Good morning and happy early birthday to President Jimmy Carter! Forty-four years ago, he lost reelection — and the stressors of the presidency — in a landslide to Ronald Reagan. In his record-long retirement, ole Jimmy has written 31 books, been nominated for nine Grammys (he won three), helped build thousands of Habitat for Humanity homes, and helped nearly eradicate disease-causing guinea worms. Tomorrow, Carter will become the first-ever American president to turn 100 years old. Maybe sometimes losing really is winning.

WORLD

🇮🇱 Israel’s proxy fight against Iran continues

Israel's fight with the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon isn't slowing down. The group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed by an Israeli airstrike on Friday in Lebanon's capital city of Beirut. In a massive blow to Hezbollah and its Iranian backers, Israel has killed seven top Hezbollah leaders in just the past week.

• So-called "decapitation strikes" that try to cripple terror groups by taking out their singular leaders have a mixed record of success.

• However, sustained campaigns to take out their entire leadership structures are more effective. So expect Israel to keep up the pressure.

Meanwhile, Nasrallah's supporters in Lebanon are mourning the man they considered to be a "father." Said one woman, "We will continue to fight to bring down Israel, which was always his wish."

• Lebanon's government estimates 250,000 people have taken refuge in shelters as a result of the ongoing violence.

U.S. response: Hezbollah has been linked to attacks on Americans since the early 1980s, so the U.S. government isn't exactly mad about Nasrallah's death. President Biden released a statement calling it "a measure of justice for his many victims," while White House national security spokesman John Kirby said "people are safer without him walking around."

• Kirby warned that Hezbollah will quickly try to rebuild. But, he added, that could be tough now that "much of their command structure has now been wiped out."

Over on war front #2: Israel responded to a barrage of missiles from Houthi rebels by bombing a Houthi-controlled port in Yemen (about 1,200 miles southeast of Jerusalem).

• Like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis are funded by Iran.

• No word yet on whether Iran plans to mix it up in the future or stick with the letter H until the end of time.

GOVERNMENT

🏗️ Most Christmas goodies have already arrived on shore, but bananas may soon become a delicacy if East Coast dockworkers go on strike tomorrow. Their union wants thicc pay raises similar to what their West Coast counterparts got last year, along with a ban on automated port equipment, which they say kills jobs. President Biden can forcibly delay the strike for 80 days. But the White House says that's not in the cards right now. The election is coming in HOT and organized labor is a key Democratic voting bloc.

⚖️ The Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged three members of Iran's military for hacking Trump campaign emails and sending the files to journalists and Democrats. No recipient seems to have published or used the stolen documents, though, which included a dossier on JD Vance's weaknesses. These hackers live in Iran, so they're unlikely ever to see the inside of an American courtroom.

⛑️ President Biden issued major disaster declarations for six states hit by Hurricane Helene: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The declarations enable the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide extra aid to victims. Programs now available to states and individuals include aid reimbursements, immediate housing, and home repair grants.

POLITICS

🗯️ Harris, Trump fight for ground on immigration

It's debate time again. For the first and only time, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) will duke it out vice presidentially tomorrow night from 9:00 to 10:30 p.m. Eastern. CBS is hosting but you can catch the debate on just about anywhere, including on YouTube. Unlike recent presidential throw-downs, their mics won't be muted. But CBS has a mute button at the ready.

• Both sides are confident their man will emerge victorious tomorrow. Republicans point to Vance’s youth and solid performance in his 2020 Senate race while Democrats point to Walz’s affable demeanor and 20 years of political experience.

• There are no more debates scheduled, but Harris is still attempting to push Trump into accepting a second meeting.

Meanwhile, at the top of the ticket, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are trying to project strength on immigration and border issues. Harris visited a section of the U.S.-Mexico border fence in Arizona on Friday and said that a secure border and a “safe and human” system are not mutually exclusive.

• Harris also brought up Congress’s now-dead bipartisan immigration bill, which was opposed by many conservatives, saying Trump “tanked it” so he could campaign on the border being a hot mess.

• The Harris campaign says Nevada’s an important part of its strategy this year. She spoke last night in Vegas about her plans for easing the cost of housing and having children.

Trump countered at a rally in Michigan by tying Harris to the violent crime committed by some migrants, saying “blood is on her hands.” He kept it going in a small Wisconsin town that’s home to a woman who was recently the victim of such a crime. In Prairie du Chien, he accused Harris of “erasing our border" and said she’d turn every town in America “into a third-world hellhole.”

One Trump comment got a wee bit of extra attention for obvious reasons. He said Joe Biden “became mentally impaired” but that Kamala Harris “was born that way” and added that “only a mentally disabled person could” be so incompetent.

• Other Republicans did their best to steer clear of that hot potato as Democrats hammered them for it.

• Looking forward, Donald Trump will hold a rally this weekend in Butler, PA — the site of the first assassination attempt on him this summer.

Pennsylvania is living up to its Keystone State nickname, with both candidates desperate for a win here. At a rally in Erie last night, Trump doubled down on the idea that Harris “should be disqualified” for the administration’s border security failures.

• Harris and Walz will take a post-debate bus tour through Pennsylvania this week as Democrats rush to register young people to vote. New to their coalition this year is the state’s small but potentially critical population of Ukrainian Americans.

TRIVIA

If you want to give your kid the best shot at becoming president someday, try to come from old money. If that's not in the cards (😞), name them James. More presidents have had that name than any other. Six presidents have been named James. Name as many as you can.

Hint: One James is today's cover model, James Earl "Jimmy" Carter.

POLLS

📊 Registered, likely voters paint different pictures of race

Presidential campaigns have two major focuses. First, they’ve got to convince people that their candidate is the one to support. Second, they’ve got to convince people to, you know, actually vote.

• A new Fox News poll of Pennsylvania demonstrates the latter problem nicely. Fox found Harris leading Trump there by 2% among registered voters but found the race tied at 49% among likely voters.

• To complicate this further, Trump leads by 1% even among those likely to vote when third-party candidates are included.

Three pollsters dropped new polls of the other Midwestern battlegrounds. Two are generally favorable to Harris, while the other leans toward Trump.

In Wisconsin:

• 🔵 The New York Times says Harris leads by 2%.

• 🔵 Bloomberg says Harris leads by 3%.

• 🔴 Atlas Intel says Trump leads by 2%.

In Michigan:

• 🔵 The New York Times says Harris leads by 1%.

• 🔵 Bloomberg says Harris leads by 3%.

• 🔴 Atlas Intel says Trump leads by 4%.

Meanwhile, a Telemundo poll has Kamala Harris leading by 14% with Latino voters. Joe Biden won them by 36% in 2020, while Hillary Clinton won them by 50% in 2016.

BRIEFS

• Other countries have begun asking why their aging politicians aren't 'doing a Biden'

• Austrian populist "far-right" party defeats center-right in victory for Europe's anti-immigration movement

• OpenAI set to raise billions, making Microsoft's stake in company target for regulators

• Switzerland, Italy change border once defined by now-melting glacier

• Elon Musk's AI company builds world's most powerful computer with 100,000 GPUs

• NYC Mayor Eric Adams pleads not guilty to corruption charges as civil rights leaders warn governor not to boot him from office

• Tiny, 96-member Koi Nation tribe plans $600 million casino in California wine country

QUOTE

ANSWER

1. James Madison (1809-1817) — An over-achiever who also wrote the Constitution.

2. James Monroe (1817-1825) — So patriotic he died on July 4.

3. James K. Polk (1845-1849) — Casually picked up every bit of land from Texas to California and retired after one term.

4. James Buchanan (1857-1861) — We don't talk about Buchanan (see: War, Civil).

5. James Garfield (1881) — Got assassinated six months into his term 😢.

6. James "Jimmy" Carter (1977-1981) — Literally still alive.