Friday, October 18th, 2024 - Hamas’ Sinwar dead; Trump’s electors & McConnell’s remarks; Strong NC voting; Google blocks ads; Biden cancels $175B in loans

Morning Announcements

Today’s Headlines: Israeli forces confirmed yesterday that they killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7th attacks, identifying him through dental records and fingerprints. President Biden and Vice President Harris celebrated the news while calling for a focus on bringing hostages home and ending the war. In the U.S., new reports show that over a dozen of Trump's 2020 "fake electors" are officially serving in his 2024 campaign, raising concerns about potential election chaos. Meanwhile, a new Mitch McConnell biography reveals he called Trump "stupid". In more election news, early voting in North Carolina is off to a strong start, despite ongoing hurricane recovery efforts, with only four polling stations unable to open. In a bid to reduce confusion and disinformation, Google will block election-related ads after polls close on election day, similar to its policy from 2020. Finally, President Biden announced that his student loan forgiveness program has now canceled $175 billion in debt for more than a million public service workers, including teachers, firefighters, and nurses.

Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:

• NBC News: Live updates: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed in Gaza, Israel says
• CNN: At least 30 election deniers and 2020 fake electors serving as Trump electors this year
• AP News: McConnell called Trump 'stupid' and 'despicable' in private after the 2020 election, a new book says
• AP News: Electoral battleground North Carolina starts early in-person voting while recovering from Helene
• Axios: Scoop: Google will block election ads after polls close
• AP News: The Biden administration has canceled student loans for more than 1 million in public service jobs

Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Bridget Schwartz and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson

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