Jen Kirby

Splinter is your home for news and opinions that challenge power in our political and economic system that's becoming more unhinged each and every day.

The 2024 U.S. presidential election has taken so many extraordinary turns, from the Biden-Harris switcharoo to two assassination attempts against Donald Trump to all the chaotic story lines, from cat ladies to coconut trees to Springfield, Ohio

Splinter is your home for news and opinions that challenge power in our political and economic system that's becoming more unhinged each and every day.

Splinter is your home for news and opinions that challenge power in our political and economic system that's becoming more unhinged each and every day.

Early voting opened in North Carolina on October 17, three weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the state. According to state election officials, 76 out of 80 early voting sites opened in the 25 counties hardest hit by the storm. “It might require a generator. It might require a porta-potty, but we are getting those sites open,” Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, told reporters before early voting started. In about a week, more than 1.3 million North Carolinians statewide have mailed in their ballots or voted early in-person.

Splinter is your home for news and opinions that challenge power in our political and economic system that's becoming more unhinged each and every day.

Splinter is your home for news and opinions that challenge power in our political and economic system that's becoming more unhinged each and every day.

Photo by The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Last week, Ukraine fired U.S.-made, long-range missiles into Russia, the second major attack since the Biden administration lifted its prohibition on Kyiv using these weapons to strike inside Russia. The Kremlin admitted Ukraine hit military infrastructure in the Kursk region, and the BBC reported the missiles may have damaged one of Russia’s missile defense systems.

This week, Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), one of the key rebel groups that toppled President Bashar al-Assad, named a new interim prime minister. Mohammad al Bashir said he would lead a caretaker government until March 2025 and “ until the constitutional issues are resolved.”