Thursday Briefing: Trump threatens “the enemy from within”

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October 17, 2024

	By Gaya Gupta

Good morning. We’re covering Donald Trump’s threats of revenge and Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.

Plus, the women taking part in the world’s gnarliest mountain-bike competition.

Donald Trump at a campaign event in Philadelphia on Monday. Michelle Gustafson for The New York Times

Trump stepped up threats against his opponents

Donald Trump is pushing a menacing political threat to the forefront of his campaign before the Nov. 5 election: that he would use the power of the presidency to crush those who disagree with him.

In a recent Fox News interview, Trump framed Democrats as a pernicious “enemy from within” and speculated that they would cause chaos on Election Day that the National Guard would need to handle.

Never before has a presidential nominee — let alone a former president — openly suggested turning the military on American citizens simply because they oppose his candidacy.

Your questions:

We’re asking readers what they’d like to know about the election and taking those questions to our reporters. Today, we gave one to Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court.

What scenario could lead to the presidential race being contested where the Supreme Court of the United States would get involved? — Stephanie, Calabasas, Calif.

Adam: There are countless ways in which the outcome of the election could effectively be decided by the Supreme Court, but almost all of them hinge on three factors in combination: a very tight race in one or more battleground states that could determine the national result where voting procedures are open to plausible legal challenge.

All those factors were present in Bush v. Gore, the 2000 decision that delivered the presidency to George W. Bush. They may recur this year, but that is hardly certain, as the 2020 election demonstrated. That year, in a brisk and dismissive order, the Supreme Court refused to throw out the results in four battleground states that Trump had lost. There is little reason to think the court is eager to get involved this year, either.

Indeed, some justices may be reminded of the election administrator’s prayer: “Lord, let this election not be close.”

You can send us your questions here.

More on the U.S. election Americans head to the polls in less than three weeks. Kamala Harris agreed with the radio host Charlamagne Tha God that Trump was a fascist. Here are five takeaways from the interview. Elon Musk, Miriam Adelson and Dick Uihlein donated a combined $220 million to groups supporting Trump in July, August and September, election filings show. From Opinion: The estimated 4.4 million Americans who live overseas make up an overlooked constituency that can pack a surprising political punch.

Smoke rising from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiya, Lebanon, yesterday. Hussein Malla/Associated Press

Israel resumed airstrikes near Beirut

The Israeli military bombed the densely populated southern outskirts of Beirut for the first time in days and also struck Nabatieh, a southern Lebanese city, where local officials were meeting. At least 16 people were killed in Nabatieh, including the mayor, Lebanese officials said. At least 52 people were wounded.

U.N. officials say Israel’s large-scale airstrikes are “indiscriminate” and have overwhelmed Lebanon’s beleaguered health system. At least nine hospitals have shuttered or remain only partly functional.

Seeking shelter: Nearly one million people in Lebanon have been displaced since Israel’s offensive. Our reporters visited the schools, clubs and parks where they have taken refuge.

A protest to support surrogacy in Rome yesterday.  Alessandra Tarantino/Associated Press

Italy criminalizes surrogacy from abroad

Italy’s Senate passed a law yesterday that made seeking surrogacy abroad a crime. Critics view the move as yet another government crackdown on L.G.B.T. families, who could be subject to prison sentences and significant fines if they seek a surrogate birth abroad.

The law was pushed by the party of Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s conservative prime minister. Surrogacy is already illegal in the country, but analysts saw the legislation as a way for Meloni to appeal to her political base.

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Sports

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in his match against Denmark’s Holger Rune. Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters

Alex Goodlett for The New York Times

The Red Bull Rampage is considered the biggest, gnarliest and most lucrative mountain-bike competition in the world. For decades, only men were invited.

But this year, women shared equally in the adrenaline and the prizes. Athletes from all over the world flew down the steep sandstone slopes of the Utah desert in hopes of impressing a panel of five judges and winning $100,000.

Rozette Rago for The New York Times

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Thomas Tuchel, center. Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

When populism and national soccer collide

England’s national soccer team will be coached by Thomas Tuchel, who will lead the team until the end of the 2026 World Cup, the Football Association announced yesterday. The sporting logic behind the appointment, which,has been described as Britain’s second most important job, is impeccable: Tuchel has coached several of the world’s most prominent clubs.

But some Britons and a few tabloids are outraged that the country hired not just a foreigner, but a German. Traditionally, Germany is one of England’s great rivals, in sporting and otherwise. The Daily Mail called it a “dark day for England.”

Linda Xiao for The New York Times

Cook: We gave cheesy bean bakes, a molten staple of pantry cooking, a fiery glow-up.

Read: These are the books about nonmonogamy that therapists recommend.

Cleanse: People on TikTok are using surgical cleansers as everyday skin care. Please don’t.

Ease: Dental anxiety is a common problem. Here’s how to cope at your next appointment.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Gaya

P.S. The Times’s TikTok account just hit one million followers. Check it out here.

We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.

Adam Liptak contributed to this newsletter.

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