The Excerpt podcast: A top Hamas leader is killed in Lebanon

On today's episode of The Excerpt podcast: Israel has killed a top Hamas leader in a strike in Lebanon. USA TODAY Domestic Security Correspondent Josh Meyer puts the move in context. Donald Trump sues Maine's secretary of state for disqualifying him from the state's primary ballot. USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page looks at what polling tells us about who Trump supporters want as a running mate. Harvard President Claudine Gay has announced her resignation. A major snowstorm may again hit the East Coast after years without one in some major cities.

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it.  This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

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Taylor Wilson:

Good morning, I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024. This is The Excerpt. Today, what the killing of a Hamas leader in Lebanon might mean for regional tensions. Plus, Trump sues over the decision to disqualify him from Maine's ballot, and we look at who Trump supporters want as a running mate according to recent polling.

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Saleh al-Aruri was killed in an apparent Israeli strike outside Beirut, according to Lebanon's state-run News Agency and the Hezbollah-linked Al-Mayadeen media outlet. I spoke with USA Today Domestic Security Correspondent, Josh Meyer, about the strike and its significance in the region. Josh, as always, thanks for hopping on The Excerpt today.

Josh Meyer:

My pleasure, Taylor.

Taylor Wilson:

So as a refresher, I know we've discussed him briefly on the show before, but who is Saleh al-Aruri?

Josh Meyer:

So, Saleh al-Aruri, who was believed to be about 57 years old, was a top leader of Hamas, the US-designated terrorist organization. He was a leader of its political bureau or the deputy of it, and was considered by many to be the de facto leader of Hamas military wing in the West Bank. He traveled widely in recent years, and as we wrote in a story in October, he's believed to be the key link between Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran that are believed part of this axis of resistance against Israel.

Taylor Wilson:

Josh, how was he killed and what do we know as of now?

Josh Meyer:

Well, we don't know specifically, Israel has not commented on this, but what Lebanon's state-run News Agency and what Hezbollah-linked Al Mayadeen media outlet and others are saying, is that Israel killed him and some other Hamas leaders in a drone strike while they were meeting in a suburb of Beirut and Lebanon, and that at least probably five or six or seven people were killed, including some other top Hamas operatives. And they believe that this was done, of course, in retaliation for the October 7th terrorist attacks that killed more than 1,200 people and saw 240 people or so kidnapped and dragged back to the Gaza Strip to be held hostage.

Taylor Wilson:

Just how significant is his death, Josh? Does this change anything about the war in Gaza or how about any other tensions across the region?

Josh Meyer:

Oh, I think it does. I think it's going to really inflame tensions significantly. Hezbollah, which is a very, very powerful militant organization's got tens of thousands of rockets and missiles, has vowed reprisal because this attack happened on its home turf In Lebanon. It said that it won't let this go unaddressed and it could be a significant escalation in the war between Israel and Hamas, but also between Israel and Hezbollah. There's already been rockets fired by Hezbollah into Israel and by Israel into Lebanon.

So, I think authorities in Israel and elsewhere are very concerned that this could be a significant escalation. Israel has specifically not claimed responsibility for this. I talked to the Israel Defense Forces and they said, "No comment." And I think that's because they're trying to not aggravate Hezbollah, which could have significant consequences for the region and for the current conflict.

Taylor Wilson:

And this was a targeted killing in Lebanon, as we've outlined. What does international law say about this?

Josh Meyer:

So after the 1972 Munich terrorist attack, Israel went on this global campaign of assassinations. And while they say that they've been justified in doing that, many other legal experts say that you can't do that, of course, because it violates the rule of law, it violates the rules of international conduct and so forth. So it's never been really definitively adjudicated as to what kind of targeted assassinations a country can do on another country's soil.

Taylor Wilson:

Josh Meyer covers domestic security for USA Today. Josh, thanks for your time on this. Really appreciate it.

Josh Meyer:

My pleasure, Taylor. Thanks as always.

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Taylor Wilson:

Former President Donald Trump yesterday sued Maine's Secretary of State for disqualifying him from the state's primary ballot because of his role in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. The move opens yet another legal front in the question of whether voters in some states will be barred from selecting the Republican front-runner. Election officials and courts in a number of states are considering whether Trump's actions on January 6th, 2021 disqualified him under a part of the 14th Amendment, known as the Insurrection Clause. Two states, Maine and Colorado, have so far decided that Trump should be removed from this year's primary ballots. The decision from Colorado's top court has already been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, while the decision in Maine was made by the Secretary of State, not a court.

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Despite ballot questions, Donald Trump remains the overwhelming Republican front-runner, and if he's able to argue his way into getting his name back on the ballots in Maine and Colorado, the question remains, who else will be on the ticket? I spoke with USA Today, Washington Bureau Chief, Susan Page, about who Trump supporters want as a running mate according to recent polling. Susan, good as always to have you on. Happy New Year.

Susan Page:

Hey, happy New Year to you.

Taylor Wilson:

So Susan, this latest USA Today Suffolk University Poll revealed some interesting numbers as we begin this crucial presidential election year. One angle it tackled was about the possible running mate for Republican front-runner, Donald Trump. Susan, for starters, why do we not expect him to repeat his previous vice presidential pick, Mike Pence?

Susan Page:

Well, Mike Pence did run with him twice in 2016 when Trump won the presidency and in 2020 when he didn't, but their relationship ended badly when Pence refused to try to upend the counting of the Electoral College votes on January 6th, 2021. We all remember that day. Pence has been cast out of Trump world. In fact, in our survey, not a single Republican supporter of Donald Trump mentioned Pence as a potential running mate, and I think that's probably a realistic assessment of his odds of getting the job again.

Taylor Wilson:

And in this USA Today Suffolk Poll, when Trump supporters were asked to name their choice for his running mate, who came out on top, Susan.

Susan Page:

So I think first we should know this is unscientific and probably meaningless, because the only person who matters when it comes to choosing his running mate is Trump himself. But we asked to just see where his supporters were thinking, and the candidate who came in first was Ron DeSantis, the Florida Governor. 14% of Trump supporters said that not him as his running mate. I think that is unlikely to happen. Relations between the two of them have been pretty frayed over this primary campaign. But number two was Vivek Ramaswamy at 10%. He is somebody who you could conceivably see getting on the Trump ticket. In these Republican debates, Ramaswamy has been the candidate up there defending him and repeating some of his main policies

Taylor Wilson:

And Nikki Haley has seen support grow for her presidential candidacy in recent months. According to this polling, Susan, how would Trump supporters feel if Trump selected her as running mate?

Susan Page:

Well, 7% volunteered Nikki Haley's name when we asked them about the running mate they might like to see. That's also not impossible. Of course, they have had a relationship. She supported him in 2016, he appointed her as UN ambassador. Now, she has run against him for the nomination this year. She's tried to walk a line between criticizing Trump a bit, but not too much. So I think not impossible that she would get chosen, although if you were talking to political strategists, they would say there's another candidate from South Carolina who also has maybe an even better shot at it. That would be Tim Scott, the senator from South Carolina who ran briefly for the nomination, but then dropped out.

Taylor Wilson:

And did any other candidates make noise or catch your attention, Susan, in this polling as a potential VP and what Trump supporters are saying about them?

Susan Page:

Well, let me mention just, too. Robert F. Kennedy. Jr., now running as an independent candidate, 2% of Trump supporters would like to see him as the running mate. And then there's Tucker Carlson, the conservative provocateur. 1% of Trump supporters say they'd like to see him on the ticket.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. Susan Page, always great insight. Happy 2024, and I know it won't be the last we hear from you in this big political year. Thanks so much.

Susan Page:

Hey, thank you.

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Taylor Wilson:

Harvard President, Claudine Gay, announced her resignation yesterday. The decision came after accusations of plagiarism in her academic work, and a grilling by congressional lawmakers last month over her response to anti-Semitism on her campus since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Gay was Harvard's first Black president and began the role last summer. She resigned just six months into the job, the shortest of any president in Harvard history.

After outrage sparked by her congressional testimony, Harvard's board released a statement reaffirming its support for Gay's leadership. More recent concerns of academic plagiarism were first presented to Harvard through a query from the New York Post, which had shared an anonymous allegation. Gay asked the Harvard Corporation to investigate, and after a review, Harvard said last month that it found no evidence of intentional deception or recklessness in her work, but it did find several instances that failed to adhere to the Harvard Guide for Using Sources. You can read more with a link in today's show notes.

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Well, it's been a couple of years, but a big snow storm could hit major East Coast cities this weekend, including New York and Washington. According to AccuWeather, for many locations along the I-95 corridor, it's been two winters since there was an inch of snow. This storm could change that. Computer models show a strong storm is likely, but still uncertain, with questions about the storm's path and how much cold air will be available near the coast, according to weather.com meteorologist, Chris Dolce. You can stay up on the storm's progress throughout the week with usatoday.com.

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Be sure to stay tuned this afternoon, starting at 4:00 PM Eastern, when my co-host, Dana Taylor, looks at the surge of e-bikes and whether we can all share the roads safely. She'll be joined by Stefanie Seskin, Director of Policy and Practice at the National Association of City Transportation Officials. You can find the episode right here on this feed. And thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio. And if you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson, back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from USA Today.

CORRECTION: This episode has been corrected to say that Hamas leader Saleh al-Aruri was killed in an apparent Israeli strike, outside Beirut, according to Lebanon's state-run News Agency and the Hezbollah-linked Al-Mayadeen media outlet. Israel has not yet commented on the alleged strike, and the Israel Defense Forces had no immediate confirmation when asked by USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Excerpt podcast: A top Hamas leader is killed in Lebanon