Ballot drop boxes set on fire 

Two ballot drop boxes were set on fire early Monday morning from an incendiary device in Portland, Ore. and Vancouver, Wash., according to the Associated Press. 

The ballot drop boxes contain a fire suppression system that is activated when the temperature inside reaches a certain point. The ballots are then coated with a fire-suppressing powder.

The system worked in Portland and only three ballots were damaged. Security personnel helped put out the fire. 

In Vancouver, the system failed to work, destroying hundreds of ballots.

“It’s a direct attack on democracy,” said Greg Kimsey, the elected auditor in Clark County, Wash. 

Authorities confirmed that there is enough evidence to show that the two fires were connected.

Jeff Bezos ends presidential endorsements for the Washington Post

The Washington Post had a few resignations from the editorial board and lost more than 200,000 digital subscribers because of the end of presidential endorsements, according to The Guardian. 

Jeff Bezos, the owner of the Post and founder of Amazon, defended the decision not to endorse a presidential candidate. 

Bezos said he made the decision because he was concerned about declining public trust in traditional U.S. media. 

“What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias. A perception of non-independence,” Bezos said. “Ending them is a principled decision, and it’s the right one.”

Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania, a swing state, will not forget Trump rally joke

The Puerto Rican community in Fairhill, Pennsylvania, will not forget the offensive joke made by Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally on Sunday, according to BBC.

Hinchliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” outraging the community.

“The campaign just hurt itself, so much,” said Ivonne Torres Miranda, a Puerto Rican resident in Fairhill. “Even if he was joking – you don’t joke like that.”

Another resident and Harris supporter, Jessie Ramos, said, “[Trump] has no idea how hard the Latino community is going to come out and support Kamala Harris.” 

The Trump campaign distanced itself from Hinchcliffe’s joke. A spokesman said the remark “does not reflect the views” of Trump or his campaign.

Israel bans UN agency for Palestinian refugees

Yesterday, Israel’s parliament passed two bills—one prohibiting UNRWA activity within Israel and the other banning contact with the UNRWA from Israeli authorities, according to CNN.  

Both laws were approved—the first law had 92 votes in favor and 10 against and the second law had 87 votes in favor and 9 against.

“Anyone that behaves like a terrorist has no rights in Israel. UNRWA equals Hamas, period,” said Boaz Bismuth, the author of the bill. 

The decision to ban the UNRWA revokes the 1967 treaty that allows it to provide services to Palestinian refugees under Israeli rule.

North Korean troops in Russia

10,000 North Korean troops were deployed to Russia and are headed toward Ukraine, according to USA Today.

Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokesperson, said that the troops “will probably augment Russian forces near Ukraine over the next several weeks.”

The troops are training in eastern Russia, some already being deployed in Kursk, a Russian region on Ukraine’s northern border.

NATO Security General Mark Rutte said that North Korea’s involvement with Russia is a “significant escalation” in the war. 

North Korea has provided the Russian military with munitions, strengthening their ties.

“The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to both the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security,” Rutte said.