Newest swing state polls; Babe Ruth jersey offered : NPR

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At this time’s high tales

Yesterday, Hezbollah and Israel exchanged a number of the fiercest hearth for the reason that starting of the conflict in Gaza — heightening fears of a wider regional battle within the Center East. Israel says its main assault in southern Lebanon was preemptive after it acquired intelligence that Hezbollah was going to strike first. Hezbollah responded with rockets and drones and stated by late morning that it was accomplished with operations for the day. Israel additionally de-escalated.

• 🎧 Hezbollah and Iran have been protecting the area on edge this month, NPR’s Hadeel Al-Shalchi tells Up First. They each promised to avenge the Israeli killings of a high Hezbollah chief in Beirut and Hamas’ chief in Tehran. This comes as Egypt hosted a brand new spherical of talks aimed toward getting Israel and Hamas near a cease-fire deal in Gaza. No deal was reached and it is unknown how a lot progress was made. A 29-year-old Palestinian who has been pressured to evacuate once more tells NPR Gaza producer Anas Baba that he does not have an oz of hope and thinks the conflict will drag on for a minimum of one other yr.

The presidential race has modified considerably since President Biden dropped out and Vice President Harris took his spot, in response to NPR’s newest map of swing states. Harris has taken slim leads in three important states — Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — that will put her at simply sufficient electoral votes to win the White Home, in response to polling averages. NPR’s evaluation now has all seven of probably the most carefully watched swing states as toss-ups, transferring all the Solar Belt states from Lean Republican beforehand.

• 🎧 “The race is extremely close, which we’ve been expecting all along,” NPR’s Domenico Montanaro says. Harris has closed the hole utterly within the Solar Belt states of Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina, whereas Trump holds on to a slight lead in Georgia. Harris and her operating mate Tim Walz will likely be in Georgia later this week. Regardless of Harris’ momentum, Montanaro says Democrats are warning activists and voters to not get complacent. Although the polls have improved for her, he says the underside line is it’s unknown who will present as much as vote and these polls are estimates.

Eric Garcetti, former Mayor of Los Angeles and present U.S. Ambassador to India, has been accused of mendacity beneath oath to cowl up harassment allegations towards certainly one of his pals and high advisers, Rick Jacobs. Individuals who labored with Jacobs at Los Angeles Metropolis Corridor testified that he touched them, together with forcible kisses on the lips, massages, and hugs with out their consent. He is additionally accused of creating crude sexual and generally racist feedback and general making a “hostile work environment.” Jacobs has denied all wrongdoing and declined to reply NPR’s questions. Garcetti additionally declined an interview request however stated in an e mail that he totally stands by his testimony.

• 🎧 NPR’s Tom Dreisbach talked with six workers of the Braveness Marketing campaign, a liberal group that Jacobs led earlier than working at LA Metropolis Corridor. They echoed the identical points going again to the mid-2000s. Garcetti denied ever seeing any inappropriate behaviors by Jacobs at any time. The allegations towards Jacobs got here to gentle in 2020, when an LAPD officer sued the town, alleging Jacobs harassed him for years and Garcetti witnessed the habits and did nothing. The lawsuit included a photograph of Jacobs posing along with his hand on a lobbyist’s crotch subsequent to Garcetti and a few lobbyists on the U.S. Convention of Mayors. Town paid the officer $1.8 million with out admitting wrongdoing.

Life recommendation

Images Unsplash; Collage by Kaz Fantone/NPR

Images Unsplash; Collage by Kaz Fantone/NPR

Grocery costs have elevated by 1.1% over the previous yr, on high of a 3.6% improve the earlier yr and 13.1% the yr earlier than that. Meals costs are nonetheless excessive, however your grocery invoice does not must be. Beth Moncel, founding father of the cooking weblog Finances Bytes, shares sensible tips about how to economize on the grocery store.

• 💸 Obtain Flipp, a free software that aggregates gross sales flyers from shops in your space.
• 💸 Evaluate costs of various manufacturers on-line earlier than purchasing.
• 💸 Don’t assume bulk offers are higher. Typically totally different packaging has drastically totally different costs. Take note of unit costs.
• 💸 In the reduction of on pricier gadgets akin to meats and cheeses. Keep in mind, lowering doesn’t imply going with out.
• 💸 Load up on cheap and filling produce together with potatoes, onions, carrots and broccoli.

Click on right here for extra of Moncel’s suggestions that would assist together with your subsequent grocery run.

Image present

The ‘Voting by Mail’ exhibit opens on Aug., 24 on the Nationwide Postal Museum in Washington D.C.. The museum hopes guests study that voting by mail has a deep historical past in america and increase the exhibit with extra artifacts.

Zayrha Rodriguez/NPR

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Zayrha Rodriguez/NPR

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. voters turned conversant in voting by mail 4 years in the past. The Smithsonian’s Nationwide Postal Museum’s new exhibition reminds us that the observe dates again greater than 160 years earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic. Mail-in ballots, election mailers, pictures and different artifacts are on show within the museum’s stamp salon. The exhibit lays out a timeline that begins with the Civil Struggle election of 1864, which is taken into account the beginning of mail-in voting’s large-scale use within the U.S.

3 issues to know earlier than you go

Babe Ruth’s New York Yankees jersey, that he is stated to have worn in a memorable Recreation 3 of the 1932 World Collection, is displayed at Heritage Public sale in Irving, Texas, days earlier than its document sale.

LM Otero/AP

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LM Otero/AP

1. A New York Yankees jersey worn by Babe Ruth has offered for $24.12 million, shattering the document for the costliest sports activities collectible offered at public sale. Ruth wore the jersey when he “called his shot” in Recreation 3 of the 1932 World Collection towards the Chicago Cubs.
2. On the finish of September, Individuals can order as much as 4 free at-home COVID-19 checks delivered to their mailbox. The checks can detect newer variants of the virus.
3. The 2 astronauts who had been stranded after taking a Boeing Starliner check flight into orbit will return in a capsule constructed by competing firm SpaceX in February, NASA introduced.

This article was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.