--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Michael Simon-Johnson. Today's Monday, September 23rd. Here's what we're covering.
--:-- [Sound of papers shuffling]
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: About an hour ago, following indications that Hezbollah was preparing to fire towards Israeli territory, we began striking terrorist targets throughout Lebanon.
--:-- [Sound of a map being unfolded]
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: In the Middle East this morning, the Israeli military's chief spokesman warned residents of southern Lebanon who live near Hezbollah strongholds to evacuate ahead of a series of Israeli airstrikes.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: In the first of several attacks, dozens of Israeli warplanes hit more than 150 targets, according to the Israeli military. The spokesman said the military was currently focusing on a, quote, aerial campaign only.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: Lebanon's state-run news agency reported extensive damage across a number of towns, and early reports from the health ministry said at least 50 people had been killed and over 300 were injured.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: The strikes came after a week of escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. Yesterday, Hezbollah, which has been firing on Israel in solidarity with Hamas, launched more than 100 rockets, cruise missiles, and drones towards Israel.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: On Friday, an Israeli airstrike near the Lebanese capital killed several senior Hezbollah commanders. And an earlier widespread attack on pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah injured hundreds, if not thousands, of rank-and-file members.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon warned over the weekend that the region is on the brink of an imminent catastrophe and that there is, quote, no military solution that will make either side safer.
--:-- [Sound of a phone ringing]
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: Live coverage of the conflict is on the New York Times app or at nytimes.com.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: New polling from the Times College zooms in on three battleground states that have been at the center of the race in recent weeks. Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have been campaigning heavily in Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: And the polls show that Trump has the lead. He's up three points in North Carolina, four in Georgia, and up five points in Arizona.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: Overall, likely voters in the so-called Sunbelt states say that Trump improved their lives when he was president, and they're worried that Harris would not if she gets elected.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: The poll also found that about 15% of voters in those three states are undecided. This is a group where when we polled them a month ago, they leaned slightly towards Harris. Now they lean a little bit towards Trump.
--:-- Ruth Igelnik: We asked these undecided and swing voters specifically what were their concerns about Trump and Harris. And for Harris, some mentioned her economic policies.
--:-- Ruth Igelnik: But honestly, the biggest concern that undecided and persuadable voters had about either of them were sort of personality based. They were concerned about the way that Trump talks and the things that he says.
--:-- Ruth Igelnik: And with Harris, there were a lot of concerns raised among undecided voters about her trustworthiness and honesty. And then, you know, some about sort of her personality and ability to handle the job.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: Beyond the Sun Belt, the Times' national polling average shows Harris still in the lead, with 50% to Donald Trump's 47%.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: Meanwhile, in the North Carolina governor's race, the fallout continues after a report revealed disturbing comments made by the Republican nominee there.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: The Times has learned that eight members of Mark Robinson's campaign, most of his senior staff, have resigned, including his campaign manager and finance director.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: Last week, CNN published dozens of remarks that Robinson had made in the comments section of a porn site about a decade ago, including calling himself a, quote, black Nazi, saying he supported slavery and that he spied on women in public gym showers as a teenager.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: Robinson who is currently North Carolina lieutenant governor has denied that he wrote the posts. In a statement released after his staff resigned, he said his campaign was in a quote, strong position to make our case to the voters and win.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: Recent polls show him as much as 13 points behind his Democratic opponent, Josh Stein, the state's attorney general.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: House Speaker Mike Johnson and congressional leaders have announced a spending deal that would fund the government through December 20th in order to avoid a government shutdown just weeks before the election.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: Leaders from both parties unveiled the deal yesterday, and Johnson said he would put it to a vote later this week.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: To make the spending deal happen, Johnson had to drop a demand he'd been personally committed to, requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, a provision pushed by Trump and supported by the hard right wing of the Republican Party.
--:-- Karin Demersian: Control of the House is going to be coming down to the wire. So will control of the Senate and the presidency. And Johnson basically told his colleagues it would be a bad idea to be bickering about these budget details and they'll live to fight another day.
--:-- Karin Demersian: That's probably not going to sit well with the right or Trump. And we will see how many Republicans flee from this deal when it hits the floor this week.
--:-- Karin Demersian: Johnson may likely have to turn to Democrats to carry this bill across the finish line. And he's been criticized by his rank and file for making these deals with Democrats necessary as they are to avoid shutdowns and keep the federal dollars flowing.
--:-- Karin Demersian: For the most part, the spending deal keeps the government funded at its current levels with one notable exception. The bill would give the Secret Service an additional million dollars.
--:-- Karin Demersian: The agency has been short for years and has been under intense scrutiny after Donald Trump was shot in July and after an apparent assassination attempt on Trump was foiled earlier this month.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: And finally, the Chicago White Sox are on their way to reaching a new low.
--:-- [Sound of a baseball game]
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: That ball is gone! Home run, Fernando! Last night, they put on a dismal performance against the San Diego Padres. He struck it out, and the Padres win! Officially putting them on track to become the all-time worst team in modern baseball history.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: Sunday's loss means the White Sox are now tied for most losses by a modern-day Major League team in a single season at 120 losses. They're warming up.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: Yeah, you can't go lower than this, son. At a popular Sox bar on Chicago's south side, loyal fans watched as their team made history for all the wrong reasons.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: I mean, it's obviously super depressing to watch a team every night where you think, they're probably going to lose this game.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: Among other reasons for the team's long string of losses, people close to the White Sox tell the Times that it hasn't integrated data and analytics into its operations the way other teams have.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: The Sox now join the 1962 New York Mets in holding the losing record, but there are still six regular season games to go. Plenty of chances for Sox fans to celebrate in their own way.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: We're right there. You're right there. You might as well be the number one. You're going to be the best. Yeah, you don't want to be like runner-up on the worst bad teams. You want to be the best, worst. Best, worst of the best.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: This is like our trophy. We get that one.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, how Telegram became one of the most popular messaging apps in the world and a forum for criminals and terrorists. That's next in the New York Times audio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
--:-- Michael Simon-Johnson: I'm Michael Simon-Johnson, in for Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.
