Presidential Election Tightens
With the 2024 elections less than a week away, Vice President Kamala Harris’ slight polling lead has been fully eroded by former President Donald Trump. 538, The Hill, and The New York Times all show Trump and Harris essentially even in all critical swing states. National polls also show both candidates as even, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein — a self-styled “ecosocialist” who refused to back Harris — could pull left-wing votes away from Harris.
The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times were barred by their owners — Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong, respectively — from endorsing either candidate. The Washington Post had already drafted an endorsement for Harris, and the Los Angeles Times editorial editor resigned and claimed that the board was planning to endorse Harris.
Hamas Leader Dead
Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas in Gaza and architect of the October 7th attacks, was killed by Israeli forces on Wednesday, October 16. Unlike most killings of Hamas or Hezbollah leaders, it was not a planned Israeli assassination or strike. A routine patrol in Rafah by IDF conscripts spotted Hamas militants and engaged them. Three Hamas fighters were killed, and an Israeli soldier severely wounded. Once the bodies were examined, it was found that Sinwar was among the dead.
Sinwar’s death was hailed as a “great achievement” by Israel, though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to consider a ceasefire until remaining Israeli hostages are returned. Neither Hamas nor Israel have made any progress towards a ceasefire since.
Israel Strikes Iran
On Saturday, October 26, Israel struck military installations in Iran. Israel seemed to target air defense installations around key Iranian energy, logistical, and nuclear program sites, but not the facilities themselves. The attack came as retaliation for Iranian strikes in early October, which themselves were retaliation for assassinations of Hezbollah leaders and Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon.
Iran downplayed the attacks, making sharing videos or information about the attacks illegal, and claimed the attacks caused “limited damage.” US officials said that the attacks were measured and “specifically avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets.”
Hurricane Milton
On Wednesday, October 9, Hurricane Milton made landfall on the west coast of Florida. At its peak, it was the 5th most powerful atlantic hurricane in history. By the time it hit Florida, it had weakened to Category 3 hurricane, but still had winds between 111 and 130 miles per hour. It destroyed parts of the Tampa Bay Rays stadium, and its tornadoes killed multiple people.
By Thursday, October 10, Milton was still a Category 1 hurricane, and downed electrical lines, leaving 3 million people without power. As Milton followed only weeks after Hurricane Helene, debris cleanups accounted for damage from both. Numerous conspiracy theories over the hurricane season have been spread, mainly by right-wing sources, ranging from baseless claims of weather modification to claiming that FEMA was not responding to the storms.
This article was accurate as of press time on October 30
