Key election takeaways and Swifties skeptical of new correspondent: Morning Rundown

Abortion rights clinch big wins for the Democrats in key elections. What to watch for in tonight's third Republican presidential debate. And see the first images from a new dark matter-hunting space telescope.

Here's what to know today.

Abortion rights propel Dems to key election victories

In Ohio, the state constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights won by double digits. In Kentucky, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear won re-election after making abortion rights a key message of his campaign. And in Virginia, Democrats kept their majority seat in the Senate and flipped the state House — a rebuke of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who put a 15-week abortion ban at the center of his campaign to help the GOP win full control over the state government.

It didn’t matter whether abortion rights were strictly on the ballot. The results show that nearly 17 months after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, the issue retains major political force with Democrats and is a vulnerability for Republicans, political strategists from both major parties said.

Heading into 2024, Republicans still lack an effective way to counter messaging from Democrats, but some suggest there is one person the GOP could use to work through its bind: Donald Trump.

Read the full story here.

This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your morning. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

GOP Debate on NBC

The third Republican presidential primary debate, hosted by NBC News, takes place in Miami tonight and features Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and Tim Scott.

Tune in at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT to your local NBC station, stream the debate on NBC News NOW, and get live updates and analysis on NBCNews.com.

What to look out for tonight: Haley will take on DeSantis in the fight for second place. Ramaswamy will be “unconstrained,” as a campaign adviser put it. And some candidates are making the argument that Trump can’t win a general election. Here’s what else to watch for.

Israel says troops are in the ‘heart’ of Gaza City

Israel says its troops are “in the heart of Gaza City” as its military steps up its ground offensive on the north of the Palestinian enclave. A growing number of civilians are fleeing the fighting, abandoning their homes to head south where Israeli airstrikes continue and food, water and medical aid are in short supply with hospitals in crisis.

The White House has urged Israel against reoccupying the Gaza Strip at the end of its war with Hamas, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country will have “overall security responsibility” for Gaza for “an indefinite period” after the war ends.

Foreign ministers from the Group of 7 developed economies called for “humanitarian pauses” to allow aid into Gaza but not a full cease-fire, in a joint statement at a meeting in Tokyo today.

Follow our live blog.

‘Conflicting statements’ in investigation into Jewish man’s death

Authorities in California are trying to piece together what happened before Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man, fell and hit his head during a “physical altercation” at dueling Israeli and Palestinian rallies and died a day later. They’ve received “conflicting statements” about who the aggressor was. Authorities are also trying to figure out when Kessler received injuries on the left side of his face.

As of Tuesday, a suspect had not been identified, no arrests had been made and authorities declined to classify the incident as a hate crime. Officials also said a suspect in the confrontation has been “cooperative.”

Meanwhile, a former editor at a local paper, the Thousand Oaks Acorn, said he wasn’t surprised Kessler was at the protest, given Kessler’s years of writing to the newspaper and attending demonstrations.

4 current and former L.A. County sheriff’s officials die in apparent suicides

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the deaths of four current or former employees over the course of two days as suicides, according to law enforcement sources who also said the deaths are unrelated to one another. On Monday, three people were found dead. Another employee was found dead the next day, the sources said. Here’s what else we know.

Today’s Talker: Taylor Swift fans are skeptical of…

… USA Today’s new Taylor Swift correspondent: Bryan West, a 35-year-old self-proclaimed Swiftie who beat out hundreds of other applicants for the role. The internet was abuzz when a job posting for the role went viral earlier this year. Now, people are sharing their thoughts about The Tennesseean newspaper’s new hire, from disagreements about his least favorite Swift song, to critiques about a man covering a female artist.

Politics in Brief

Democrat censured: House lawmakers censured Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the sole Palestinian in Congress, over her remarks and actions in response to the Israel-Hamas war. Almost two dozen Democrats joined Republicans to vote in favor of the resolution.

Hunter Biden: Special counsel David Weiss, who is overseeing the investigation into President Joe Biden’s son, said he was not thwarted from advancing charges against Hunter Biden, according to testimony from his closed-door meeting yesterday with the House Judiciary Committee.

Staff Pick: Cosmic eye candy

The first images from a new dark matter-hunting telescope did not disappoint. Spectacular views of bustling galaxies, clusters of ancient stars and wispy, dreamlike stellar nurseries were unveiled from the Euclid telescope, which launched in July on a six-year mission to map the dark universe. From an eerie look at the Horsehead Nebula to a jaw-dropping portrait of thousands of galaxies in the famous Perseus Cluster, this first batch of images offers a tantalizing taste of what’s to come with this exciting mission. — Denise Chow, science reporter

In Case You Missed It

• After a 5-year-old boy was found dead in a dumpster and two people were charged in his death, his family is left wondering why Wisconsin authorities didn’t issue an Amber Alert.

• Patrick Dempsey is People’s 2023 Sexiest Man Alive.

• Americans now owe $1.08 trillion on their credit cards, according to a new report. You can probably guess why debts keep rising.

• Newborn syphilis cases, which can be fatal, have risen more than tenfold in the last decade and almost 32% in a single year, according to a new CDC report.

• Matthew Perry prevented Chandler from cheating on Monica in “Friends,” according to the actress who had been cast to play his would-be fling.

• The drought conditions that have roiled Syria, Iraq and Iran over the past three years would not have happened without climate change, a new analysis suggests.

Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Hosting can be hard work, from preparing for guests to arrive to the inevitable sink full of dishes at the end of the night. If you want to show your appreciation with more than a thank-you note, consider these 23 gifts for hosts, from an electric kettle to a quirky, food-inspired candle.

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for exclusive reviews and shopping content from NBC Select.

Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com