Nationwide strike in Israel and extreme heat worsens health conditions: Morning Rundown

In today’s newsletter: Massive protests erupt in Israel to demand a cease-fire after six hostages held by Hamas were found dead in Gaza. The White House says Biden and Harris weren’t invited to Arlington National Cemetery. And former students report injuries at a Utah facility for troubled teens. 

Here’s what to know today.

Israelis begin nationwide strike as hostage deaths spark renewed calls for cease-fire

Reuters; Bloomberg; Getty Images

A nationwide strike has begun in Israel, with the country’s biggest union vowing to shut down the economy in a furious push for the government to agree to a cease-fire deal after the deaths of six hostages taken during Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack.

The strike is expected to bring much of Israel's economy to a grinding halt, and to shut government offices, schools and private businesses. Flights were also briefly halted from Israel's international airport this morning.

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Israel last night, in one of the biggest eruptions of anger since the war began. Aerial footage showed Tel Aviv’s main highway filled with protesters holding flags with pictures of the slain hostages, while protesters in Jerusalem blocked streets and demonstrated outside the prime minister’s residence.

A funeral will be held on Monday for Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, whose body was recovered along with five other hostages from tunnels underneath Rafah.

Goldberg-Polin was among those taken during the attack on the Supernova music festival in the Israeli desert. His parents have been visible and outspoken advocates for bringing the hostages home via a cease-fire deal, making an impassioned plea for his release at the Democratic National Convention last month.

Follow the live coverage here.

Biden and Harris weren’t invited to join Trump and families at the Arlington cemetery, White House says

Brendan Smialowski / AFP - Getty Images

Gold Star families did not invite President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the third anniversary of the attack at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan, a White House official and a Harris aide told NBC News, rebutting separate claims made by GOP Sen. Tom Cotton and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

During an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Cotton told Kristen Welker: “These families, Gold Star families, whose children died because of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ incompetence invited [Trump] to the cemetery and they asked him to take those photos... You know who the families also invited? Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Where were they? Joe Biden was sitting at a beach. Kamala Harris was sitting at her mansion in Washington, D.C.”

Gabbard echoed Cotton, telling CNN on Sunday: “President Biden and Harris, I heard, were invited by some of these family members. They not only didn’t come; they didn’t even respond to that invitation.” 

The two were speaking about former President Donald Trump’s visit last week to Arlington National Cemetery, where he has drawn criticism for posing for photos with Gold Star families in a section of the cemetery where photos are traditionally prohibited.

 Read the full story here. 

More coverage related to the election: 

• Harris condemned Trump and his campaign for their actions at Arlington National Cemetery. 
• Public polls detail how the battleground map has re-expanded for Kamala Harris, as well as a familiar mark for Donald Trump.

Former students report injuries and isolation at Utah facility for troubled teens

Kim Raff for NBC News

Elevations Residential Treatment Center in Syracuse, Utah is part of Family Help & Wellness, a company headquartered in Oregon that operates 10 treatment programs in four states for adolescents with behavioral and mental health challenges. Many of these programs attract children from other states. 

Former students who attended the treatment center say they were worse off once they left. “They need to close their business down,” said Chloe Gilliland, 18, who attended Elevations from July 2023 to June 2024. “I don’t understand how they can go to sleep at the end of the day.”

Two recent attendees say they got serious injuries while being restrained by staff. Within the past five years, Elevations employees have failed to follow mandatory reporting requirements for child abuse and have conducted unauthorized strip searches, according to state records. Several other Family Help & Wellness programs have run afoul of state regulations for failing to notify the state of critical incidents, such as those in which children were injured or allegedly abused.

NBC News interviewed four former staff members and 11 former students who attended Elevations, and nearly all described a chaotic environment.

Extreme heat worsens chronic health conditions in millions of Americans

Large parts of the South and Southeast, including Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and the Carolinas, are under heat warnings today, according to the National Weather Service.

Extreme heat can be dangerous for anyone, of any age, but many people living in areas affected by extreme temperatures are especially vulnerable to their potentially life-threatening health effects.

In states such as Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina, the rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease are among the highest in the U.S. Those diseases make it harder for bodies to cool themselves effectively during heat waves. Here’s a reminder on how to stay safe in the heat. 

Politics in Brief

 Supreme Court: Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said she is open to proposals to implement an “enforceable code” of ethics for justices.

Reproductive rights: Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, said he and most other Republicans would be “open” to supporting Trump’s proposal to have either the government or insurance companies pay for in vitro fertilization services. 

Labor Day ads: The DNC is using bilingual billboards calling Trump an “anti-unionist” in Spanish, putting them up on Labor Day in parts of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Musk attacks: Elon Musk’s endorsement of former President Donald Trump was meant to buoy the candidate’s chances, but it may have backfired as the Democrats step up attacks focused on workers’ rights.

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Staff Pick: The psychological draw of extreme foods

Domenick Fini / NBC News

From scorchingly spicy chips and sauces to mouth-puckering sour candies, extreme food challenges are proliferating across social media. Alexandra Byrne and Steven Romo wanted to know why some people are so drawn to these products, despite the pain. Psychologists say it’s akin to watching a horror movie: The experience stimulates a flight-or-flight response in the brain, leading to a flood of endorphins and dopamine that make people feel good.

— Sara G. Miller, health editor

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

 Work hard, shop hard. Today is the perfect day to use some of your hard earned money to take advantage of Labor Day sales before they’re gone. Some of the best discounts on camping and outdoor gear, mattresses and small kitchen appliances are happening today. For easy access, NBC Select rounded up all the best Labor Day Deals in one place, and the editors are updating the deals all day.

 Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Both.