On today's episode of The Excerpt podcast: Israel has killed a senior Hamas leader in an attack in Lebanon. USA TODAY homeland security correspondent Josh Meyer puts the move into context. Donald Trump is suing Maine's secretary of state for excluding him from the state's primary. USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page examines what polls tell us about who Trump supporters want as vice president. Harvard President Claudine Gay has announced her resignation. After years without a snowstorm, some major cities could experience another major snowstorm on the East Coast.
Click play on the player below to listen to the podcast and follow the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated and then edited in its current form for clarity. There may be differences between tone and text.
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Taylor Wilson:
Good morning, I'm Taylor Wilson and today is Wednesday, January 3, 2024. This is the excerpt. What Israel's assassination of a Hamas leader in Lebanon could mean for regional tensions today. Plus, Trump is suing over the decision to disqualify him from the Maine ballot, and we look at who Trump supporters want as their vice presidential running mate, according to a recent poll.
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Israel killed Saleh al-Aruri in an attack outside Beirut, according to Lebanon's state news agency and Hezbollah-affiliated media outlet Al Mayadeen. I spoke with Josh Meyer, homeland security correspondent for USA Today, about the attack and its significance in the region. Josh, as always, thank you for stopping by The Excerpt today.
Josh Meyer:
It's my pleasure, Taylor.
Taylor Wilson:
As a reminder, I know we've talked about him briefly on the show before, but who is Saleh al-Aruri?
Josh Meyer:
Saleh al-Aruri, believed to be about 57 years old, was a top leader of Hamas, the organization designated a terrorist organization by the United States. He was head of the political office or his deputy and was seen by many as the de facto leader of Hamas' military wing in the West Bank. He has traveled extensively in recent years and, as we wrote in an article in October, he is considered the key link between Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, which are considered part of this axis of resistance against Israel.
Taylor Wilson:
Josh, how was he killed and what do we know so far?
Josh Meyer:
Well, we don't know for sure, Israel hasn't commented on this, but what Lebanon's state news agency and Hezbollah-affiliated media outlet Al Mayadeen and others say is that Israel killed him and several other Hamas leaders in an attack A drone strike occurred during their meeting in a suburb of Beirut and Lebanon, and it was determined that at least five, six or seven people were likely killed, including some other senior Hamas operatives. And they believe that this was, of course, in retaliation for the October 7 terrorist attacks in which more than 1,200 people were killed and about 240 people were kidnapped and dragged back to the Gaza Strip to be held hostage.
Taylor Wilson:
How significant is his death, Josh? Does this change anything about the war in Gaza or what about other tensions in the region?
Josh Meyer:
Oh, I think that's true. I think it will significantly increase tensions. Hezbollah, a very, very powerful militant organization that has tens of thousands of rockets and missiles, has vowed retaliation because this attack took place on its home territory in Lebanon. It was said that this would not be ignored and that there could be a significant escalation in the war between Israel and Hamas, but also between Israel and Hezbollah. Rockets have already been fired from Hezbollah into Israel and from Israel into Lebanon.
So I think the authorities in Israel and elsewhere are very concerned that this could be a significant escalation. Israel has expressly accepted no responsibility for this. I spoke to the Israeli Defense Forces and they said, “No comment.” And I think that's because they're trying not to aggravate Hezbollah, which could have significant consequences for the region and the current conflict.
Taylor Wilson:
And, as we have explained, it was a targeted killing outside Israel, in Lebanon. What does international law say about this step by Israel?
Josh Meyer:
After the Munich terrorist attack in 1972, Israel launched this worldwide murder campaign. And while they say they were entitled to do that, many other legal experts say that of course you shouldn't do that because it violates the rule of law, international rules of conduct, etc. So it has never really been conclusively clarified what kind of targeted attacks one country can carry out on the soil of another country. I think international law suggests that it is not legal and Israel has a lot of explaining to do in this regard.
Taylor Wilson:
Josh Meyer covers homeland security for USA Today. Josh, thank you for your time. Really appreciate it.
Josh Meyer:
It's my pleasure, Taylor. Thanks as always.
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Taylor Wilson:
Former President Donald Trump sued Maine's secretary of state yesterday for barring him from the state's primary over his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The move opens another legal front on the question of whether voters in some states will be barred from voting for the Republican front-runner. Election officials and courts in a number of states are examining whether Trump's actions on January 6, 2021, disqualified him under a part of the 14th Amendment called the Insurrection Clause. Two states, Maine and Colorado, have so far decided that Trump should be excluded from this year's primaries. The Colorado Supreme Court's decision has already been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, while Maine's decision was made by the Secretary of State, not a court.
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Despite questions about voting, Donald Trump remains the overwhelming Republican front-runner, and if he manages to get his name back on the ballot in Maine and Colorado, the question remains: Who else will be on the ballot? I spoke with USA Today's Washington bureau chief Susan Page about who Trump supporters want as their vice presidential candidate, according to a recent poll. Susan, it's great to have you here as always. Happy New Year.
Susan Page:
Hey, happy new year to you.
Taylor Wilson:
So, Susan, this latest USA Today Suffolk University poll has turned up some interesting numbers as we enter this crucial presidential election year. Among other things, it was about the possible candidate for the Republican top candidate Donald Trump. Susan, first of all, why don't we expect him to repeat his previous vice presidential pick, Mike Pence?
Susan Page:
Well, Mike Pence ran with him twice: in 2016, when Trump won the presidency, and in 2020, when he failed, but their relationship ended badly when Pence refused to attempt to stop the vote count on January 6, 2021 to flip the electoral college. We all remember this day. Pence was banished from Trump world. In fact, in our poll, not a single Republican supporter of Donald Trump mentioned Pence as a potential candidate to run, and I think that's probably a realistic assessment of his chances of getting the job again.
Taylor Wilson:
And in this USA Today Suffolk poll, Trump supporters were asked to name their choice for his running mate, Susan, who emerged victorious.
Susan Page:
So I think we should first of all know that this is unscientific and probably meaningless, because the only person who matters in choosing his vice president is Trump himself. But we wanted to know what his supporters think, and the candidate, who came first was Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida. 14% of Trump supporters said he would not be their running mate. I think that probably won't happen. Relations between the two were quite strained during this primary campaign. But number two was Vivek Ramaswamy with 10%. One could imagine that he is someone who is on Trump's list. In these Republican debates, Ramaswamy was the candidate who defended him and reiterated some of his key principles
Taylor Wilson:
And Nikki Haley has seen growing support for her presidential run in recent months. According to this poll, Susan, how would Trump supporters feel if Trump chose her as vice president?
Susan Page:
Well, 7% mentioned Nikki Haley's name when we asked them about the vice president they might like to see. That's not impossible either. Of course they had a relationship. She supported him in 2016 and he appointed her UN ambassador. Now she is running against him for the nomination this year. She tried to draw a line between criticizing Trump a little but not too much. That's why I don't think it's out of the question that she'll be selected, although political strategists I've spoken to would say there's another candidate from South Carolina who might have an even better chance. That would be Tim Scott, the senator from South Carolina who briefly ran for the nomination but then dropped out.
Taylor Wilson:
And have other candidates made waves in this poll as potential vice presidents or caught your attention, Susan, and what Trump supporters are saying about them?
Susan Page:
Well, let me mention that too. Robert F Kennedy. Jr., who is now running as an independent candidate, 2% of Trump supporters would like to see him as vice president. And then there's Tucker Carlson, the conservative provocateur. 1% of Trump supporters say they would like to see him on the ticket.
Taylor Wilson:
In order. Susan Page, always great insights. Happy 2024, and I know it won't be the last time we hear from you in this big political year. Thank you.
Susan Page:
Hi, Thank You.
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Taylor Wilson:
Harvard President Claudine Gay announced her resignation yesterday. The decision came after allegations of plagiarism in its academic work and criticism from members of Congress last month over its response to anti-Semitism on its campus since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Gay was Harvard's first black president and assumed the role last summer. She resigned just six months after taking office, the shortest of any president in Harvard's history.
After her testimony before Congress sparked outrage, the Harvard board released a statement reiterating its support for Gay's leadership. More recent concerns about academic plagiarism were first brought to Harvard's attention through an inquiry from the New York Post, which shared an anonymous allegation. Gay called on the Harvard Corporation to investigate, and after a review, Harvard said last month that it had found no evidence of intentional deception or recklessness in its work, but had found several cases in which the Harvard Guide for Using Sources was violated had been violated. For more information, see a link in today's show notes.
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Well, it's been a few years, but this weekend a major snowstorm could hit major cities on the East Coast, including New York and Washington. According to AccuWeather, many locations along the I-95 corridor have already had two winters since there was an inch of snow. This storm could change that. According to Weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce, computer models show that a strong storm is likely but still uncertain. There are questions about the path of the storm and the availability of cold air near the coast. You can stay up to date on the storm's development throughout the week with usatoday.com.
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Stay tuned this afternoon starting at 4:00 pm Eastern as my co-host Dana Taylor takes a look at the rise of e-bikes and whether we can all be safe on the roads. She will be joined by Stefanie Seskin, director of policy and practice at the National Association of City Transportation Officials. You can find the episode here in this feed. And thank you for listening to The Excerpt. You can access the podcast wherever you get your audio. And if you use a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson, back tomorrow with more from The Excerpt from USA Today.