On Hezbollah, Lebanon, and the risk of escalation

• William A. Galston at Brookings assesses the impact of first presidential debates since 1976, noting their significant but delayed effect on voter preferences, often detracting from the incumbent or their party.
• Recent debates show a 2.8 percentage point average voter shift, critical in tightly contested elections. Following the Biden-Trump debate, Biden's standing dropped 2 points, heightening the challenge of securing necessary electoral votes.

• EJ Antoni at Heritage Foundation argues that the influx of millions of illegal aliens into the United States over the last 3½ years has significantly increased housing demand, leading to skyrocketing home prices as basic economics dictate that increased demand raises prices.
• The article asserts that while many blame the housing crisis on government overspending and interest rate manipulation, few recognize the role of open-border policies in escalating home prices, highlighting that curbing illegal immigration is necessary for housing market stabilization.

• Robert Benson at Center for American Progress writes that the 75th NATO Summit underscored the urgency of paving a clear membership path for Ukraine and strengthening Eastern Europe's defenses against Russian aggression, marking vital steps for the alliance's future.
• The column asserts that Washington must ensure all NATO members meet their defense spending commitments and enhance cybersecurity to tackle sophisticated threats, while also expanding NATO’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific region to counter China’s growing military assertiveness.

• Elaine Kamarck at Brookings argues that President Biden's poor debate performance against Trump has raised doubts about his ability to lead, prompting questions about the delegates' role in deciding nominations.
• The article examines the history of delegate roles in U.S. party conventions, noting that although modern delegates are typically bound by primary results, under certain circumstances, they may exercise more independent decision-making.

• Brookings Foreign Policy Fellow Valerie Wirtschafter examines the growing influence of Russian state-affiliated accounts on TikTok and compares it with their presence on other social media platforms like Telegram and X (formerly Twitter).
• Russian state-affiliated accounts are leveraging TikTok's reach to disseminate state-backed narratives.
• Despite lower overall activity compared to other platforms, the engagement per post on TikTok is significantly higher.

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