10/02/24
Good morning! It’s Wednesday, October 2nd.
International Day of Violence.
Ironically.
And now, the news.
Update: Middle East
On Tuesday, Iran fired about 180 missiles into Israel, which the country says was able to defeat but Iran says it hit 90% of their targets. There is no current word on the damage that was done inside of Israel.
This is a new escalation in a conflict that no one wants escalated.
Well, I guess except for the people doing the escalating.
The strikes came in retaliation for Israel’s further move into southern Lebanon to perform what the government says will be “limited” strikes.
Just before the rockets flew into Israel, two suspects opened fire in an Arab-Jewish neighborhood of Tel Aviv. Six people were killed, including the two suspects.
And in Sweden, the Israeli embassy in Stockholm has been cordoned off after reports of a shooting. A gun and at least one casing were found at the scene, but the suspect fled.
In Gaza, three men were killed by Israeli soldiers as they were headed back to their homes in the northern area of the Gaza Strip.
So here’s what we’re looking at – a very serious, volatile, and fast-moving situation. Israel has promised retaliation for the strikes, though details on sparse on what that would mean.
The Israeli government says approximately 63,000 Israelis are displaced from the border area with Lebanon due to Hezbollah rocket fire. Meanwhile, the U.N. says about 1 million Lebanese are displaced due to the Israeli airstrikes.
This is an ongoing story.
Longshoremen Strike
-via CNN
At 12:01am on Tuesday morning, the nearly 50,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) went on strike against our East and Gulf Coast ports.
The union has not gone on strike since 1977, when it won an eighty-cent-an-hour raise. Adjusted for today, that’s $4 an hour.
This time around, the union has been asking for a $5 an hour raise each year in a six year deal, ultimately raising hourly pay from $39 to $69 by the end. However, the union now says they would accept $4 an hour, to avoid a strike. However, USMX, the management group that represents ship lines, terminal operators, and ports, says they would only agree to $3 an hour each year.
The union also wants, among other things, airtight language that ensures the ports will not introduce automation or even semi-automation.
The ports handle 35% of all US imports, and this work stoppage could cause a drag of between $4.5 and $7.5 billion on the US GDP for each week the strike continues.
As the strike begins, the US Department of Transportation said they are closing monitoring companies to make sure no one’s raising prices, using this strike as an excuse.
Hurricane Helene
-via CNN
The death toll from Hurricane Helene has risen to 160 people, making it the second-deadliest hurricane on the mainland in 50 years. The first was, of course, 2005’s Hurricane Katrina which killed at least 1,833 people.
Plans are currently being made for President Biden and Veep Harris to visit Georgia and North Carolina (separately, not together) in the coming days.
So bust out those short brick walls!
VP Debate
-via
And of course, Tuesday night we saw the battle of the wannabe veeps as the first, and only, vice presidential debate took place.
It was kind of exactly what you were thinking would happen.
JD Vance lied.
Tim Walz was a normal human being.
Early on, one of my favorite moments was when the topic of immigration came up. Obviously JD was like – Springfield is being overrun by illegal immigrants! And the moderators, who I thought did a solid job, rightfully fact-checked and JD said “The rules were that you weren't going to fact-check me.”
And I loved it! It nourished me as Vance lied, over and over again, including when he said he never supported an abortion ban – he’s said multiple times that it should be illegal everywhere. I mean, when he called himself pro-family I almost lost my mind. I almost exploded out of my skin. And then I remembered “The rules were that you weren't going to fact-check me” and just remembered… he’s such a loser.
I also loved when Tim called himself “a knucklehead at times.” I don’t even remember why, but I loved it!
JD was asked about why he changed his mind about calling him Hitler and are now running with him. He said he…. Misspoke. He was wrong and misspoke. I’ve been wrong before. I’ve been wrong a lot! I’ve never accidentally compared someone to Hitler!
I wouldn’t say Walz had the strongest start, but he came alive when it came to health care and January 6th(obviously JD refused to say Trump lost in 2020. Which he did. And you know it because otherwise this would be a third term! The fact that you’re on the stage means he did, in fact lose!)
Actually that moment gave me my real favorite moment. “The rules were that you weren't going to fact-check me,” was great but the literal best line was when JD refused to say if Trump lost in 2020 and Tim Walz said “That is a damning non-answer.”
Well done, my guy.
He seemed confident, comfortable, dressed sharp (this isn’t JD’s fault but who dressed him? It was BAD and I’m know nothing about fashion) and overall was a real human.
And so, for my money, after a slow start, it was Walz for the win.
And that’s it. That’s the news.
Here’s the deal. Like a substitute teacher that rolls into the classroom and sits backward in a chair… let me get real with you.
There are 34 days until Election Day.
You can be voting right now. You may have deadlines coming up. You make know people who have deadlines coming up and don’t know if they’re registered. This is, without a doubt, the most important election of our lifetime. Democracy is on the ballot and on the line.
Be talking about how important this election is. Send them to raisingvoters.org and let’s get them registered and ready.
This whole thing turns on turnout.
It’s democracy or nothing else.
And because you know that. And for about a million other reasons… I’m proud of you.