Good morning. Here’s your editor’s brief:
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- Nuclear Warning: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 25 that Russia’s targeting of Ukraine’s nuclear infrastructure could result in a nuclear disaster.
- Ground Invasion: The chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces told soldiers on Wednesday to prepare for a potential ground operation in Lebanon. The message went out as Israel continued carrying out the most intensive airstrike campaign against the Hezbollah terrorist group in years.
- Going Ballistic: China test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time since 1980. Beijing said Wednesday’s launch was not directed at any country. The missile landed in the Pacific Ocean.
- Iran’s Assassination: Iran has plans to assassinateformer President Donald Trump, according to the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Trump wrote on X on Wednesday that Iran has already made a move that failed.
- Shutdown Averted: The U.S. Senate approved a stopgap funding bill that would extend the deadline for a government shutdown until Dec. 20. The bill is now due for a signature from President Joe Biden.
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Written by Ivan Pentchoukov,
U.S. National Editor
P.S. I’d love to know what you think of our updated newsletter format. Send me your feedback here.
P.P.S. The quote of the day is after the news section.
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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
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Quote: “The entire U.S. Military is watching and waiting. Moves were already made by Iran that didn’t work out, but they will try again,” the former president said on X on Wednesday.
Republican lawmakers and Trump allies continue expressing heightened concerns over the adequacy of the Secret Service protection he is being provided.
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Separate Town Halls: Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have each agreed to separate town halls in early October hosted by Univision, the Spanish-language network has announced.
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- Trump: Oct. 8, 10 p.m. ET, Miami
- Harris: Oct. 10, 10 p.m. ET, Las Vegas
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Why This Matters: Univision said the audiences in attendance at both town halls will mainly comprise undecided Hispanic voters, who will ask Trump and Harris questions about important issues facing the community and the nation.
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- The two events will put an electorate representing close to 15 percent of the United States “front and center,” the network added.
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A Push Back: In a statement he shared with Israeli ground troops stationed near the Lebanon border on Wednesday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi said the military operations will aim to push Hezbollah away from the border and allow for the safe return of Israeli civilians who evacuated from the north after the terrorist organization that controls Lebanon first started launching rocket, missile, and drone attacks last October.
Spread Thin: An Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon would require the Israeli military to divide its attention between northern and southern theaters of conflict. Such an offensive could also provoke a response from Israel’s enemies throughout the region, such as the Houthi rebel movement in Yemen. That group has launched drone and missile attacks targeting Israel since October.
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U.N. General Assembly Updates:
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Quote: “Now, [Russian President Vladimir Putin] does seem to be planning attacks on our nuclear power plants and the infrastructure, aiming to disconnect the plants from the power grid,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addressing the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday.
Background: Russian forces captured the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in March 2022 and have retained control of the facility ever since. The plant was damaged in the process, sparking fears of a Chernobyl-like scenario.
Victory Plan: Also this week, Zelenskyy is expected to present to President Joe Biden Kyiv’s plan to defeat Russia.
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- Many observers believe this could include granting Kyiv’s longstanding request to use long-range missiles supplied by the West to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.
- The White House has thus far refrained from greenlighting the move.
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2030 Agenda: In his first U.N. speech, Argentinian President Javier Milei took aim at the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals, a global initiative for sustainable economic growth and environmental protection.
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- Some of the U.N. literature supporting the goals calls for an equitable reduction in the scale of production. The language used reflects “degrowth,” a formerly radical theory that focuses on shrinking economies in order to use less of the world’s resources.
- Milei said that although this is “well-intentioned in its goals,” it is “nothing more than a supranational government program with a socialist slant.”
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The 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly is now in debate mode. World leaders will be discussing pressing global issues until Monday.
Today’s meeting topics include:
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- Total elimination of nuclear weapons
- Antimicrobial resistance
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Commentary
The sheer number of bankruptcies in the United States rarely makes headlines.
Soaring Bankruptcies: Personal and business bankruptcies are on pace to set new records this year.The number is up 9.1 percent in the latest quarter over the previous.
Major Bankruptcy Filings: Big Lots, Bed Bath & Beyond, Red Lobster, Rite Aid, Vice Media, Envision Healthcare, Proterra Inc., Comcar Industries, SmileDirect Club, JCPenney, SVB Financial Group, First Republic Bank, Signature Bank, BurgerFi International, Inc, Tijuana Flats, Oberweis Dairy, Rubio’s Coastal Grill, Kuma’s Corner, SPB Hospitality, Buca di Beppo, Roti Modern Mediterranean, CraftWorks Restaurants and Breweries, Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza & Wings, Tupperware, World of Beer.
This looks less like market dynamism and more like a once-mighty economy in dramatic decline, complete with a hollowing out of the commercial sector.
— Jeffrey A. Tucker, Epoch Times economic columnist and founder of the Brownstone Institute
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A recent study suggests personalized vitamin D supplementation could help improve heart health.
Beyond the Daily Dose: The recommended daily amount of vitamin D is 400 international units (IU) for children up to 12 months, 600 IU for those aged 1 to 70, and 800 IU for those over 70.
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- However, researchers found that vitamin D supplementation, with a median dose of 3,320 IU daily, correlated with favorable changes in various cardiometabolic risk factors.
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The most substantial effects were observed among:
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- Non-Western populations
- People with baseline vitamin D levels below 15.0 ng/mL (nanograms per milliliter)
- Those with a body mass index (BMI) under 30
- People 50 years old or above
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Improvements Included: Reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, average blood sugar levels over three months, and fasting blood insulin.
Risks: “There isn’t strong evidence that [vitamin D] directly lowers the risk of heart disease,” said Dr. Raj Dasgupta, chief medical adviser for Fortune Recommends Health.
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- It’s important to note that people can also overdose on this critical nutrient. Taking 60,000 IU a day of vitamin D for several months has been shown to cause toxicity.
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“Whatever you are, be a good one.”
— Abraham Lincoln
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“The Rocky Mountains, Lander’s Peak” by Albert Bierstadt American, 1863. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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History surrounds us. The people, events, and trends that have shaped our communities—and us—often lie in plain sight if we have the eyes to see and the willingness to dig a little deeper. Knowledge of our community’s past provides clues to its present and keys to its future.
In an interview with The Epoch Times, Jennifer Weaver, museum educator for the Winona County Historical Society in Minnesota, explained the value of local history:
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- “Local history is what makes up larger historical narratives. The stories we learn about in an exhibit in a museum or hear at a community talk can teach us new ideas … or show us how some community or societal issues have changed.”
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But how do we preserve—and in some cases, recover—these memories? The good news is that there’s a plethora of resources available to the amateur local historian.
Here are a few tips to get started.
Start With What’s in Front of You: If you own an old house, you could begin by digging into property records and deeds, or asking neighbors. If the house has been in the family for a long time, your journey might begin simply by asking questions of family members. When was the house built? Who lived there? What kind of life did they lead?
Tap Into Local Historical Societies: Research on your neighborhood probably already exists. County historical societies offer a wide range of resources and programming, including museums, tours, exhibits, books, videos, and genealogical and archival research material, explains Lindsay Stussy, curator of collections for the Winona Historical Society.
Check In at the Library: As genealogist Kimberly Powell notes, libraries often contain extensive collections on local history, including book-length works, directories, and local records that you can’t find elsewhere. Begin on the library’s website by scanning for a “local history” or “genealogy” tab on the menu, or ask a librarian in person.
Access Local Court Records: Reading through reams of court papers may not be the most rousing suggestion on this list, but it can still yield helpful information about your town or county. Nuggets buried within minutes of court proceedings may include the layout of roads and land disputes, not to mention will and deed entries, civil complaints, and estate inventories.
As novelist Louisa May Alcott wrote, “Preserve your memories, keep them well, what you forget you can never retell.”
—Walker Larson, freelance journalist and culture writer
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Pantelleria is an island off the coast of Sicily, and pesto pantesco is the island’s version of Italy’s iconic mashed sauce. It’s made by pulverizing locally grown staples such as tomatoes, garlic, basil and/or parsley, almonds, and, most notably, capers with olive oil until the mixture is coarsely pureed. Get the recipe here.
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Yesterday, our readers completed our word search in 6 1/2 minutes on average. Collectively, we spent 129 hours searching for Chewbacca and his space brother. 🚀
Today’s word search is about stuffed food, in solidarity with National Dumpling Day. 🥟
Get hungry play it here.
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Thanks for reading.
Have a wonderful day.
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Today’s Morning Brief was crafted by Ivan Pentchoukov and Kenzi Li.
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