The Headlines - Israel Commemorates Oct. 7 Anniversary Amid Strikes on Gaza and Lebanon

Episode Date: October 7, 2024

Plus, misinformation is hampering Helene aid effort.   Tune in every weekday morning. To get our full audio journalism and storytelling experience, download the New York Times Audio app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Tell us what you think at: [e-mail]. On Today’s Episode:Memorials Commemorate Anniversary of Hamas-Led Attack on Israel, by Patrick KingsleyNowhere to Go: How Gaza Became a Mass Death Trap, by Mark LandlerTrump’s Return to Scene of Attack Was a Do-Over in More Ways Than One, by Michael Gold and Maggie HabermanHarris Will Appear in a Whirlwind of Interviews, Most of Them Friendly, by Reid J. EpsteinAnother Hurdle in Recovery From Helene: Misinformation Is Getting in the Way, by Emily Cochrane, Christopher Flavelle, Michael D. Shear and Tiffany HsuAs 23andMe Struggles, Concerns Surface About Its Genetic Data, by Emmett Lindner

From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Traci Mumford. Today's Monday, October 7th. Here's what we're covering. This morning, Israelis are holding memorials and rallies to commemorate the 1,200 people killed during the Hamas-led attack one year ago today. Just three miles from Gaza, mourners gathered at the site of what was the Nova Music Festival, where militants killed hundreds of festival-goers, and they played the last song that people heard that day before the attack began. Then, in Jerusalem, a group of families with loved ones still being held hostage in Gaza gathered just down from Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu's home, carrying pictures of their relatives. More than a hundred people are still believed to be held in Gaza, though many of them have died. Some families have accused Netanyahu of not doing enough to free the hostages. When the war began, Netanyahu set out two goals, to bring the hostages home and to defeat Hamas. But one year later, negotiations for a hostage deal and ceasefire have hit an impasse, and Israel's own military now says defeating Hamas is not possible. Meanwhile, in Gaza, a year of airstrikes have made the territory unrecognizable. More than 41,000 people have been killed by Israeli forces, according to Gaza health officials.

Nearly the entire population has been uprooted and displaced. Israel stepped up its attacks in Gaza over the weekend, labeling most of the northern part of the territory an evacuation zone and sending residents scrambling once again. Israel also stepped up its attacks in Lebanon, and the whole region is still braced for Israel to fire back at Iran, underscoring how much the conflict has spread since the war began. With less than a month to go until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are in an all-out campaign blitz.

Trump spent the weekend in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. A very big thank you to Pennsylvania. We love Pennsylvania. And as I was saying... On Saturday, he held a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, returning to the site of his attempted assassination this summer. The scene this time was very different. Trump stood behind tall, bulletproof glass, and the security presence was noticeably more intense as he spoke to the crowd,

many of whom were there when shots were fired in July. But by the hand of Providence and the grace of God, that villain did not succeed in his goal. Trump was joined on stage by his running mate J.D. Vance and by Elon Musk. Take over, Elon, yes, take over. Musk, who endorsed Trump right after the assassination attempt and has pledged millions to get him elected, urged rallygoers to vote,

claiming without evidence the Democrats want to take away that right and delivering a dark warning. Text people now. Now. And then make sure they actually do vote. If they don't, this will be the last election. That's my prediction. For the Harris campaign, their focus this weekend was on interviews.

Tim Walz appeared on Fox News Sunday, while Harris, who's been criticized for not sitting down with reporters, took a different strategy. Madam Vice President. Alex. Welcome to Call Her Daddy. It is good to be with you. Harris appeared on Call Her Daddy, a podcast about sex and dating that's popular with millennial and Gen Z women.

Their conversation focused on abortion rights and other women's issues. You know, right now, this fight for what we need to do around reproductive freedom is, I mean, could it be more at its core about just the basic right? Any individual of whatever gender has to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do? traditional news media interviews have less to gain for her than appearing on podcasts and more niche outlets that might appeal to voters who aren't already tuned into the news. Times political reporter Reed Epstein has been covering Harris's campaign. He says that since entering the race, she's talked to Instagram influencers and even jumped on another podcast hosted by former NBA players, rather than talk with major news outlets.

She believes, and some of the polling bears out, that people who are already regular consumers of television news or newspapers have already made up their minds on how to vote. Harris and Walls will be on 60 Minutes tonight, but Harris will also continue her more untraditional media tour this week with appearances on Howard Stern and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In North Carolina, people are still digging out from the damage of Hurricane Helene, and some small mountain communities remain cut off,

left without water, electricity, or cell service. But there's a new problem officials are warning about—misinformation. Conspiracy theories and wild rumors about the recovery efforts have flooded social media. Claims that towns are being bulldozed to cover up bodies or to clear the land to mine lithium. One local sheriff who spent days pushing back against the rumors told the Times he's never seen anything like it, and officials are worried that it could undermine efforts to share accurate information about crucial resources.

Much of the misinformation has been directed at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with people claiming it's stealing donations or refusing help from others. Trump has added to that chorus, falsely claiming funds are being diverted to house undocumented migrants, and that areas where Republican voters live are being intentionally neglected. You know, it's frankly ridiculous and just plain false. This kind of rhetoric is not helpful to people.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell pushed back against Trump's comments in an interview yesterday. I need to make sure I can get the resources to where they're needed. And when you have this dangerous rhetoric like you're hearing, it creates fear in our own employees. We need to make sure we're getting help to the people who need it. Meanwhile, storm preparations are now underway in parts of Florida in advance of another hurricane that's forecasted to hit the U.S. Hurricane Milton is projected to slam into Florida's west coast on Wednesday. Governor Ron DeSantis said a flurry of evacuation orders will be issued over the next day. And finally, the genetic testing company 23andMe used to be on top of the world. Customer after customer bought their DNA testing kits,

sending in a saliva sample for the chance to trace their ancestry and family tree. The company hit a peak value of $6 billion. Now, its future is uncertain. Its share prices have dropped, the board's directors resigned en masse last month, and it's still under the shadow of a massive data breach from last year. All of the turmoil has sparked questions about the company's future and what will happen to its roughly 15 million customers' genetic information. That info contains details about people's potential for health risks, like heart disease or psychosis, which some fear could be exposed. A company spokesman told the Times, 23andMe adheres to all laws about data privacy, and that nothing about that commitment

has changed. But one professor of biomedical informatics told the Times, quote, In theory, if there's a mess-up with your credit card or social security number, you get a new one, it can be fixed. But there's absolutely no way to get a new genome. Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, Sabrina Tavernisi returns to the story of two men,

one in Israel and one in Gaza, to hear how their lives have changed in the last year. That's next in the New York Times audio app. You can listen wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracey Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.