Monday, October 14, 2024
It is Monday, October 14, 2024. Hope your weekend was good. Here are today’s top stories.
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Polls show tightening presidential race
Axios explained that three national polls released Sunday shows that the presidential race is tightening with Kamala Harris losing the comfortable lead she had a month ago.
1) ABC/Ipsos poll: Harris 50%, Trump 48%. Harris lost a six-point lead that she had last month.
2) CBS/YouGov: Harris 51%, Trump 48%. Harris was up by four last month.
3) NBC: both tied at 48%. Harris was up by five points last month and now she’s tied.
There are only 23 days left until the election.
https://www.axios.com/2024/10/13/harris-trump-new-polls-tight-race
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Man with loaded gun arrested near Trump rally
A man who wanted to drive past a security checkpoint at a Trump rally in Southern California last night was arrested after deputies found loaded guns and ammo in the vehicle, as well as fake press and VIP passes.
The Riverside County Sheriff said his deputies probably prevented a third assassination attempt on Trump.
But according to the NY Post, the Secret Service thinks it is unlikely that the man was trying to kill Trump and is not investigating it as an assassination attempt.
The suspect’s name is Vem Miller (49). He is from Las Vegas and was driving a black SUV. He had a shotgun, a handgun, and a high-capacity magazine. Police said he illegally possessed the weapons.
Miller said he is shocked that people are calling him a would-be assassin. He said he is a Trump supporter. He said the guns were for his personal protection and that he told deputies at a checkpoint that he was carrying firearms.
Miller was charged with firearms violations and released on a $5,000 bail.
*Correction: Trump’s rally and the arrest happened on Saturday, not Sunday
https://www.axios.com/2024/10/13/trump-coachella-rally-man-arrested-gun-charges
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NASA’s Europa Clipper mission lifts off
Today, NASA used a SpaceX rocket to launch its new spacecraft called Europa Clipper that will fly through space for over five years towards Jupiter. If all goes well, it will arrive in the Jupiter area in 2030 and then the spacecraft will fly closely around one of Jupiter’s largest moons, Europa.
Scientists said Europa has an ice crust with a water ocean underneath it. There may be some life in the water in the form of microorganisms and bacteria-like creatures, especially near the bottom of the ocean where there is some heat.
NASA wants to know if Europa has the right conditions to support life. This mission’s price tag is about $5 billion and it’s begun.
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China conducts military drills around Taiwan
China’s military conducted large military drills around Taiwan using warships and fighter jets with the purpose of putting pressure on the Taiwanese government.
The Taiwanese president recently said the island, which has its own government and military, would keep up with its pledge to resist annexation by China and refuse to see that it’s a part of communist China.
China considers Taiwan and its 23 million residents as its own and wants to see it be politically united with its communist party.
The U.S. has vowed for years to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.
Taiwan said the Chinese military drills were an “unreasonable provocation.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2024/10/14/china-taiwan-military-exercises/75668037007/
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Updates on battles in Middle East
On Sunday, Hezbollah launched an attack drone that struck an Israeli military base in northern Israel. Four Israeli soldiers were killed and many others were wounded.
The U.S. military said it would send an advanced missile defense system to Israel and 100 U.S. troops to operate it.
Also on Sunday, Israeli strikes killed at least 22 people in Gaza who were sheltering at a school. The UN said they planned to provide polio vaccinations at the school but have to cancel it de to the school sustaining severe damage.
There is a new conflict in the region that has to do with U.N. peacekeeping bases and soldiers that are located in buffer zones between Israel and Lebanon. The peacekeeping force is called UNIFIL, short for UN Interim Force in Lebanon. It has about 10,000 troops from over 40 countries.
The Israeli military wants the UNIFIL to pull back as it moves into southern Lebanon, but the UNIFIL said they cannot leave as they are mandated to stay by the UN Security Council.
Several UNIFIL peacekeepers and facilities were wounded and damaged when they were hit by Israeli strikes and there is concern about the UNIFIL as they are in the middle of a battle. So this is a new crisis.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/13/world/middleeast/lebanon-israel-hezbollah.html
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That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.