Security

• Iran fires multiple missile strikes across Israel (Fox News)

• Blinken hailed the Biden admin’s “clear-eyed” approach to Iran in op-ed ahead of missile attack (National Review)

• Seven people killed in shooting, stabbing terror attack in Jaffa (Times of Israel)

• Russians claim key city of Vuhledar in Ukraine’s east (BBC)

Government & Politics

• FEMA’s perverse priorities: As folks all across the Southeast suffer terribly in the aftermath of a generational disaster whose death toll is now 166, at least they can take solace in knowing that FEMA values diversity. As The Daily Caller reports, “The Biden administration’s Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 2022-2026 strategic plan outlines three ‘ambitious goals,’ with the first focusing on equity.” Helpfully, FEMA’s goals are to “instill equity as a foundation of emergency management,” to “lead the whole community in climate resilience,” and to “promote and sustain a ready FEMA and a prepared nation.” FEMA, of course, is not the Federal Equity Management Agency. But don’t try telling that to the leftist bureaucrats who are calling the shots there and failing the American people in their time of need. Heckuva job there, FEMA.

• EV drivers face risk of fires during flooding following hurricanes (Washington Examiner)

• Newsom signs law banning voter ID: California Democrats have made it clear they don’t believe in secure elections. Similar to their soft-on-crime policies that resulted in crime spikes across the state, Democrats have embraced an anti-election-integrity policy. Case in point: On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill that bans the enforcement of voter ID. The bill was crafted in response to the city of Huntington Beach’s approval of a requirement that voters show ID in municipal elections. As Elon Musk pointedly noted, “Wow, it is now illegal to require voter ID in California! They just made PREVENTING voter fraud against the law.” He then added, “If the Dems win, they will force this on the whole country.” He’s right.

• California bans legacy admissions (Morning Brew)

• Wolverine State Dems want to tax fun: Democrats in Michigan would love to generate more revenue for the state government by imposing a so-called “amusement tax.” First introduced in 2019, the bill is the brainchild of Detroit City Councilperson Angela Whitfield-Calloway, who contends that the state must raise taxes on commercial entertainment, sports games, and movie tickets so local governments can cash in on tourism. “We want to make sure everyone who supports our venues is safe [and] we’re able to clean up after everything is over,” she argued. Republican State Representative Donni Steele responded to the tax proposal by noting that Democrats “want to turn $10 ballpark hotdogs into $15 ballpark hot dogs so they can give even more handouts to foreign governments.”

Economy

• Consumer confidence nosedives: Americans’ confidence in the Biden-Harris economy is clearly on shaky ground, as consumer confidence has taken its steepest drop in over three years. The consumer confidence index fell from 105.6 in August to 98.7 in September. According to Dana Peterson, lead economist at The Conference Board, “Consumers were also more pessimistic about future labor market conditions and less positive about future business conditions and future income.” Jamie Cox of the Harris Financial Group observed, “Consumers are clearly concerned about the implications of the upcoming election, the increasing conflict around the world, and the stubbornly high cost of food and credit.” As Democrat strategist James Carville once famously said, “It’s the economy, stupid.”

Culture

• A “Week of Rage” for the Jew-haters: For decent people, October 7 should be a day like December 7 or September 11: a day that will live in infamy. Sadly, though, there are evidently no decent people in the Jew-hating pressure group called the National Students for Justice in Palestine. The NSJP has set aside October 7, the day of the barbaric attack by Hamas on Israel, for a nationwide “Week of Rage” on college campuses across the country. The group says it’s marking “a year of genocide in Gaza.” Never mind that the Jewish state has gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid civilian casualties, even as their Hamas enemies are encouraging such casualties. “For over 11 months now, the Zionist entity, with the backing of the U.S. and our universities, has committed a horrific assault on the nearly 2 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip,” went a September 16 Instagram post from the group. “Since the start of this genocide, the people of Gaza have continued to stand steadfast, resilient, and unwavering in the face of these crimes. It is for them that we rise.” Hopefully, the disgraceful group will be drowned out that week by counterprotesters.

• Detransitioners need not apply at AAP: During last night’s vice-presidential debate, JD Vance noted that the Democrats have a fondness for censorship, and the behavior of the nation’s largest professional association of pediatricians is a case in point. The American Academy of Pediatrics booted from its conference a group of transgender detransitioners who’d sought to share their perspectives and experiences with conference attendees. Apparently, the doctors who’ve bought into the cultishness of transgenderism are afraid to accommodate a second opinion on this issue. As Matt Walsh points out, “The AAP has kicked out a detrans group that included Chloe Cole, Abel Garcia, Soren Aldaco, and Nicolas Flowers from their annual conference. Why is the AAP preventing doctors from hearing these stories?” Indeed. And why doesn’t even one doctor there have the guts to say their names?

Good News

• Another women’s volleyball team cancels game against trans player: There appears to be a promising and growing trend. Female athletes are deciding enough is enough and will not compete against males who identify as women. On Tuesday, the University of Wyoming’s women’s volleyball team canceled and forfeited their game against San Jose State University over the latter’s inclusion of a “transgender”-identifying male on their team. This makes Wyoming now the third school in the Mountain West NCAA Division I conference to cancel a match with SJSU over the issue of including “transgender” males in female sports. Boise State and Southeast Utah are the two other schools. Wyoming Republican Governor Mark Gordon praised the university’s decision, offering his “full support.” He added, “It’s important we stand for integrity and fairness in female athletics.” Former NCAA swimmer and women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines also commended the school’s decision, stating, “This is the way. Do not comply.”

• A daughter’s wedding and a dad’s determination: “I did what any dad would do,” said David Jones. But that simple statement isn’t entirely accurate — at least not unless it’s a given that every 64-year-old dad would trek nearly 30 miles, by car and then by foot, through the debris and destruction of Hurricane Helene, all to make it on time to his daughter’s wedding. After starting up the generator on Friday at his home in Boiling Springs, South Carolina, Jones set off and headed “over the mountain to get to the spot where his daughter was scheduled to get married the following day, a trip that normally takes just two hours by car,” says People magazine. “After seven hours, he finally made it across the state line into Tennessee. The interstate was completely shut down and he saw cars and trucks stopped as law enforcement officers told them they could not go any further.” Correction: You can’t go any further unless you’re a dad who’s committed to being there for his daughter, come hell or high water.

Misc.

• Biden struggles with being out of the national conversation (NBC News)

• Speaker Johnson promises reduced government, fiscal responsibility if GOP wins out in November (Washington Times)

• Controversial Taylor Lorenz leaves Washington Post weeks after calling Biden “war criminal” (NY Post)

• Trudeau survives second confidence motion in Canada parliament (Reuters)

• Humor: Nation in awe Kamala Harris managed to find running mate dumber than she is (Babylon Bee)

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