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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Polls are beginning to open across the United States in today’s presidential election. More than 78 million Americans have already cast early ballots. CNN reports; Nick Corasaniti reports for the New York Times.
Police and National Guard units in several states are standing on alert as authorities prepare for any potential violence by extremist groups upset by the election results. Russell Contreras and Erin Doherty report for Axios.
Right-wing groups are using Telegram to urge followers to monitor today’s polls, a New York Times analysis shows. Paul Mozur, Adam Satariano, Aaron Krolik, and Steven Lee Myers report.
Meta will extend its ban on new election ads from the week leading up to the election until several days after polls close, in a bid to prevent misinformation from spreading while votes are being counted. Sara Fischer reports for Axios.
The challenges to more than 4,000 Pennsylvania mail-in ballots will be decided in hearings extending past Election Day, potentially delaying the results announcement in the critical swing state. Marc Levy and Mark Scolforo report for AP News.
Thousands of voters in Cobb county who received their absentee ballots late will not get an extension to return them, Georgia’s Supreme Court ruled yesterday. AP News reports.
Electoral officials are preparing for potential disruptions from armed extremists or violent protesters at next month’s Electoral College meetings, with public access expected to be limited. John Sakellariadis, Kyle Cheney, Shia Kapos, and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.
Three major U.S. intelligence agencies warned yesterday that Russia and Iran will likely flood social media with misinformation in the coming weeks in an effort to undermine public confidence in the election’s integrity. Glenn Thrush reports for the New York Times.
Election deniers who tried to subvert former President Trump’s 2020 loss have spent years building online followings and preemptive infrastructure to contest this year’s vote, a Washington Post investigation shows. Drew Harwell, Cat Zakrzewski, and Naomi Nix report.
The U.S. cybersecurity department has not seen evidence of any activity that could directly impact the outcome of the election, the agency’s chief said yesterday. Christopher Bing reports for Reuters.
The Trump campaign fired its Pennsylvania regional field director on Friday after a report revealing he regularly shared white nationalist views online. Amanda Moore reports for POLITICO.
A Pennsylvania judge ruled yesterday that Elon Musk’s $1 million sweepstakes can proceed through the presidential election. Maryclaire Dale reports for AP News.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Supreme Court yesterday agreed to hear a dispute over how Louisiana draws its congressional map that could impact the power of Black voters in the state. The case, which will not be decided for months, will not impact today’s election. Justin Jouvenal reports for the Washington Post.
A Tennessee man was arrested on Saturday over a plot to destroy a Nashville energy facility with a weapon of mass destruction, the Justice Department said yesterday. Alexander Mallin and Meredith Deliso report for ABC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
An Israeli bombardment yesterday damaged one of the few hospitals still providing medical care in northern Gaza, a week after the Israeli forces withdrew from the facility, the Hamas-run health ministry said. Hiba Yazbek reports for the New York Times.
An Israeli airstrike killed at least 20 people in northern Gaza late yesterday, according to Palestinian medical officials. AP News reports.
The Israeli military yesterday denied the reports that it had hit a polio vaccination clinic in northern Gaza. James Mackenzie reports for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller yesterday gave Israel a “fail” grade in terms of meeting the Biden administration’s conditions for Gaza aid delivery. He said about nine days still remain until the 30-day deadline expires, but that limited progress so far has been inadequate. Matthew Lee reports for AP News.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH WAR
The Israeli military claimed it killed two Hezbollah commanders yesterday in Lebanon. Separately, Israel’s Air Defence force said yesterday it struck Hezbollah intelligence headquarters near Damascus, in an attack which Syria’s defense ministry said targeted civilian sites. The Guardian reports; Adam Makary, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Hatem Maher report for Reuters.
At least 10 of 14 strikes that caused casualties in eastern Lebanon on Friday hit areas outside the Israeli military’s evacuation order zone, a Washington Post review found. Abbie Cheeseman reports.
ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT
An Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps general and his pilot were killed yesterday in an autogyro operation near the Pakistani border, Iranian state TV reported. AP News reports.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The United States and Saudi Arabia are discussing a possible bilateral security agreement which would not involve a broader deal with Israel, sources say. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
The State Department approved a possible $4.92bn sale of Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft to South Korea, the Pentagon said yesterday. Jasper Ward and Eric Beech report for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
At least 10,000 North Korean troops are in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, the Pentagon’s press secretary said yesterday. Meanwhile, South Korea and the European Union yesterday jointly condemned North Korea’s supply of weapons to Russia, demanding a withdrawal of Pyongyang forces. Luis Martinez reports for ABC News; Hyunsu Yim and Hyunjoo Jin report for Reuters.
British lobbyists helped orchestrate a campaign pressuring top Republicans and the Biden administration to give more military support to Ukraine, POLITICO’s analysis of transparency documents shows. John Johnston reports.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
European security officials believe suspected Russian operatives were behind a plot to smuggle incendiary devices onto a cargo plane in Germany, in what may have been a trial run for future attacks targeting U.S.-bound planes. Bojan Pancevski, Thomas Grove, Max Colchester, and Daniel Michaels report for the Wall Street Journal.
North Korea fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan early today. Kim Tong-Hyung reports for AP News.
A series of “intense, violent” Rapid Support Forces (RSF) raids on villages in Sudan’s eastern El Gezira state displaced some 135,000 people over the past two weeks. Reuters reports.
The Nigerian president ordered the immediate release of all minors charged with treason over anti-government protests in August, state officials said yesterday. Felix Onuah reports for Reuters.
China is moving forward with a World Trade Organization complaint over the EU’s imposition of tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. AP News reports.