone flights
  
  
• North Korea says front-line units ready to strike South Korea if more drones appear
  
  
• China holds large military exercises surrounding Taiwan to warn against independence

ADVERTISEMENT

IN OTHER NEWS

READ

Early election: Iceland is headed for a snap election after its governing coalition collapses

Immigration: Trump calls for adding 10,000 Border Patrol agents after derailing a bipartisan border bill

Native Americans: Indigenous Peoples Day celebrated with an eye on the election

Nobel Prize: The Nobel economics prize is awarded for research into differences in prosperity between nations

Sherpa teenager: A record-setting teen climber returns home to Nepal to a hero’s welcome

Today in History: In 1586, Mary, Queen of Scots, went on trial, accused of committing treason against Queen Elizabeth I

WATCH

Rally arrest updates: Man with loaded gun arrested at checkpoint near Donald Trump's Southern California rally

Tons of rubbish: Trash clogs river in Bosnia after flash floods and landslides

Catching a rocket: SpaceX catches Starship rocket booster back at the launch pad

Mammograms: New U.S. rule requires centers to inform women about breast density

Reviving the dodo: A talking dodo leads a new AI experiment at a zoology museum

A CHANGE OF PACE

An illustration of the Europa Clipper spacecraft above the surface of Europa, with Jupiter behind. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP) 

NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft will scour Jupiter moon for the ingredients for life
A NASA spacecraft is ready to set sail for Jupiter and its moon Europa, one of the best bets for finding life beyond Earth. Europa Clipper will peer beneath the moon’s icy crust, where an ocean is thought to be sloshing fairly close to the surface, to determine whether conditions there could support life.

Manage preferences | Privacy policy | Unsubscribe  

*Advertisers have no control over editorial decisions or content. If you're interested in advertising, contact us here.

ADVERTISEMENT