Teen Suspect Dead After Oregon School Shooting, Debunks Election Conspiracy Theory: Morning Rundown

Three children and a teacher are dead after a school shooting in Oregon. Election officials debunk a years-old conspiracy theory. And could another interest rate hike happen?

Here’s what you need to know today.

Three children and a teacher killed in Oregon school shooting

Three children and a teacher were killed yesterday afternoon in a shooting at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon. The children were aged 5, 8 and 11.

The deceased suspect, who authorities identified as a 16-year-old Bend resident, forced entry into Silver Rail Elementary School by shooting through locked doors, police said.

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Deschutes County dispatch received a call at 12:59 p.m. local time from a person in a vehicle saying they had been “shot multiple times by a person with a long gun,” police said. Then, “dozens” of calls reported a shooter at the elementary and middle school.

Officers arrived within three minutes and learned the suspect had been fatally shot by a community member who chased him to the school, authorities said.

Police did not say whether the suspect had any ties to the school or how he gained access to the weapon. In Oregon, minors can legally possess certain firearms if they have parental consent.

Here’s what else we know.

Election officials deny persistent false claim about poll workers and ballots

Election officials nationwide are debunking a years-old conspiracy theory that says poll workers write on your ballot in order to disqualify it. The claim is unsubstantiated, but has been circulating online.

“Poll workers write on ballots for a variety of reasons, as required by law. This does not affect whether your ballot is counted,” the North Carolina State Board of Elections said.

In some states, officials will mark ballots with initials signifying that an election judge has reviewed the ballot or a tally. In others, they don’t touch it at all. Regardless, it is the voters who fill out the ballots.

Tim Bobanic, Florida’s elections supervisor, said it’s unclear why this particular conspiracy has such lasting power.

“I’m not entirely convinced that it’s not outside groups, foreign entities” who are trying to “sow distrust,” he said.

Read the full story here.

Early voting is underway, with more than 6 million mail-in and in-person votes already cast nationwide. Follow the latest numbersincluding data breakdown by party and tallies in states with competitive Senate battlegrounds.

Additionally, follow the battle for Congress And Trump’s popularity rating.

More election news:

• Maine Senate candidates Troy Jackson and Susan Collins had their fourth and final debatewith Trump looming large in the race.

• Federal law enforcement is investigating after suspicious substances were sent to more than a dozen election offices across the country.

Kevin Warsh says the Fed is focused on controlling prices, but is giving no guidance on when rates will rise next.

Will the Federal Reserve Raise Interest Rates Again? Chairman Kevin Warsh offered few clues.

In a speech at the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Warsh said the U.S. economy had “largely” moved in the direction the Fed expected at its last meeting in September, when it raised rates for the first time since 2023.

“We have made it clear that we will ensure price stability,” Warsh said, a sign of his focus on inflation and the fact that another interest rate hike could be on the horizon. But he stuck to a familiar tone and refused to give a clear indication of when that might happen.

Warsh was also optimistic about AI, predicting that “it will make the economies and countries that make good use of it more productive.”

Read more about his comments.

Read all about it

• President Trump called Resumption of strikes in Ukraine on Russian oil refineries is a “disgrace”.

• Teenage suspect accused of planning a mass shooting at a Chicago Hindu temple, told co-workers he “couldn’t wait to kill Indians,” according to prosecutors.

• Actor Danny Trejo responded to criticism for participating in what some called a pro-ICE film backed by political commentator Ben Shapiro’s conservative media company.

• NBC News obtained audio from a passionate meeting between Cornell faculty and the university’s president over the handling of the alleged sexual assault case.

• The Milwaukee Brewers swept the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers advance to the World Series for the first time since 1982. Now the Dodgers are wondering what it happened in their seasonand their star.

• ‘Breaking Bad’ actor RJ Mitte’s mother urged parents to watch for warning signs after his death by suicide.

Staff choice: Hollywood gives nerds a reason to revisit the classics

Book-to-screen adaptations are not a new concept in Hollywood. But this year, what stood out to me was that the classics became topics of discussion on my social media feeds. From Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights,” released in February, to Zoe Kazan’s “East of Eden” series, released on Netflix this month, people are engaging in book-to-screen projects in ways that help elevate their cultural prominence.

Social media users document their journey through the classics, from first readings inspired by the film adaptations to annotated rereads before their premieres. Others publish in-depth analyzes comparing the books with their on-screen counterparts, fueling discussion about what’s right and what’s wrong in Hollywood. Some even offer recommendations for people who want to read while they watch.

It’s a refreshing trend, considering that earlier this year, The Atlantic, which counts literary icon Ralph Waldo Emerson as a co-founder, declared “The End of Reading is Here” and influencers like Alix Earle recently bragged about “never” reading a book. I spoke to Kazan, actress Florence Pugh, who plays Cathy in “East of Eden,” and Kiska Higgs, president of production and acquisitions at Focus Features, about why they think audiences continue to resonate with Hollywood projects taken off the shelves.

— Saba Hamedyculture and trends editor

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