Why Teamsters won't endorse a candidate for 2024. And, how to ...
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Today's top storiesAnother deadly wave of exploding communication devices — this time walkie-talkies — struck Lebanon yesterday, leaving at least 20 dead and hundreds more wounded, according to Lebanese Health officials. The new explosions happened barely 24 hours after pagers exploded, killing 12 people and injuring almost 3,000. In some cases, the walkie-talkies blew up during funerals for people killed during the pager explosions. Israel hasn’t publicly taken responsibility for this week's attacks on Hezbollah, but a U.S. official tells NPR that Israel notified Washington it carried out Tuesday's attacks.
An ambulance believed to be carrying wounded people, after multiple explosions were heard during the funeral of four Hezbollah fighters who were killed Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday. Bilal Hussein/AP hide caption
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Bilal Hussein/AP
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is not endorsing a candidate for president, setting them apart from other labor unions that have been active in the year’s elections. It breaks with decades of Teamsters precedent and comes as a blow to Vice President Harris, who met with union leadership for a roundtable discussion Monday. The union released an internal poll yesterday that showed nearly 60% of members wanted former President Donald Trump back in the White House. Trump later boasted that he won the Teamsters' endorsement. Harris has won the support of many labor groups, including the United Auto Workers, the AFL-CIO, the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers, and the Culinary Union in Nevada.
???? NPR’s Don Gonyea says the decision is unusual, as Teamsters have backed every Democratic nominee since Bill Clinton, including President Biden. The union’s president, Sean O’Brien, praised Trump in a pro-union speech at the Republican National Convention in July. The decision wasn’t solely made based on the polling. Harris doesn’t have a long history with the union like Biden does, though she's said she'll continue his pro-labor policies.Black girls face more discipline and severe punishment, like expulsion, in public schools than girls of other racial backgrounds, according to a report shared exclusively with NPR by the Government Accountability Office. The report took nearly a year-and-a-half to complete and provides a first-of-its-kind snapshot of the disciplinary disparities that Black girls face across the U.S. within public school systems. Some of the factors that tied into the increased discipline include school poverty levels, the percentage of girls facing disabilities, the number of new teachers and the presence of a school resource officer. The report is set for release by the congressional watchdog today, here’s a breakdown of what it reveals.
Life adviceEven if you use a credit card all the time, it can be difficult to understand the ins and outs of how they work. We Are/Getty Images hide caption
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We Are/Getty Images
Falling behind on credit card bills is more common than you might think, especially when the ins and outs of how they work can be confusing. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, people under the age of 30 and lower-income families in the U.S. are the most likely to be maxed out on their credit limit. This puts them at a greater risk of missing a payment. John Kiernan, managing editor at the personal finance website WalletHub, says there are ways to keep your bills under control.
???? Avoid costly interest charges by paying your full statement balance every month. The day a payment is missed, interest and late fees start adding on to the balance.???? Try not to lose your grace period — the interest-free period many companies offer between when you buy something and the credit card payment is due. Once it goes away you’ll start accruing interest every day on everything you buy going forward.???? Can’t pay the full balance? Make a minimum payment, the smallest amount required to pay each month to keep your account in good standing.???? Create a strategy to pay off the debt. There are free online calculators to help you do it.Here’s the full list of tips to help stay out of debt.
Picture showThe Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pa., on Aug. 27. Daniel Vasta for NPR hide caption
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Daniel Vasta for NPR
Morning Edition visited the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant to get an inside look at how its defense equipment production contributes to northeastern Pennsylvania’s economy. The plant’s development of artillery rounds has ramped up since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Scranton, once a hub for coal mining and small American manufacturing, now relies on defense installations for good, high-paying jobs. Keeping up with Ukraine’s needs isn't easy.
???? Check out these behind the scene photos from the factory churning out Ukrainian weapons. 3 things to know before you goA tug boat travels toward the Port of Baltimore as salvage crews continue to clean up wreckage from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the Patapsco River on June 11 in Baltimore. The city's Fort McHenry Federal Channel opened for shipping traffic months after the cargo ship Dali collided with the bridge, causing it to collapse. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption
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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.