What to know about Israel’s election and the key ballot measures for the midterms: Morning Rundown

Netanyahu’s fate is on the line in Israel’s first elections since the Oct. 7 attacks. Breaking down the ballot measures to watch in the midterms. And a thrilling divisional showdown in the NFC North. Here’s what to know today. What to know about Israeli elections as Netanyahu faces a battle for survival Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing one of the most significant electoral tests of his decades-long political career. As voters go to the polls tomorrow, Netanyahu’s party is neck and neck with former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, his strongest rival in a campaign that has revolved around everything from military conscription to the economy. This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. Netanyahu has led Israel for nearly 19 of the past 30 years. But this is the first nationwide election since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks. Many of the prime minister’s opponents believe he has evaded responsibility for the intelligence failures leading up to the attacks and what is widely seen as the security forces’ inadequate response. The election is also about his personal freedom: Netanyahu is facing long-running criminal cases domestically, which have been dragged out because of his political privileges. No one party can expect to earn a majority of the Israeli Knesset’s 120 seats. Instead, the country’s leadership will be decided by negotiations to build a governing coalition. Here’s how that works. More on global elections: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won an unprecedented fourth term against right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who said he would ask for the result to be annulled. The Putin-backed leader of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, conceded defeat to a student-led movement that spent two years protesting his government. The key ballot measures to watch next month Voters in more than three dozen states will determine the fate of nearly 150 ballot measures on Election Day that will shape local policy on a wide range of issues. These are some of the ones to watch: Abortion rights: Ballot measures in Idaho, Nevada and Virginia seek to protect abortion rights in their state constitutions, while a GOP-backed initiative in Missouri is aimed at stripping language that enshrines them.Wealth taxes: California’s billionaire tax has drawn a large spotlight, but there are two other proposals on the state’s ballot that could invalidate it. In Washington state, there’s a measure that would repeal a 9.9% tax on annual income over $1 million.Redistricting: In Missouri, voters will decide on a referendum that would prevent a new congressional map favoring Republicans from going into effect. And in Maryland, voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would enable mid-decade changes. Subscribe to read the full story. Dive deeper into the 2026 election: See the latest polling and the battleground states in play. Track early voting tallies by age, gender and more. Find out how candidates are polling in competitive Senate races. How are things looking in Nevada? See who’s running and how Republicans and Democrats fared in past elections. Plus, scroll to the end of the page to find data for your state. NFL Week 7: A divisional duel in Detroit and the comeback kings Week 7 of the NFL season featured a Super Bowl contender getting back on track and a thrilling divisional showdown in the NFC North. Here’s what you need to know about from Sunday: The Lions beat the Packers 20-17 on a walk-off field goal after a drama-filled affair that included controversial calls and even an offensive lineman running a drag route. The Browns improved to 5-2 after a last-minute, 27-24 victory over the Titans.J.J. McCarthy got the start for the Giants, leading a depleted New York to an overtime win in Houston. More highlights. Staff Pick: High-tech highway robbery Over the summer, I started talking to supply chain and cargo theft experts about a pattern that surprised me — thieves were increasingly targeting valuable technology bound for data center projects across the country. Soon enough, everyone I spoke with was referencing two incidents that sounded straight out of an action film’s opening scene: undercover security cars following trailers of data center equipment had been disabled so that thieves could get away with the goods unchaperoned. It was the first time something like that had happened in the U.S., which alarmed the experts I was in touch with. I am always drawn to stories along the outer edges of phenomena and about unintended consequences. The AI boom coincided with a pandemic-driven shift in supply chain processes, which has enabled thieves to steal fewer but higher value goods. What used to be an opportunistic crime is now highly strategic and done by organized criminal groups. “It’s like stealing pure gold bars,” I was told early on in my conversations. I knew if I couldn’t stop thinking about it, I had to know more. — Lisa Cavazuti, NBC News Investigative Unit producer and reporter Read All About It The owners of Elvis Presley’s music have sued Anthropic, alleging it used his copyrighted lyrics without permission to train its AI models and generate infringing versions of his songs. A woman was sexually assaulted at knifepoint in New York City’s Central Park over the weekend, police said. A rain-soaked swath of the Southwest U.S. endured additional flooding as at least one tornado touched down in New Mexico. Grammy award winning singer Chris Brown to be sentenced over brawling at a London nightclub three years ago. NBC Selected: Online Shopping, Simplified Winter prep is the throughline today. Our editors spoke to experts to find the best shovels for heavy snowfall (and bad backs), rounded up podiatrist-recommended snow boots with arch support, and tracked down the best methods to clean coats and jackets without ruining them. 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 today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Kayla Hayempour. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up here.