We begin today with breaking news. I’m Ben Swan. Iran has officially launched retaliatory air strikes on Israel at this hour, with dozens, possibly even hundreds of missiles fired at Israel in response to Israel’s attacks against Lebanon. This is, again a breaking story, with new information just beginning to come in. But it could be the latest and perhaps gravest escalation of violence in the Middle East that we have seen in a very long time, and we’re going to discuss it all.

I’m Ben Swann. This is Truth in Media.

An incredible scene over Israel at this hour as projectiles have zoomed through the skies of Israel, fired by Iran all across the country of Israel at this hour. Of course, this comes as the Israeli military on Tuesday, they launched what they’re calling a limited ground operation of Lebanon. Overnight, Lebanese officials say at least 95 people were killed, another 200 injured.

And as of right now, President Biden has not yet released a statement as to all that is breaking. Of course, this, as we mentioned, a huge escalation of violence in this war that’s been raging first between Israel and Gaza, now spreading to Lebanon and now Iran becoming involved. It’s an incredible story as we’re watching all of this take place.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has raised eyebrows with some of the comments that he has made about Iran recently, making it crystal clear that there is no corner of the Middle East, he says, where Israel cannot strike to defend itself.

There is no where in the Middle East. Israel cannot reach. There is nowhere we will not go to protect our people and protect our country.

The question is, how far will this escalation go? And are we looking at an all out war now between Israel and Iran? And if there is, how does that impact the United States, which has been making statements all throughout the morning from the white House, that Iran would be met with force if they did fire at Israel, which now they have.

Now, as we talk about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, we should also mention that he is currently fighting corruption charges in court. And let’s not kid ourselves here. If his country is this deep in an ever widening war. Those charges against Netanyahu are likely to vanish into thin air. And let’s not forget this whole mess is getting, as I mentioned, a hefty dose of support from Washington establishment.

You support Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism, and that includes by bringing brutal terrorists such as Hassan Nasrallah to justice.

Let’s run. Nasrallah, by the way, is the, the head of Hezbollah who was killed in Lebanon just, days ago. And, of course, this is why Iran says they have launched these missile strikes against Israel in retaliation for the death of that Hezbollah chief. As the world watches, one thing is very clear the road ahead is incredibly uncertain, and the consequences of this escalation could resonate far beyond the battlefield and likely will not remain just within the Middle East.

So to say this is a big deal is a huge understatement. All right, let’s cover some news from here at home. Because here at home in the United States, port workers across the country are literally walking off the job today after failing to reach a deal on a new contract.

What is the Warning market?

Yeah. Thousands of dock workers from Maine to Texas have officially kicked off a strike that would soon sent shockwaves through the economy. They say they’re willing to fight for however long it takes to receive better wages, better promotions. And they want a ban on automation. And they’re not just grumbling about a few dollars here and there. They are demanding a massive 77% wage increase over the next six years.

In the meantime, the U.S. Maritime Alliance has put forth a 50% raise as their offer. The negotiations are underway with a deal seemingly nowhere in sight.

They’ve ripped off the whole industry. They ripped the government off and every damn body else doing Covid. Okay, now we want them to pay back. They’re going to pay back.

All right, so how big of a deal is this? Well, if it drags on, the strike does. JP Morgan estimates the potential economic loss between 3 to $4 billion every day. That means ordinary goods like fresh produce, items like bananas and mangoes will be heavily impacted, especially from Central and South America. Perishable goods, including beer and wine, may also face shortages, and products such as furniture and tires could be stuck at ports.

And all of this happening just in time for the holiday season. And as the upcoming US presidential election continues to heat up. Just last month, the Pew Research Center found that 8 in 10 registered voters we’re talking about 81% say the economy will be very important to their vote on Election Day. Well, now, another issue at the top of voters minds heading into Election Day.

Abortion. A Georgia judge on Monday declared the state’s abortion ban unconstitutional. That decision effectively prohibits abortions beyond six weeks of pregnancy. And on Monday, we also saw Democrats launch a legal challenge against Georgia state election board over a new rule that requires hand counting of ballots on Election Day. They claim it could lead to chaos and allow bad faith actors to allege fraud.

Which is kind of interesting because the whole point of hand-counting ballots is to eliminate election fraud. Even so, to discuss all this, I’m joined now by Jenna Vacek, the founder of the group Swifties for Trump. Jenna, thanks for being with us.

Hi. Thanks for having me on.

Absolutely. So first of all, let’s start with this question about abortion rights, because I got to tell you, when you look at what the Democrats are running as a case for, why Kamala Harris should be president, to be vice president really seems to hinge on one thing they say, because if we’re not in office, abortion will somehow disappear and won’t be allowed in the in the United States anymore.

Trump will ban abortion nationally. They don’t seem to be running on much of anything else. How do you see it?

Right. Well, that’s kind of a ridiculous claim because we’ve seen a Trump presidency we saw from 2016 to 2020. And actually women had the same amount of rights. So the premise that, you know, the left continues to try to ban the young female vote in particular, is just kind of ridiculous in their.

Yeah. You founded a group. It’s a viral hit trend, right, called Swifties for Trump. You see yourself all over the internet. Tell me about that. What was the motivation and what kind of impact has it had?

I guess for Trump, it’s just an outreach group. We were trying to trolls who, are interested in politics and making, typically apolitical, maybe don’t follow politics very well. They love Taylor Swift, right? I love Taylor Swift. She’s a huge, he’s a huge icon for so many girls. And we’re just encouraging those girls to do their own research.

And follow up on Trump’s powerful conservative ideology.

That’s interesting. So you’re basically saying you can still love Taylor Swift to be a swiftie like you? It doesn’t mean that you have to vote the way she wants you to vote.

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. We know we just, Taylor Harris, but that’s okay, right? Taylor can have her own opinion, but that shouldn’t, you know, the thousands of young girls who listen to her, and they should feel entitled to their own.

Exactly. If you don’t agree with their opinion, just shake it off. So what do you think? More and more young people. I had to do it. Are turning away from the Harris Waltz ticket. It seems like a lot of young people, are telling me when I talk to them that they’re not going to vote Democrat because they are still old enough to remember four years ago.

And they say my life was better and I could afford stuff, and I could have an apartment, and I could afford to go to the grocery store. And I can’t do that right now. How do you see it?

I mean, at my age, I’m in college right now, right? So my peers were all looking for a home, starting a family, you know, getting our first job at the Harris, the Biden Harris Academy. And none of that was achievable on economic policy. We look at Trump and, you know, meanwhile, while we haven’t been, you know, buying houses or, we weren’t at the age yet, now we’re looking housing prices and those economic policies and thinking, wow, that look more that’s a lot more attractive to my generation.

Absolutely. Jenna Vacek, thank you so much for your time. Thank you. Well, now to the cleanup effort taking place across the middle and southern portions of the country after Hurricane Helene. That hurricane has claimed over 100 lives along an 800 mile swath of territory from Florida Panhandle to Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. More than 2 million homes and businesses are without power at this hour, and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

In certain areas, entire towns have been wiped off the map. We’re talking about places like Asheville, North Carolina. They look like a nightmare with flooding and in some parts crime and looting being reported. And yet, despite the widespread devastation, the Biden administration’s response appears despite their claims to the contrary, to be lackluster and a mere pittance. For example, the white House website cites 3500 personnel, 18 helicopters and 30 high water trucks sent to the region for relief services.

Did we mention 2 million people are affected? Compare these figures to the billions of dollars going to Ukraine and Israel just last week alone. 8 billion to each country to fight foreign wars. The irony would be staggering if it were not so tragic. That is our show for today. I’m Ben Swan. You can find us on X or at Truth Underscore in media on X.

You can also find us at our website at Truth in media.com. See you back here tomorrow.