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In the news today: Both Harris and Trump are bidding for the votes of Arab American and Jewish voters; Putin hosts a meeting of nations to counterbalance the West; and an uncommon voting system could decide which party controls the U.S. House. Also, a New Zealand airport imposes a time limit on goodbye hugs.

Monday’s Morning Wire linked to a video of former President Trump’s campaign stop at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, where he asserted, without evidence, that Vice President Kamala Harris did not work at the chain while she was in college. The newsletter failed to provide the context there is no evidence supporting Trump’s statement. 

(AP Photos/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool/Evan Vucci/Joey Cappelletti/Laurence Kesterson)

POLITICS

Mideast conflict looms over US presidential race as Harris and Trump battle for an edge

Two weeks out from Election Day, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are bidding for the votes of Arab and Muslim American voters and Jewish voters, particularly in extremely tight races in the battleground states of Michigan and Pennsylvania. Read more.

Why this matters:

• Kamala Harris has been painstakingly — and not always successfully — trying to balance talk of strong support for Israel with harsh condemnations of civilian casualties among Palestinians and others caught up in Israel’s wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Former President Donald Trump, for his part, insists that none of this would have happened on his watch and that he can make it all go away if elected.
  
  

• Harris’ position is particularly awkward because as vice president she is tethered to President Joe Biden’s foreign policy decisions even as she’s tried to strike a more empathetic tone to all parties. But Harris aides and allies also are frustrated with what they see as Trump largely getting a pass on some of his unpredictable foreign policy statements.
  
  

• A new AP-NORC poll finds that neither Trump nor Harris has a clear political advantage on the situation in the Middle East. About 4 in 10 registered voters say Trump would do a better job, and a similar share say that about Harris. Roughly 2 in 10 say neither candidate would do a better job.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• How Project 2025 became a flashpoint in this year’s election
  
  
• Biden is ‘deeply concerned’ about the release of secret documents on Israel’s possible attack plans
  
  
• Liz Cheney helps Harris seek moderate votes as they paint Trump as a dangerous choice

WORLD NEWS

Putin hosts a summit to show the West it can’t keep Russia off the global stage

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be meeting this week with China’s Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian, defying predictions that the war in Ukraine and an international arrest warrant would turn Putin into a pariah. Read more.

Why this matters:

• The meeting of the BRICS bloc of developing economies aims to counterbalance the Western-led world order. And its bloc of members is expanding rapidly. Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia joined in January; Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia formally applied, and a number of others expressed a desire to be members.
  
  

• Putin will hold around 20 bilateral meetings, foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said, and the summit could turn into “the largest foreign policy event ever held” on Russian soil. The Kremlin will also be able to talk to major players like India and China about expanding trade and bypassing Western sanctions.
  
  

• Analysts say the Kremlin wants the optics of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with its global allies amid continued tensions with the West, as well as the practicality of negotiating deals with them to shore up Russia’s economy and its war effort. For the other participants, it’s a chance to amplify their voices and narratives. 

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• Ukraine’s ‘victory plan’ receives mixed reactions from Western allies
  
  
• Serbia’s president thanks Putin for gas supplies and vows he’ll never impose sanctions on Russia
  
  
• Right-wing influencers hyped anti-Ukraine videos made by a TV producer also funded by Russian media

POLITICS

Ranked choice voting could decide which party controls the US House

An uncommon system of voting could be central to which party controls the U.S. House this fall — or even the presidency. Read more.

Why this matters:

• Ranked choice voting is now used in Maine and Alaska. Rather than cast a single vote for their preferred candidate, voters rank their choices in order of preference on the ballot. If a candidate is the first choice of more than 50% of voters in the first round of counting, that candidate is the winner. But if no candidate surpasses 50%, the count continues in round two and the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.
  
  

• Proponents of ranked choice voting argue the system encourages candidates to build broader coalitions, eliminates the spoiler effect and discourages negative campaigning. Opponents say it’s confusing and can result in a candidate without the largest number of first-choice votes ultimately prevailing.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• In Georgia, the winner in the presidential race may be determined by who doesn’t vote
  
  
• In hard-fought Pennsylvania, fast-growing Hispanic communities present a test for Harris and Trump
  
  
• In Nevada, immigration is a nuanced issue. But the politics of it is painted in black and white

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IN OTHER NEWS

READ

Washington shooting: Teen in custody after 5 found dead in shooting at home in Washington state, police say

Corruption case: Peru’s ex-president Toledo gets more than 20 years in prison in case linked to corruption scandal

Debate comments: Central Park Five sues Donald Trump for ‘defamatory’ remarks made at presidential debate

Timed goodbyes: New Zealand airport imposes cuddle cap on goodbye hugs to avoid traffic jams

Fake reviews: FTC’s rule banning fake online reviews goes into effect

Conkers controversy:  Champion cleared of cheating with a metal chestnut at the World Conker Championships

Today in History: In 1962, JFK announces a Cuba naval blockade

WATCH

Helicopter crash: Security camera captures moment helicopter crashed into Houston radio tower, killing 4

Dock collapse: Chaotic scene as victims pulled from water after Georgia walkway collapse

Ai-da: This is the AI robot with a painting up for auction

Hungry monkey: Tamarin at Oakland Zoo munches on jack-o’-lantern

A CHANGE OF PACE

Twrl co-founders Olivia Chen and Pauline Ang in Palo Alto, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

An Asian American boba brand finds opportunity after Simu Liu sparks cultural appropriation debate
Olivia Chen and Pauline Ang, friends and business partners on boba milk tea brand Twrl, have tried three times to get on “Shark Tank,” the ABC reality show where up-and-coming entrepreneurs try to woo big-name backers. Now, in a plot twist they couldn’t have imagined, the San Francisco Bay Area-based women have a chance to pitch a pretty well-known investor — actor Simu Liu.

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