Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv for talks. Plus, Liz Cheney backs Kamala Harris on abortion
Good morning.
At least 13 people were killed and 57 injured in an Israeli airstrike on Monday near Hariri hospital, Beirut’s main government hospital, the health ministry said, revising upwards its initial death toll of four.
Israel claimed the strike was aimed at a Hezbollah target, not the hospital. On Tuesday, Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into Israel, sparking air-raid sirens but causing no apparent damage or injuries.
Israel continued to bombard Beirut, Lebanon and north Gaza with shelling overnight, as the humanitarian crisis from the conflict continues to grow.
What has the impact been on Lebanese civilians? Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, launched 1 October, has displaced more than 1.2 million people multiple times, according to Lebanese authorities. At least 2,483 people have been killed, according to the health ministry.
What is the US doing? Secretary of state Antony Blinken has arrived in Tel Aviv, where he will meet Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Blinken is expected to stress the need for Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and to discuss securing the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. As Israel’s most powerful ally and weapons supplier, the US has sent more than 10,000 highly destructive 2,000lb bombs and thousands of Hellfire missiles since the start of its war on Gaza.
Liz Cheney urges conservatives to back Kamala Harris over abortion
Liz Cheney, a former Republican congresswoman and longtime opponent of abortion rights, on Monday condemned Republican-imposed bans on the procedure and urged conservatives to support Democrat Kamala Harris for president.
Cheney was speaking during three joint events with the vice-president in three swing states aimed at prising suburban Republican voters away from party nominee Donald Trump. She has become the Democrats’ most prominent conservative surrogate and is rumoured to be in contention for a seat in a potential Harris cabinet.
What did Cheney say? “I’m pro-life and I have been very troubled, deeply troubled by what I have watched happen in so many states since Dobbs … I have been troubled by the extent to which you have women who – as the vice-president said, in some cases have died – who can’t get medical treatment that they need because providers are worried about criminal liability.”
What are the polls saying? The election is essentially deadlocked. Harris has small polling leads in Pennsylvania and Nevada, while Trump has small polling leads in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, but all are well within the margin of error and all the races in the all-important battleground states remain too close to call.
El Chapo’s sons negotiating plea deal with US government, lawyer confirms
Two of drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera’s sons have confirmed they are negotiating for a plea deal, it emerged in court in Chicago on Monday.
The hearing confirmed Ovidio Guzmán and Joaquín Guzmán López were negotiating a deal for a more lenient sentence which could open the door for them to become cooperating witnesses for the US government.
What did the brothers do? Ovidio Guzmán and Joaquín Guzmán López, along with their other two brothers still at large in Mexico, were the leaders of “Los Chapitos”, a faction of the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, one of the biggest organized crime groups in Mexico.
In other news …
A Texas county was condemned for placing a book on colonization in a library’s fiction section, after pressure from rightwing activists.
Refugees and aid agencies have warned of deteriorating conditions in overcrowded and severely underfunded camps in Chad, as intensifying violence and a hunger crisis in Sudan drive huge numbers across the border.
Fifa has been accused for a second time of failing to engage with concerns over human rights risks in Saudi Arabia, two months before the Gulf state is expected to be confirmed as soccer World Cup host.
The leader of the Anglican church, Justin Welby, revealed that his ancestor owned enslaved people on a plantation in Jamaica, and was compensated by the British government when it abolished slavery in 1833.
Stat of the day: The far-right megadonor pouring over $10m into the election to defeat the so-called ‘woke regime’
Thomas Klingenstein, chair of the rightwing Claremont Institute, has cemented his place in the pantheon of Republican megadonors with a more than $10m spending spree so far in the 2024 election cycle. He has encouraged rightwingers to join the fight to defeat what he calls “the woke regime”.
Don’t miss this: The brain collector – the scientist unraveling the mysteries of grey matter
Alexandra Morton-Hayward collects brains from around the world, some are 8,000 years old. Using cutting-edge methods, she is cracking the secrets of ancient brains – even as hers betrays her. Kermit Pattison follows the follows the mystery.
Climate check: Wildfire smoke pollution may be killing further 12,000 people a year, study finds
The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change and led by Dr Chae Yeon Park of Japan’s National Institute for Environmental Studies, estimated that in the 2010s almost 100,000 people globally died each year from breathing smoke from fires that contain tiny particles, known as PM2.5, that can penetrate the lungs and bloodstream.
Last Thing: Crafty drinking – the revolt against corporate brewers using ‘craft’ label
A new stage has opened up in the bitter struggle for what constitutes a “craft” brewed beer. A group of small breweries in the UK is ditching the term “craft beer” in favor of “indie beer”, warning that global corporations have tricked many drinkers.
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