Daily Briefing: Allentown Decides

Former President Donald Trump courted the largely Puerto Rican Pennsylvania town after a comedian at his rally called the island “garbage.” Your health care may contribute to climate change. The Yankees are still battling the Dodgers for the World Series.

I’m here Nicole Fallert, Author of Daily Briefing. Is sweet corn made of bones and worms?!

Trump cleans up. Harris closes.

The Puerto Rican community in Allentown, Pennsylvania, remained unsettled on Tuesday as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrived at a rally following comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s remarks at an event hosted by the former president at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, in which he called Puerto Rico a “floating “island of garbage.”

Background: Pennsylvania is a hotly contested swing state and consequently home to the fourth-largest population of Puerto Ricans. This close to Election Day, the comments enraged the community and likely had the potential to agitate voters.

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Russia brought in North Korean troops. It’s chaos.

Ukrainian spies say they have intercepted phone calls showing chaos as Russia works to integrate North Korean troops into its military operations. According to the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Agency, some of the phone calls were intercepted from soldiers involved in the defense of Kursk, a region of Russia on Ukraine’s northern border where Ukrainian troops occupied territory in August. During one of the conversations, the soldier complained that there were not enough translators. “Now we all work like translators,” said the soldier. Read more

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What’s the weather like today? Check your local forecast here.

More hurricanes are expected in the Southeast

Calm before the storm? After months of brutal storms over the southeastern United States, a calm weather season has arrived. However, a moment of respite from severe weather conditions does not mean that the 2024 hurricane season will end peacefully, forecasters warn. Experts say hurricane season could extend into December, exacerbating billions of dollars of reconstruction and rescue projects already underway in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton. Read more

Climate change is causing a health crisis. Healthcare causes climate change.

Climate change is killing Americans in surprising ways. According to a report published in one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world, waste generated in healthcare itself plays a major role in the impact of climate change on health. The annual Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report highlights the health care sector’s connection to climate change, with 8.5% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions coming from the industry. The researchers note that there is no national program requiring data to be measured, managed or disclosed. Read more

Today’s interviewees

The Yankees stay alive

The New York Yankees, facing elimination for the first time this season, resurrected their season in Game 4 of the World Series not with a long ball from Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton or Juan Soto, but from Anthony Volpe, their shortstop. Volpe gave the go-ahead in the bottom of the third inning as the Yankees overcame the threat of Freddie Freeman to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-4 before a lively crowd of 49,354 at Yankee Stadium. The Dodgers lead the series 3-1 entering Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Photo of the day: Remembering Teri Garr

Teri Garr, the comedic actress who starred in “Tootsie” and “Young Frankenstein,” has died at the age of 79 after a “long battle with multiple sclerosis,” her publicist said. Her many Hollywood admirers paid tribute on social media as news of her death spread.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Email her at [email protected].