All eyes on Iran
PLUS: What Trump calls Harris in private.
Good morning! It’s Monday, August 12, 2024. Election Day is 85 days away. Here’s what you need to know today:
The U.S. does not generally announce the movements of its military submarines, preferring for the vessels — which are nuclear-powered and often armed with missiles — to traverse global waters undetected.
But the Defense Department made an exception Sunday, announcing that the USS Georgia — which can carry more than 150 Tomahawk cruise missiles — had been moved to the Middle East. The department also announced that the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, equipped with F-35C jet fighters, would be moving to the region, joining another carrier strike group that has been stationed there since July.
This significant strengthening of American military force in the region — and its public disclosure — are meant as clear signals to Iran ahead of an expected attack on Israel, which the Israeli intelligence community reportedly believes is coming within days. They also come as Iran has been stepping up its attempts to foment chaos within the U.S., with a spree of amateur attempted assassinations and suspected email hack that has cemented Tehran as this cycle’s leading foreign threat to election security.
An Iranian attack on Israel would be retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed by an explosive device smuggled into a guesthouse in Iran’s capital. In a call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “reiterated the United States’ commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel,” the Pentagon said, in a statement that also announced the submarine and carrier group movements.
The last time Iran attacked Israel, in April, a coalition including the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, and Jordan (with intelligence support from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) shot nearly all of the incoming missiles down. An Israeli official told The Telegraph that the same collection of countries is prepared to do so again.
France, Germany, and the UK released a statement this morning calling on Iran to “refrain from attacks that would further escalate regional tensions.” The three countries also echoed a recent joint statement from President Biden and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, calling for Israel and Hamas to attend a summit to finalize a ceasefire agreement.
Hamas said Sunday that it won’t attend the negotiations unless they are based on Biden’s previous proposal, without added conditions from Israel. The group also decried Israel’s most recent airstrike, which killed at least 90 people, according to the Hamas-led health ministry in Gaza. Israel disputes that number, and says that several senior Hamas commanders were killed in the attack.
“I’m working literally every single day — and my whole team — to see to it that it doesn’t escalate into a regional war,” President Biden said in a CBS News interview that aired Sunday. “But it easily can.”
More news to know
After growing comfortable facing an octogenarian rival, former President Donald Trump is now finding it “disorienting” running against a younger (and female) opponent, The New York Times reported. According to The Times, Trump has repeatedly called Vice President Kamala Harris a “bitch” in private, just one in a string of self-defeating moves the newspaper reported on.
Others including lashing out at Republican megadonor Miriam Adelson in a private text and appearing to throw his running mate under the bus at a fundraiser. Asked at the event about Democrats trying to paint the GOP ticket as “weird,” Trump reportedly replied: ““Not about me. They’re saying that about JD.”
Another example of Trump appearing rattled by the transformed race: “Trump falsely accuses Harris campaign of fabricated AI crowd photos” (Washington Post)
CNBC: Harris edges out Trump on who voters trust more with the economy, new poll finds
Axios: Harris copies Trump’s promise on no tax for tips
Bloomberg: Vance Backs $5,000 Child Tax Break in Bid to Steady Campaign
NYT: Atop ABC, a Personal Connection to Kamala Harris
The day ahead
Biden: The president will return to the White House from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. He has nothing else on his public schedule.
Harris: The VP will deliver video remarks to the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) annual convention.
Trump: The GOP nominee will participate in an interview with Elon Musk in an “X Spaces” event at 8 p.m. ET.
Congress: The House and Senate are on recess.
Before I go…
Here’s a happier story to start your day: Ever since she can remember, Grace Carr “wanted to be a nurse and work in a hospital.”
“There was never any question that I would do anything else,” she told The Washington Post.
And that’s exactly what Carr has done — for 80 straight years. Carr began working at St. Luke’s Sacred Heart Campus in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1944 at age 17, as a nurse cadet trained by the Army. She’s still at it now, at age 97.
Although she retired from full-time nursing at age 62, she continues to volunteer at the hospital every Wednesday. “From the time she shows up in the morning until she leaves in the afternoon, Grace always has the same happy smile,” the hospital’s volunteer coordinator said.
“I love people, and my health is good, so I’m happy to do what I can,” Carr said. “If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t do it. I still look forward to coming in every Wednesday.”
Read the full story from The Washington Post (gift link).
And nice “origin story” in the STL Post Dispatch today, even though I couldn’t read the whole thing because I no longer subscribe. I realized I get more out of your column than I get from that paper.
Nice round up!