An Israeli tank maneuvers in northern Israel near the Israel-Lebanon border, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

From local happenings to national topics and global events, here is the news worth knowing from the week of Sept. 30, 2024. 

Local

Voter advocacy organizations urge Ohio to restore voter registrations

On Thursday, Oct. 3, Voter advocacy organizations sent a letter to Secretary of State Frank LaRose saying that the manner in which batches of voters suspected of having moved out of state are being systematically removed is illegal, according to the Associated Press. 

The National Voter Registration Act prohibits the systematic removal of names from voter rolls 90 days before a federal election and requires election officials to notify voters when their registrations are in danger of lapsing. 

The group, which included local groups such as The Ohio chapters of Common Cause and the League of Women Voters, urged LaRose to restore the registrations within 20 days or they may sue. As of Friday, Oct. 4, LaRose’s office is reviewing the request.

National 

Head of US Cybersecurity Agency reassures Americans that no foreign adversary can alter election results

On Wednesday, Oct. 2,  Director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency,

Jen Easterly said there is no way Russia, Iran or any other foreign adversary will be able to alter U.S. election results, according to the Associated Press.

 In an interview with the Associated Press, she reassures Americans who have been swept up in election disinformation and distrust that they will be able to feel confident in the outcome. 

“Malicious actors, even if they tried, could not have an impact at scale such that there would be a material effect on the outcome of the election,” Easterly said in the interview. 

New Evidence in Trump’s Criminal Case accuses him of having ‘resorted to crimes’

On Wednesday, Oct. 2, Prosecutors filed new evidence that says  Donald Trump worked to overturn the 2020 election even before he lost, knowingly pushed false claims of voter fraud and “resorted to crimes” in his failed bid to cling to power, according to the Associated Press. 

“So what?” the filing quotes Trump as telling an aide after being advised that his vice president, Mike Pence, had been rushed to a secure location after a crowd of violent Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to try to prevent the counting of electoral votes.

US launches airstrikes on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels

On Friday, Oct. 4, the U.S. military launched airstrikes from fighter jets and ships on Yemen’s Houthi Rebels, targeting weapons systems, bases and other equipment, according to the Associated Press. 

The strikes come just days after the Houthis threatened “escalating military operations” targeting Israel after they apparently shot down a U.S. military drone flying over Yemen. And just last week, the group claimed responsibility for an attack targeting American warships.

Global 

Israel carries out airstrikes in southern Beirut, cutting off main highway to Syria

On Friday, Oct. 4, Israel carried out another round of airstrikes in southern Beirut, hitting suburban areas and cutting off the main border crossing between, according to the Associated Press. 

The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah’s central intelligence headquarters around midnight, but did not say who it was aiming for or if any militants were killed in that strike. 

At least 1,400 Lebanese, including Hezbollah fighters and civilians, have been killed and some 1.2 million driven from their homes since Israel escalated its strikes.