Trump assassination attempt report and Tropical Storm Helene forecast: Morning Rundown

A new Senate report details what went wrong before the assassination attempt against Donald Trump in July. More adults than thought may have an iron deficiency. And the U.S. is cracking down on cheap Chinese goods. 

Here’s what to know today.

Senate details ‘preventable’ mistakes leading up to first Trump assassination attempt 

A new bipartisan Senate report identifies numerous “foreseeable” and “preventable” mistakes ahead of the first assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, resulting in what one senator called “a perfect storm of stunning failure.” 

The joint interim report from the Senate Homeland Security Committee and its Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations said that responsibilities were not clearly defined ahead of the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Key Secret Service personnel who were responsible for planning engaged in an “Abbott and Costello kind of ‘Who’s on First?’ finger-pointing” after the attack,” said Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who chairs the investigations subcommittee.

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Among the errors identified in the report:

→ The Secret Service knew that snipers with local law enforcement planned to set up inside the building where the shooter ultimately fired from, rather than on the roof. Communications between the teams were siloed.

→ After a sniper with local law enforcement texted a Secret Service leader about the man who would soon fire shots at Trump, it took seven minutes for the Secret Service leader to send an email relaying the information and photos. It’s unclear how long it then took other members of the Secret Service to read the email.

“In a sense, a lot of these individual failings, if corrected at the time, might have prevented this tragedy,” Blumenthal said. 

Read the full story here.

More coverage of Donald Trump:

• The Senate unanimously passed legislation to boost Secret Service protection for presidential candidates.
• Ryan Routh, the man spotted outside of Trump’s Florida golf course, was charged with attempted assassination of a presidential candidate.
• Top U.S. intelligence officials briefed Trump about threats from Iran to assassinate him, a Trump campaign spokesperson said.

Helene expected to reach hurricane strength on path to Florida

Tropical Storm Helene is expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it continues its path over the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida. A hurricane watch and warnings of storm surges up to 15 feet were issued yesterday for almost all of Florida’s western coastline. The storm is forecast to make landfall tomorrow, potentially as a Category 3 hurricane. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded a state of emergency to include 61 counties and said the Big Bend and Panhandle areas should brace for potential direct impact. Here’s what else we know.

Iron deficiency in adults more common than thought

A new study suggests that nearly 1 in 3 Americans may have an undiagnosed iron deficiency, a problem that may be leaving tens of millions of people “basically running on fumes.” Researchers analyzed data from more than 8,000 adults in the U.S. and found that 14% had low iron blood levels, known as an absolute iron deficiency, while 15% had the right iron levels but their bodies couldn’t use the mineral properly, known as functional iron deficiency. What also made these results more notable was that researchers looked at iron levels in “regular people who would not otherwise have been screened or tested,” said Leo Buckley, one of the study’s co-authors. 

While usually not life-threatening, iron deficiencies lead to fatigue, brain fog and difficulty concentrating. Here’s who’s most at risk and the best foods for adding iron to your diet.

Politics in Brief

Funding fight: The House is poised to pass a funding bill today that would fund the government through Dec. 20 and avert a shutdown at the end of the month. The package strips a Trump-backed measure that would require Americans to show proof of citizenship to register to vote.

On the trail: Vice President Kamala Harris plans to flesh out her economic vision in what her campaign calls a “major speech” at a Pittsburgh rally. 

False pet claims: The leader of a Haitian nonprofit group filed criminal charges against Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, over claims they have made about immigrants eating local pets in Springfield, Ohio.

A tight race: Both Harris and Trump have made gains among certain demographics: white women with college degrees for Harris and working-class Hispanic voters for Trump. But there are still some demographic unknowns, NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd writes. 

Women in Congress: Rep. Elise Stefanik, the highest-ranking Republican woman in the House, is leading a charge to break the record for GOP women serving in the chamber. She spoke to NBC News about the gains she has seen in the past six years and the “tough” races ahead.

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Read All About It 

• The Justice Department sued Visa, alleging it propped up an illegal monopoly over debit payments that affects the price of “nearly everything.”
• Israel said it intercepted a missile fired from Lebanon toward Tel Aviv today, the first time Hezbollah has targeted the country’s economic center, as the IDF launches ‘’extensive strikes’’ across Lebanon. Follow live updates here. 
• Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre’s Parkinson’s disease diagnosis brings renewed attention to the potential links between collision sports like football and the risk of brain disease.

• Emmanuel Littlejohn, 52, is set to be executed today in the 1992 death of Kenneth Meers during a robbery in Oklahoma — but nobody knows whether he’s guilty of the crime.
• The U.S. Forest Service said it will not hire seasonal employees in the next fiscal year, potentially affecting trail maintenance, recreation services, fisheries and more.
• Sean “Diddy” Combs was accused in a new lawsuit of drugging and “viciously” raping a woman in 2001 and recording the encounter.

Staff Pick: Cheap Shein and Temu hauls are on the way out

They arrive in the U.S. by the hundreds of millions each year, tax-free: packages of clothing, electronics and other products from China whose rock-bottom prices are irresistible to American shoppers. That could change as the White House aims to close a trade loophole that has been hugely beneficial for Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Temu and Shein. CNBC’s Eunice Yoon reports from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, where Chinese vendors say the proposal could mean painful times ahead for them — and higher prices for U.S. consumers. — Jennifer Jett, Asia digital editor

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

It’s time to get ready for fall weather. Add these two items to your to-do list:

• Remove, clean and store your window air conditioner to get the most out of its lifespan. Here’s how. 
• Get a new umbrella, especially if your current one is flimsy. Here are the best durable umbrellas at every price point.

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