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Calling Netanyahu, courting Arizona and squeezing out wildlife

 
Today's international story

Biden, Netanyahu talk ahead of Israeli hit on Iran

What happened
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone yesterday for the first time since Aug. 21, with Vice President Kamala Harris joining the call, the White House said. The "direct" and "productive" call covered a "range of issues" and lasted about half an hour, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Who said what
Biden and Netanyahu discussed Gaza and the "future of Israel's campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon," but the bulk of the conversation focused on "Israel's plans to retaliate against Iran" for its Oct. 1 missile barrage, ABC News said, citing an official "familiar with the call." Netanyahu "didn't present a fully finalized vision for a counterattack," but Biden administration officials were "relatively satisfied with the level of detail" and "felt the Israeli government was receptive to their arguments" about a measured response that wouldn't spark an all-out regional war with Iran.

The call came amid "Biden's growing frustration" with Netanyahu, as Israel's multi-front war adds a "layer of complexity to the American election next month," The Associated Press said. The White House was also "blindsided by a series of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon," The New York Times said, and defense officials were furious they didn't have prior warning to put U.S. troops in the region on heightened alert. 

What next?
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a video posted yesterday that Israel's attack on Iran "will be deadly, precise and above all, surprising," and "they will not understand what happened and how it happened." Netanyahu "will convene the security cabinet" today, Axios said, a necessary legal step before launching an expected "significant military action," likely including a "combination of airstrikes on military targets in Iran and clandestine attacks."

 
 
Today's POLITICS story

Arizona kicks off swing-state early voting

What happened
Early voting kicked off in Arizona yesterday, making it the first of seven key battleground states to start casting ballots in the 2024 election. The Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigns sent their vice-presidential nominees, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), to rally supporters in the state to get their votes in early.

Who said what
Walz visited a Veterans of Foreign Wars post and met with tribal leaders near Phoenix yesterday then held a campaign rally in Tucson where he blamed Trump for blocking an immigration deal because solving the border issue "was an electoral problem for him." Vance held a morning rally in Tucson then attended a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) forum in Mesa. He claimed the federal Hurricane Helene response was hindered by Harris' "incompetence," CNN said, and "falsely accused" FEMA of spending disaster relief funds on illegal immigrants.

Arizona, "with its 15 Electoral College votes, has no clear favorite in the presidential race," The New York Times said, though Trump holds a "slight lead" in the state, which he lost by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2020. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes yesterday urged voters to cast their ballots early, because it "helps us get our results in earlier."

What next?
Harris is scheduled to hold a rally in Phoenix today while Trump has one planned 90 miles north in Prescott Valley on Saturday. Early in-person voting begins next week in four other swing states: Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina.

 
 
Today's NATURE Story

Wildlife populations drop a 'catastrophic' 73%

What happened
Wildlife populations around the world suffered a "catastrophic" average decline of 73% between 1970 and 2020, and human activity is mainly to blame, according to the latest Living Planet Index, released yesterday. The biennial index, a collaboration between the World Wildlife Fund and Zoological Society of London, is an "important but limited and often misinterpreted assessment" of more than 5,000 vertebrate species, The New York Times said.

Who said what
The biggest driver of wildlife population decline was habitat loss, primarily from clearing land for farming, grazing and other human food production, the report said. Other significant factors included climate change, pollution, disease and the introduction of invasive species. The index "really does indicate to us that the fabric of nature is unraveling," said Rebecca Shaw, WWF's chief scientist.

The Living Planet Index's numbers are "so steep as to feel disorienting," but they "do not mean that wildlife in general has dropped" by 73%, the Times said. And while the exact "magnitude of declines remains unknown," there is "widespread scientific consensus that the planet is facing a crisis of biodiversity loss with dangerous implications for humanity."

"Please don't just feel sad about the loss of nature," study lead author Mike Barrett, WWF's chief scientific adviser, told the BBC. "Be aware that this is now a fundamental threat to humanity and we've really got to do something now."

What next?
Dozens of countries will gather in Colombia on Oct. 21 for the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference, aimed at reviewing and implementing a sweeping 2022 international agreement to restore natural habitats and safeguard animal and plant life.

 
 

It's not all bad

Scientists have created a "diabetes-friendly, healthier rice option" after 10 years of research with the world's largest rice gene bank, The Guardian said. White rice has a high glycemic index, which spikes blood sugar. The new type of rice, developed by the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, has a lower glycemic index and more protein. "This could have a big impact in Asia, as well as in Africa, among the rice-consuming countries," principal scientist Dr. Nese Sreenivasulu said.

 
 
Under the radar

From banners to pop-ups to mid-rolls, using the internet increasingly means being bombarded by advertisements. For many companies, ads are necessary to turn a profit, and user data is more readily available than ever to help advertisers target potential customers.

Internet advertising revenues reached a record-high $225 billion between 2022 and 2023, according to a report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau. "Gone are the days of simple banner ads; even the sponsored Instagram posts invading my feed have started to feel quaint," said The Atlantic. "Now nothing is safe from brands trying to sell us stuff." 

Much of this internet "adpocalypse" is due to the increased accessibility of personal data from a growing number of apps, not just "the tech giants," said The Atlantic. "In recent years, diet apps, fitness apps, period-tracking apps, transportation apps, dating apps, food-delivery apps and basically every other kind of app realized they have valuable personal information." 

Online, time and attention are the most valuable commodities. "Many people are always online, glaring into smartphones first thing in the morning and unwinding at night by streaming Netflix," said The Atlantic. This has led advertisers to grow increasingly creative. Fake playable ads in mobile games force the user to open the app store or company website, and "confirmshaming" is a tactic used to make the user feel guilty for refusing to click on an ad. 

Eventually, this could backfire. "The fact that pop-ups can spark outbursts of rage highlights the reputational damage they can cause over time," said The Verge. "And the more often people see them, the more they start to glaze over them."

 
 
On this day

October 10, 1845

The U.S. Naval Academy was established in Annapolis, Maryland. The academy is the second-oldest of the U.S. military's training institutions, and its alumni include astronauts, athletes and former President Jimmy Carter. The academy is also known for its football rivalry with Army; their annual matchup is one of college football's best-known traditions.

 
 
TODAY'S newspaperS

"In the dark of night, Milton barrels in" to Florida, The Washington Post says on Thursday's front page. "Tampa Bay dodges a direct hit" as Milton makes "landfall south" toward Sarasota, the Tampa Bay Times says. The "'historic, catastrophic, life-threatening' storm" put "more of Florida coast in its path" as it grew larger, USA Today says. We are in "'a new era of hurricanes' as South take 1-2 punch" from Milton and Hurricane Helene, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says. As the state reels from the storms, The Guardian says, "Florida threatens news stations over ad in favor of abortion rights measure."

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
Tall tale

Prick or treat

The online retailer Yandy has "cashed in" on the Ozempic drug craze with its "Sooo Snatched" Halloween costume, inspired by the popular weight-loss injections, said the New York Post. For $39.95 you can dress up as an "anti-flab jab" with a blue pillbox hat and "skimpy, body-hugging, blue and orange, tanktop-style dress" fashioned to look like an Ozempic syringe. The costume’s packaging warns that the side effects of wearing the ensemble “could be humorous."

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images; Justin Sullivan / Getty Images; Paralaxis / Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images