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Daily Briefing: Ballots on fire

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4 weeks ago

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Daily Briefing: Ballots on fire

Two ballot boxes were burned in Washington and Oregon, damaging mail-in votes with only one week to go before Election Day. A U.N. humanitarian agency has been outlawed by Israel. The Dodgers are roiling toward a World Series championship.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I’m Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Thinking about a cookie butter latte.

Ballot boxes destroyed in Washington, Oregon arson cases

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement to USA TODAY that it is “coordinating with federal, state and local partners to actively investigate” two incidents of arson involving ballot boxes in Washington and Oregon.

Hundreds of ballots were damaged in Vancouver, while damage was limited in Portland. The FBI declined to comment on whether the arsons would be investigated as a domestic terror incident. Read more

Here’s what else to know one week before Election Day:

  • Trump is on damage duty: The former president’s campaign is scrambling to distance itself from racist, vulgar, and sexist comments made by speakers at Trump’s Sunday night rally at Madison Square Garden in New York.
  • Harris is reminding us of Jan. 6: The vice president will be in Washington on Tuesday to deliver a “closing argument” for her campaign on the same spot on the National Mall where Trump gave a fiery speech nearly four years ago before a crowd of his supporters stormed the Capital on Jan. 6, 2021.
  • A host of down-ballot races across the country will determine control of Congress, the direction of state legislatures and major policy battles on issues such as abortion rights and marijuana.

🛑 Voting by mail? You may have important deadlines today in your state. Check here.

On election night, crisis lines won’t stop ringing

On the night of the 2020 election, Caitlin Ruzycky, a social worker and crisis clinician, was managing 30 conversations at a time on the Crisis Text Line.  Some were fearful for their future as part of the LGBTQ+ community, others were concerned about conspiracy theories or media bias, and some worried that the election outcome would tear their family apart. With the election just on the horizon, crisis centers are taking lessons from 2020 and gearing up to support Americans through distress — regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum. 

If you are struggling with election anxiety, help is available. Call or text 988 or contact Crisis Text Line by texting “ELECTIONS” or “ELECCIONES” to 741-741.

More news to know now

What’s the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Israeli parliament passes law to ban UN relief agency

Israel’s decision to ban the U.N. relief agency UNRWA operation inside the country will mean the collapse of the humanitarian process as a whole, officials from the organization said. Israel passed a law on Monday banning the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA from operating in Israel, legislation that could impact its work in war-torn Gaza. The creators of the new law cited what they described as the involvement of some UNRWA staffers in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel and staffers having membership in Hamas and other armed groups. The U.S. has made it clear to Israel it is deeply concerned by Israeli legislation.

Today’s talkers

You’re going to need to download some movies for this flight

American Airlines has landed its longest flight. Flight AAL7 departed from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Saturday night and landed at Brisbane Airport (BNE) in Australia after nearly 16 hours and 8,300 miles traveled, according to the airline and FlightAware, a site that tracks flight paths. When the plane landed, footage shows crew members place American and Australian flags outside the cockpit while it is on the runway. Read more

The Dodgers are one win away from World Series domination

The Dodgers lead this World Series 3-0, with Game 4 Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, a contest that could end in a big, blue dogpile at the pitcher’s mound. The Yankees seem powerless to stop that after Game 3, when they went scoreless until there were two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, when Alex Verdugo hit a two-run homer off Michael Kopech. Read more

Photo of the day: A toast to fashion’s top talent

If the Met Gala is the Super Bowl of fashion, the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s annual event is the industry’s Oscars, highlighting the top talent in American design from womenswear and menswear to accessories and emerging talent.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.

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