Both parties are responding after the FBI said Iranian hackers sent stolen information from the Trump campaign to members of President Biden’s campaign. And a second round of explosions in Lebanon — this time involving walkie-talkies — leaves at least 20 dead. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024.
FBI: Iranian hackers sent stolen Trump campaign info to Biden campaign staffers
Iranian hackers stole information from former President Donald Trump’s campaign over the summer and sent it to people affiliated with then-Democratic candidate President Joe Biden’s campaign. That’s according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
In a joint statement Wednesday, Sept. 18, officials said in late June and early July hackers sent “unsolicited emails to individuals then associated with President Biden’s campaign that contained an excerpt taken from stolen, non-public material from former President Trump’s campaign.”
The statement said there is no indication Biden’s campaign ever replied to the emails.
A spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign said a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails but were not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign. Her campaign also said it condemns any effort by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections.
During a rally in Uniondale, New York Wednesday night, Sept. 18, former President Trump addressed the hack.
“Iran hacked into my campaign,” he told his supporters. “I don’t know what the hell they found. I’d like to find out, couldn’t have been too exciting, but they gave it to the Biden campaign. I can’t believe it. Oh yes, I can. But this is really foreign election interference. This is real election interference.”
U.S. officials said this was just one of several attempts by Iran to “undermine the confidence of our electoral process.” Earlier this year, it was reported that Iranian-backed hackers stole Trump campaign documents and shared them with news agencies including Politico, The New York Times, and the Washington Post.
The Iranian government has denied the allegations of meddling in the U.S. elections.
It’s not only Iran as Microsoft said this week that Russia has targeted Vice President Harris’ campaign by spreading conspiracy theories online.
Executives from tech companies including Meta, Microsoft, and Alphabet testified in a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Wednesday on foreign threats to U.S. elections.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said while the presidential race is between Trump and Harris, it has become an election of “Iran versus Trump and Russia versus Harris.”
Second wave of explosions hit Lebanon; Israel declares ‘new era’ of war
At least 20 people are dead and hundreds more injured after a second wave of explosions in Lebanon on Wednesday. Wireless devices were once again the target — this time walkie-talkies.
Like the pager explosions on Tuesday, Sept. 17, that left a dozen people dead and thousands hurt, the walkie-talkie explosions are believed to have been orchestrated by Israel, according to the United States and other countries briefed on the incident.
Israel has not commented but the country’s military leader did say a “new era” of war is beginning and said its “center of gravity is moving north,” potentially a reference to Israel’s border with Lebanon.
The attacks, which are believed to have been targeting Hezbollah, have left dozens of fighters and civilians dead.
Israel, a key ally to the U.S., did warn Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday it was going to carry out an operation in Lebanon, but multiple sources familiar with the matter said details were not given.
Teamsters union not endorsing a 2024 presidential candidate
The Teamsters have opted not to endorse former President Trump or Vice President Harris in the 2024 presidential election. It’s the first time in decades the union has chosen not to endorse any candidate.
The decision came just two days after union leaders met with Harris and months after meeting with Trump.
While opting not to endorse anyone, the Teamsters did release data from internal surveys showing most of its members support Trump (59%) over Harris (34%).
House GOP fails to pass Johnson’s stopgap funding bill
As a government shutdown looms, House Republicans failed to pass Speaker Mike Johnson’s spending bill — which included a controversial voting measure — Wednesday night. The measure would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.
Three Democrats crossed the aisle to vote in favor of the stopgap bill, but 14 Republicans voted against it, ultimately causing it to fail. Johnson said afterward he’d draft a new bill to keep the government funded past Oct. 1.
Body found during search for Kentucky highway shooter
A manhunt in Kentucky for the suspect behind a high-profile highway shooting appears to be over. Officials said they recovered a body near the site of the shooting spree.
Authorities had been searching for 32-year-old Joseph Couch since Sept. 7, when police say Couch shot and injured five people on Interstate 75.
On Wednesday afternoon, the remains were found by two state troopers alongside two civilians who said they were trying to help find the suspect. The troopers were drawn to the site after noticing vultures circling above and a strong odor in the search area.
Authorities said a weapon was discovered alongside the body believed to be Couch. The remains have been sent to the coroner’s office for positive identification.
Lionsgate announces deal with AI company Runway to ‘augment’ films
Artificial intelligence is coming to a theater near you. Lionsgate — the studio behind film franchises like “John Wick” and “The Hunger Games” has announced a deal with AI research company Runway, whose backers include Google and chipmaker NVIDIA.
The deal involves Runway’s creation and training of a new AI model that Lionsgate’s filmmakers can use to “augment their work.” Lionsgate said it expects to save “millions and millions of dollars” using Runway’s technology.
Lionsgate Vice Chair Michael Burns said AI is seen as a great tool for “enhancing and supplementing” the studio’s current operations. Burns told The Wall Street Journal, “We do a lot of action movies, so we blow a lot of things up and that is one of the things Runway does.”
