A Minneapolis program might offer a solution to the housing shortage. A Kentucky sheriff is expected to be charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a district judge. And Trump and Harris promise a flurry of freebies as Election Day looms.
Here’s what to know today.
One city’s secret to fixing housing: Build more
Roughly five years into a program in Minnesota aimed at adding to the housing supply, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says “the results speak pretty clearly for themselves.”
🏡 The housing stock in Minneapolis grew 12%, compared to 4% statewide between 2017 and 2022, according to a Pew Research report.
🔑 An NBC News measure of home buying difficulty shows that Hennepin County, where Minneapolis is located, is the second-easiest county to buy a home in compared to seven adjacent counties.
📉 Rents in Minneapolis fell by 4%, while rents across the country surged 22% in the roughly five years since the ambitious program was approved, according to Apartment List estimates.
The program is called Minneapolis 2040. Passed in 2019, it made Minneapolis the first major U.S. city to end single-family exclusive zoning, opening the door for developers to build multifamily buildings on lots where a single-family home used to be.
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The economy and the cost of housing is a prevalent issue on the campaign trail, with both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump promising some support for first-time homebuyers. Minneapolis’ program offers potential solutions to address housing supply and affordability.
Frey touted the plan as a way to allow “a greater diversity of housing options” in the city, but he acknowledges the plan was also hugely controversial, as residents feared a “land grab” and more traffic in their neighborhoods.
Israel and Hezbollah seem closer to war than ever after strikes and vows of revenge for device blasts
The Middle East is on edge after Israel unleashed an intense wave of strikes on Lebanon and Hezbollah’s leader vowed revenge for attacks targeting its communication devices that killed dozens of people and left thousands injured across the country.
The prospect of an all-out war between the U.S. ally and the Iran-backed militant and political group appeared closer than ever as the Israeli military said yesterday its air force hit about 100 Hezbollah launchers and other infrastructure sites it said were set to be fired at Israeli territory.
Israel hit the country’s south at least 52 times, Lebanon’s state-run news agency said — one of the heaviest barrages on the area since the Oct. 7 terror attacks and Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip.
Kentucky officials say sheriff fatally shot judge in courthouse
A sheriff in Kentucky is expected to be charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a district judge at a courthouse, state police said. Judge Kevin Mullins, pictured above, was in his district office when he was shot multiple times after an argument yesterday, Kentucky State Police said. Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines turned himself in to authorities at the scene. No motive in the shooting was disclosed. Here’s what else we know.Trump and Harris promise a flurry of freebies
This week, Donald Trump promised to reverse the “SALT cap” — the $10,000 annual limit he placed on the federal deduction taxpayers can claim and a policy he enacted during his first term as president — if he gets another term in the White House. His campaign said the change in his position is a response to new economic realities. A policy expert, however, said that what shifted more than the economy is Trump’s needs.
But Trump’s financial plea to voters isn’t unique. On the campaign trail, Vice President Kamala Harris has promised to expand the child tax credit, subsidize first-time homebuyers and offer tax deductions in the first year of small business startups. The fiscal promises from both candidates are among the many freebies they’re offering voters in the final weeks of their campaign. As former Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania puts it, “It’s silly season, when everything is free.”
Each promise appeals to different segments of the electorate. They add to the federal deficit. And some experts and politicians don’t foresee the proposals becoming reality.
Read more 2024 election coverage:
A slew of national and swing state polls show Democrats picking up ground in battleground states. Still, the presidential contest remains close.
What are undecided voters thinking headed into the final stretch of the election? NBC News spoke to 21 people about the tumultuous events of the summer and where they stand now.
At a “Fighting Antisemitism” campaign event yesterday, Trump suggested that Jewish voters would have “a lot to do with a loss” in November if their support does not grow.
Harris is headed to Wisconsin, a battleground state that her campaign considers a must-win, for a rally today in Madison.
Trump has predicted apocalyptic doom that never seems to come. Here are some past examples — and what he’s predicting now.
Politics in Brief
Robinson reacts: Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina, vowed to remain in the race following a CNN report that he made dozens of lewd and inflammatory comments more than 10 years ago on the message board of a pornography website. Democrats, meanwhile, are planning new ads linking Robinson to Trump.
Hometown summit: President Joe Biden plans to host members of the “Quad” — an alliance made up of Biden and the prime ministers of Australia, India and Japan — at his Delaware house this weekend.
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Read All About It
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani became the first MLB player to join the 50-50 club after hitting 50 home runs and stealing 50 bases this season.
An initial DNA test on remains to be those of suspected Kentucky highway shooter Joseph Couch was inconclusive, state officials said.
Whooping cough cases are spiking, especially among unvaccinated teens. The CDC said there have been 14,569 cases reported this year. Last year’s total was 3,475.
Country music star Zach Bryan deactivated his X account and apologized to Swiftes for drunkenly posting “Kanye > Taylor.”
A Michigan sheriff’s deputy leapt into a moving car to rescue a driver in medical distress. See a video of how the incident played out.
Staff Pick:
Coral reefs are under unprecedented stress after more than a year of record-high sea surface temperatures. The world’s fourth mass-bleaching event, which NOAA first declared in April, continues to grow in size. So in Puerto Rico and other hard-hit places, scientists are experimenting with new methods of restoring reefs and making corals more resilient. Go underwater with correspondent Maura Barrett, who went scuba diving in Puerto Rico with a team of researchers to see firsthand how they’re working to regrow corals and boost the population of a creature — “the goats or cows of the sea,” one person said — that can help them survive. — Dana Varinsky, science and health editorNBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Online shopping can be tough when you’ve never seen or touched the items you’re browsing in real life. Here are tips for two items:
For glasses, look for easy try-on tools and clear return policies. NBC Select’s editors recommend these glasses sites.
Research shows it can take up to a week to adapt to a new mattress, so hopping on a bed for five minutes in a showroom isn’t actually helpful. Consider these tips when shopping for a mattress online.
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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
