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What the newest scandal surrounding Mark Robinson means in his run for governor. And Donald Trump speaking at an Antisemitism Event telling jewish voters they will be to blame if he loses in november. Well have the latest reaction. And a shocking case in kentucky as a sheriff charged with gunning down a judge inside his courtroom chambers, what were learning now. Our Nbc News reporters are following all of the latest developments, but we begin in North Carolina with nbcs Antonia Hylton covering the scandal around republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson. Antonia, whats the latest . Reporter hey, chris, well, the Robinson Camp continues to deny whats in this Bomb Shell Report, which for anyone who hasnt heard, although i doubt theres too many people left who havent, includes a range of remarks from selfidentifying as a perv, who had memories of peeping on women without their knowledge or consent. Calling himself a black nazi, saying he wishes slavery could come back, and if it were available, he would buy slaves himself. And these have really shocked campaigns and staffers here. Voters i have spoken to on the democratic side, people have been gleeful, preparing to use this in digital ads that are about to start coming out. Theyre planning here in conversations with voters to draw contrast between the Harris Campaign, trump and his relationship with robinson who he has previously called Mlk Times Two or Martin Luther King On Steroids. So expect to see a lot of them sort of tying the republican ticket together on this. And then on the republican side, weve seen a range of reactions. Some of the State Level officials here have started deleting photos of themselves with robinson at past events. Others on The Hill have made comments kind of leaving open the door the possibility that these allegations are not true. But what you havent seen is people come together and say certainly that he should drop out. 11 59 p. M. Was the that was the deadline last night, and we havent seen him step out of this race, so really, expect democrats to keep pushing on this now that hes essentially stuck in here. Take a listen to some of the governor cooper, roy coopers remarks earlier today. You have made lots of posts and statements in the same vein, so theres not a whole lot new here about Mark Robinsons character. They have known who he is, they have embraced him, supported him from day one. Reporter and, chris, keep in mind, this is a state with a lot of people who identify as independents and moderates who are still waiting and watching all the time to see what decision theyre going to make in november. So all of this is really critical right now, especially particularly on the Harris Campaign side. Theyre looking to use stuff like this to forge a path to see if she can turn the state blue in just a few weeks. Antonia hylton, thank you for that. We have that Breaking News out of lebanon where israel says a targeted strike took out a senior leader of Head Bow la. Keir simmons is reporting from beirut for us. What more do we know here . Reporter were hearing from iran saying the deputy commander, that he has been killed. Also hearing from the israelis. They are saying that this airraid assassinated a notorious hezbollah commander, ibrahim aquil. He was wanted by the u. S. For the famous bombing in beirut in 1983. There was 7 Million from the u. S. For information about him. 12 killed in that bombing. 66 injured. Thats a picture of him from as you can see a very long time ago. A shadowy figure. The pictures from The Street here from beirut show frankly some devastation with the front of the building blown off. You know, they have lived with the threat of war in lebanon for a long time. This is what happened after a single israeli strike, and we have seen the Drum Beat of war, if you like, increase over the past 24 hours, with israel launching artillery and Air Strikes across the border, into lebanon, and Hezbollah Firing rockets towards israel down on the southern border in lebanon, northern border for israel. The fear, of course, is that this is the Ratcheting Up of tension to the point that it could be an all out war. That has been a fear for almost a year now, chris. So far it has not happened, but this in a week where you saw those explosives in pagers, and walkietalkies, kill and wound many here in lebanon. It does look as if this is a concerted campaign by israel to take out its enemies. Keir simmons, thank you so much for that. More controversy surrounding comments by former President Donald Trump telling jewish voters that they will bear, quote, a lot of blame if he loses. Nbcs Ali Vitali is following this for us. Walk us through exactly what he said and where he said it. Reporter two events were billed adds fighting or combatting antisemitism. The comments that are making Headlines Today out of those meetings is that trump, while lamenting his lack of support or not enough support from jewish voters told them they would have a lot to lose in this election, and said that they would also share some of the blame if he were to lose in november. Ill let the former president speak for himself there. Watch. Most popular person in israel. Here it doesnt translate. Its a strange thing. All i have done for israel, i received 24 of the jewish vote. Now, think of this, i really havent been treated very well. Thats the story of my life. In my opinion, the jewish poem have a lot to do with a loss if im at 40 . 60 of voting for kamala. Reporter we have looked to the former president and his aides for some kind of explanation behind this. They instead point to the policy changes that trump made during his presidency, continuing to show his alliship with israel. We even know if recent weeks as recently as recently weeks hes met with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. Those are the things that they would point to, but we also see the American Jewish Committee saying in response to trumps comments in part, both candidates should work to earn the support of our community based on policy, they say, but they also make sure to include lets not make this election and its outcome about the jews, and another part of their statement, they pick up on something that trump said, where he said a certain person of jewish voters are going to vote for the enemy. The american jewish community said none of us is voting for the enemy. An example of divisive rhetoric that members of the Trump Orbit said needs to be tamped down on in the landscape we are in right now with such threats to trump and other key political figures that we have seen. That of course not a deescalation of rhetoric but a continuation. I have covered trump over the course of the last seven or eight years. Every time he talks to groups of jewish voters, these are quotes and sentiments we have heard from him time and again. Ali vitali, thank you for that. Now to a shocking fatal shooting of a Kentucky Judge in his own chambers. Nbcs Maura Barrett is following this story for us. What do we know about this, and the sheriff whos now accused of murder . Reporter and now officially charged with firstdegree murder. All of this unfolding at 3 00 p. M. Thursday afternoon. What we know from investigators is that there was some sort of argument between judge mullens of the Ledger County District Court And Sheriff stein. We dont know how it unfolded in terms of the argument. Ultimately the sheriff allegedly shot him several times fatally. We obviously know now. And he turned himself into police. Hes being held in a neighboring county. The way this would unfold, these crimes would be arraigned before judge mullens, and obviously thats not possible right now. Investigators are trying to figure out exactly how this might have happened. They say that theres likely Camera Surveillance Video inside the courthouse, but probably not in the chambers. They know they were other people inside the courthouse as this happened. Again, nobody else in the chambers. So for a community where the County Houses 20,000 people, a small population, the community is understandably Grief Stricken and shocked, the state of kentucky, all of the courts are flying their flags at halfmast In Mourning of the judge. He served the last 15 years in the community, and has been a champion for substance abuse, especially for people in the prison system, helping them get treatment. This was someone that was well known and respected in the community. Obviously a lot of mourning and questions to be answered today. Maura barrett, thank you. When were back in 90 seconds. It is official, early, Inperson Voting is underway. Well speak to the Minnesota Secretary of state about the unprecedented challenges he and other secretaries across the country are facing. Well be right back. Well be right back. Power e trades easy touse tools make complex trading less complicated. Custom scans help you find new trading opportunities, while an Earnings Tool helps you plan your trades and stay on top of the market. E trade from morgan Stanley Narrator when we, the people, rally for a common cause, we become beacons of hope. Stand with Saint Jude against Childhood Cancer this september because our cause unites all. [laughing] donate now. University of maryland global campus is a school for real life, one that values the successes youve already achieved. Earn up to 90 Undergraduate Credits for relevant experience and get the support you need from your first day to Graduation Day and beyond. What will your next success be . Some of the first ballots for Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are being cast right now as early Inperson Voting is officially underway in virginia, minnesota, and South Dakota. And while virginia and minnesota are reliably democratic and South Dakota very republican, this comes at a particularly fraught time with both sides preparing now for what is expected to be a contested postelection. Nbcs Ryan Nobles is live at a Polling Place in virginia. Talk about what youre seeing there today, ryan . Reporter yeah, chris, we have been to two different polls locations in the commonwealth of virginia. Prince William County where we are right now in fairfax, virginia, two consequential counties and the Enthusiasm Levels are off the charts. Long lines, people anxious to cast their ballots, 45 days before the election. In a bit of a change from previous years, its not just democrats voting early, its republicans as well. Take a listen. We want to make sure that were able to do it. I mean, we dont know what the future holds, and we were able and ready. Felt great, and we normally vote early. They got it all set up pretty quick, walk in, mark your ballot. Well, i prefer voting on election day. Sorry, but i was raised that way. Reporter and in addition to all the activity were seeing at polling locations, were also seeing the parties make a specific pitch to their voters to get out and vote as soon as possible. This is an example. This is a democratic event thats taking place in manassas. Very close to one of their early voting locations, and we see democrats making a specific pitch to get their voters to the polls. In fact, were going to talk quick here with Senator Mark Warner about this effort. Senator, virginia, one of the earliest states in the country to start voting, how important is it for democrats to get their voters to the poll even before election day. Get out. Vote early. Youre seeing huge energy, not just here in manassas, but across the whole commonwealth. You know, ryan, in virginia, we say we have an election every year, this is the most important year. This year, were telling the truth. Its the most important election of our lifetime. Senator warner, thank you so much for that. Thank you, ryan. Well continue to see this all day long. Virginia, these counties, theyll have multiple early voting locations that will open as we get closer and closer to election day. They expect at least half of the voters in virginia to vote before election day. Chris, back to you. Ryan nobles, thank you so much for that. Joining me now, steve symon, Secretary Of State for Minnesota And President of the national association of secretaries of state. Its so good to see you, and you said in an interview that this year youre hoping for high turnout and low drama. What are the chances of that . Yeah, if i could wave a magic wand, those are my two wishes. Im actually cautiously optimistic. I think we have learned a lot from 2020, particularly about the drama part. We have learned a lot from a security standpoint, we have learned a lot from just the rhythm of The System standpoint. I remain an optimist about all of that. We have been reporting on Election Offices being mailed suspicious envelopes, white powder, those kinds of things. Some states are installing Panic Buttons for their workers, which brings me to the question, are you worried at all right now about states being able and your state being able to recruit enough people, first of all, to actually run the election. We know that some people have said, who have done it in the past, theyre afraid. When you read reports, no one faces threats or intimidation, speaking for myself, it takes 30,000 people to be poll workers. 30,000 people have to step up and do the job. In our state and most states, there are good laws on the book that ought to ensure a tranquil experience, ought to ensure stability in an early process, things like restricts on who can be in a Polling Place, what they can say and do in a Polling Place, including challengers, challenging peoples eligibility. Im confident with experience we have had with past elections and the good laws on the books not just in minnesota but many states, we can contain that problem. What im more concerned about is the other 364 days of the year. The elections administrators, not necessarily on Game Day, but the other days, they continue to be targets, and got to get our arms around that as well. I cant imagine a more challenging time to be president of the association of secretaries of state, so good on you for that. But i know youre in touch with folks elsewhere, and i wonder what it is that keeps you, that keeps them up at night as you look ahead to the election and the days following and the Vote Count . Well, i think im not wanting to speak for any particular secretary, my observation is every secretary wants the same thing, people can go about their business, vote without fear of intimidation or harassment, and that sort of thing. They want access and security. And i think all of us in this community, secretaries of state but folks at the local level as well, we are really having Each Others backs, that we must. We dont agree on every Policy And Nuance and detail. Were in the democracy business. What does that mean as a practical matter . Does it mean most people who vote in your state and others might see a larger Police Presence or a Security Presence . What should people know about frankly just plain old security . Yeah, plain old security, they should know theres been a ton of communication and planning up, down and sideways, so with federal partners like the department of Homeland Security and the fbi and in minnesota and other states, local Law Enforcement, and folks at the County And City level. Not just on the election day, the electoral college, every state, minnesota and every state will convene the electoral college. We dont want that to be a focal Point Or Target for any planned disruption. From the beginning to the end of the process, we really from the standpoint of physical security are on it. How that will play out in different states is different.