Lebanon: Lebanese officials said today that at least 21 people were killed in new Israeli attacks. They said at least 15 people were killed in the town of Qana in southern Lebanon. Israel also hit suburban areas south of the capital city Beirut. Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that an estimated 2,300 people have been killed in Lebanon in Israeli attacks during the past year. The terrorist group Hezbollah has been launching missile attacks on Israel from Lebanon.
Economics: Donald Trump was interviewed at a business meeting in Chicago by Bloomberg’s editor-in-chief John Micklethwait. The interview became contentious at times when Micklethwait corrected mistakes made by Trump in discussing economic subjects. When Micklethwait explained to Trump that his plan to impose huge tariffs on everything brought into the U.S. would dramatically raise prices for U.S. consumers, Trump accused him of not knowing what he was talking about. During the interview, Trump called for higher interest on home mortgages and car loans to raise those costs for U.S. consumers.
Music: Singer and songwriter Rufus Wainwright has blasted Donald Trump for using his recording of the Leonard Cohen song “Hallelujah” at Trump rallies. Wainwright said yesterday that the song is an ode to tolerance and he is mortified that Trump has played the song at his rallies without permission to do so. The song’s publishing company has sent the Trump campaign a cease and desist letter.
Georgia: The first day of early voting took place in Georgia yesterday and a new record was set. The Secretary of State’s Office says that more than 300,000 votes were cast, beating the previous record for the first day of early voting. The previous record of 136,000 votes was set on the first day of early voting in Georgia in 2020. A Georgia court ruled yesterday that county election officials have a mandate to certify election results, knocking down a Republican attempt to make certifying an election result discretionary. Â
United: United Airlines reported a third quarter 2024 profit of $1.3 billion on total operating revenue of $14.8 billion for the quarter. The airline said that during the third quarter it was paying an average of $2.56 per gallon for jet fuel. United said it operated the busiest third quarter as measured by revenue passenger volumes in company history, setting the record for the most passengers carried for the July 4 and Labor Day holidays and a record for the highest number of customers carried in a day at 552,000. It also set the company record for the highest daily customer average in a month of September with 474,000 passengers carried.
Pandas: After months of planning and preparation, giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao arrived at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington. They had been flown to the U.S. on board a special FedEx Panda Express Boeing 777F aircraft. The approximately 19-hour trip from China to Washington included a brief refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska. After arrival at the zoo, the pandas were taken to their new home at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat. The National Zoo and China Wildlife Conservation Association have signed a 10-year panda research and breeding agreement.
