An Israeli ground offensive into Lebanon appeared imminent Monday night as defense chiefs spoke of a new stage in the war against Hezbollah, and world leaders engaged in last-minute and seemingly futile appeals for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Iranian-backed terror group.

… destroying Hezbollah facilities in southern Lebanon is meant to serve as a tranquilizer for the evacuated residents of northern Israel, who will hesitate to go home even after the bombings of Beirut and Bekaa.

…each time Israel retaliates to defend its sovereignty, the international community… hastily calls for a ceasefire. This reaction raises critical questions about the nature of conflict, the ethics of intervention and the absurdity of expecting peace from an aggressor like Hezbollah…

Hezbollah did not lose a leader; it lost everyone who mattered at all, and a great many who didn’t. It’s a new world—or, at least, a new Middle East.

Hamas now must wonder if it will soon suffer similar blows to Hezbollah. It has also seen its leadership, such as Mohammed Deif and Marwan Issa, eliminated. Hamas assumed that it could cling to power by simply continuing to exist. Now it has seen Israel’s resolve and has seen its key ally in Lebanon weakened.

The immediate jubilation among Israelis over the airstrike that killed the longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday is premature. Israel’s dramatic escalation in its conflict with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, poses a serious risk of embroiling both Israel and the United States in a costly forever war…

Iran’s options for retaliation against Israel are very limited, and it can’t bring about much damage there without risking a destruction of Iranian infrastructure that might take decades to rebuild.

Not responding could see it alienate the militias it relies on in the region. Meanwhile, any possible retaliation risks a wider war as its theocracy faces intense challenges at home.

…more hard-line elements of Iran’s government feel a powerful response is necessary to establish deterrence against Israel, fearing that Tehran or any of the country’s nuclear sites could be the next target.

Helene bore some of the hallmarks of a hurricane in a too-warm world, such as rapid intensification. The hurricane drew fuel from abnormally warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, which likely helped extend the storm’s life.

Altogether, the pieces were in place for the perfect storm with Helene. “The storm started big, which was bad, it went over hot water, which was bad, it hit a place that is prone to high storm surge, and then it accelerated and went into populated areas and took wind and rainwater to those populated areas,” Knox says. “You don’t want to see much worse.”

For scientists, Helene is 2024’s Katrina, a storm that will be studied for years to come, said Dev Niyogi, an earth and planetary sciences professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and the surrounding region in 2005, and it remains among the costliest and deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history.

Harris’s position on the nuclear option has revealed how this politics of emergency undercuts itself, at least if the goal is preserving the American constitutional order.

Will it outlive us all? There’s a solid chance of that, given the power of inertia in our federal government, even in these times of heightened partisanship. But will it also be whittled down, chip by chip, into something smaller and less powerful? That’s already happening.

First of all, as president, she would have no say in eliminating the filibuster, which would be a change in the Senate’s internal rules.

While she may be the only person you will meet who has had kishka and grits, Rossi believes that odd combination set up her love of comfort food and white trash cooking mixed with Jewish tradition.

A perfect example is her Pepsi brisket.

This caramelized date brisket is our favorite type of recipe—easy to make, but sophisticated in presentation and mouthwatering to eat. In this recipe, the brown sugar works as a natural tenderizer, blending with the dates, cinnamon and paprika for a wonderful smoky, caramelized flavor, contrasting with the tangy notes of the canned tomatoes and citrusy sumac.

There are a lot of big, important questions looming over this historical presidential campaign. Abortion. Immigration. Israel. Democracy. But before the November election come the Jewish holidays. And I suspect I’m not the only one wondering: What’s Vice President Kamala Harris’ brisket recipe?