An Iranian missile barrage, following weeks of Israeli attacks, heightens the risk of regional war. The United States faces a choice between emphasizing deescalation and stepping up support for Israel’s efforts to dismantle Iranian proxy Hezbollah.

• New Mexican president: Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo takes the oath of office as Mexico’s first female president. 
• Tulsa massacre review: Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke announces the first-ever review of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by the Department of Justice.
• Georgia abortion ban: A Georgia judge strikes down a law that took effect in 2022 and effectively prohibited abortions beyond about six weeks of pregnancy.
• Julian Assange address: The WikiLeaks founder tells the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe that he was freed because he “pled guilty to journalism.”

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Locals in western North Carolina, where rescue efforts are impeded by terrain and a thinly dispersed population, are assisting each other in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene – and preparing for years of recovery.

Israel says it sent troops into Lebanon to restore some security for its own residents. But Iran’s missile attack on central Israel, in defense of its ally Hezbollah, showed that regional security is far more complicated than a mere border operation.

Workers unions have enjoyed a boost in popularity since the ’70s with the absence of major strikes. The new dockworker strike, which began on Tuesday, may challenge that popularity and test the Biden-Harris administration. 

Japan’s new prime minister – its third in four years – offers the ruling Liberal Democratic Party a steady hand in a time of crisis. Snap elections will be a test of how quickly his administration can restore trust.

Plains is a politically divided town in the battleground state of Georgia. But the ethos of a peacemaker president is tangible on front porches here.

As the elected president of Moldova – one of Europe’s poorest countries – Maia Sandu often uses part of her day to rebut online falsehoods about her or her government. No, she did not ban a popular berry-infused tea last year, as one video on social media claimed. Her latest swat at fake news was against a post alleging that farmers would be forced to sell their land if Moldova, a former Soviet state, joined the European Union.

“I saw a new scarecrow about our lands,” the Harvard-educated leader said this week. “I want to make quite clear: Moldova’s integration into EU poses no risk to our lands.”

But she then made a larger point that illustrates why her country, sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania, may be at the top of a massive disinformation campaign orchestrated by Russia:

“It is important that the lies do not determine the fate of Moldova,” she said. “We must make sure that the people take decisions based on the truth.”

Of all the democracies targeted by Moscow’s propaganda machine this year, Moldova is currently experiencing one of the most intense “firehose[s] of falsehoods,” as American officials call it. On Oct. 20, voters will not only choose a president but also vote in a referendum on putting EU membership as a national objective into the constitution.

With polls showing a victory for Ms. Sandu as well as a “yes” vote on joining the EU, Russia and its allies within Moldova seem to be aiming their false narratives at widening the existing social divisions and preparing to destabilize the country with protests after the vote. But they are up against Moldova’s well-oiled capability to help people discern fact from fiction.

With assistance from European countries and the United States, Moldova’s government, civil society, and news media are learning how to detect online lies and counter them, helping to build up the public’s media literacy. Domestic media, for example, have received training in fact-checking. Social media giants Facebook and TikTok have agreed to fight disinformation during the election campaign. In addition, many Russian news sites have been banned.

“We commend Moldova’s leaders for continuing to capably manage these threats [and] build resilience,” stated the U.S., United Kingdom, and Canada in June. One result of Moldova’s efforts: Even politicians seen as openly siding with Moscow support EU integration.

“Only the voice of truth can overcome this fear and propaganda,” analyst Serghei Turcanu stated on the Ava website. For President Sandu, that is almost a daily task. The lies, however, may be vanishing more quickly.