Vice President Kamala Harris continued her focus on Great Lakes battleground states she hopes will deliver her the White House.

Today the focus was in Wisconsin. She made two stops there with a message the centered on the economy and her rival Donald Trump.

At a rally in LaCrosse, Harris blasted Trump for comments he made about January 6.

"He called it a 'day of love,'" Harris said.

Earlier, Harris addressed the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel.

"Justice has been served," Harris said. "And the United States, Israel and the entire world are better off as a result."

RELATED STORY | Harris, Trump court suburban Pennsylvania voters in path to White House

Former President Donald Trump gave remarks Thursday Night at the Alfred E. Smith dinner in New York City. The white-tie dinner raises money for Catholic Charities.

Harris did not appear in person, but spoke virtually.

Historically, opposing candidates have appeared at the dinner together, often making lighthearted jabs at each other.

Also on Thursday, in a pre-taped episode of the conservative PMD podcast, Trump blamed Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy for Russia's invasion. He said if he wins on November 5, he would settle the war in Ukraine before his inauguration.

"I think the world's going to behave, and I think I will settle Russia-Ukraine while I'm president-elect," Trump said.

Both candidates will stump in Michigan on Friday. Trump is scheduled to be in Detroit, while Harris has multiple stops statewide.

The Small Business Administration received nearly 50,000 applications for disaster relief after hurricanes Helene and Milton struck just days apart.

The SBA is now running out of money for its disaster assistance loan program and will have to put it on pause.

The agency's loans are meant to provide help to small businesses, renters and home owners but now the SBA is now asking people to turn to other agencies like FEMA for relief, if they can find it.

RELATED | Mayorkas to Scripps News: Some hurricane survivors reluctant to accept FEMA assistance due to disinformation

Rob Schroeder, a Washington Bureau Chief at Marketwatch said the SBA received "overwhelming demand" after the multiple hurricanes and said "the money went fast."

That lead the agency to suspend the disaster program, and many were asked to look at state and county options for help.

Other federal programs have also dealt with unique struggles following the hurricanes.

In a Scripps News investigation, Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas said some hurricane survivors had been reluctant to accept certain types of help from FEMA, citing rampant misinformation.

At the start of 2024, Gallup found that independent voters make up the largest political bloc in the U.S. An Average of 43% of U.S. adults identified as independent in 2023, tying a record set nearly a decade ago. Identification with either party is tied at 27%, a slow decline for both since 2008.

As the countdown to the 2024 presidential election begins, correspondent Gianna Toboni travels to the crucial swing state of Arizona to meet with independent Americans from all walks of life. From ranchers to lawyers to church leaders and more, this diverse, multi-generational panel comes together for a straight-to-the-point discussion about the biggest issues.

Watch this episode of "In Real Life: Independent America" in the video player.

Google security expert Kimberly Samra told Scripps News that people need to learn how to spot scams whenever possible.

Online scams have increased markedly in recently years.

According to the FBI, Americans reported losses to the tune of $12.5 billion from online scams last year. It was a record number, up over 20% from the year before.

Samra previously worked in external relations for IBM Security and says these online scams "run the gamut whether it's phone calls, text messages, emails even online scams in some of those resources you see in your search results," on platforms like Google.

RELATED | Google illegally maintains monopoly over internet search, judge rules

Samra says to look out for red flags, like area codes on phone calls from places in other countries or states where you don't have ties. She says to try and avoid clicking on links in suspect text messages or emails.

You can hover over links with your computer's cursor to see if the URL is one that looks legitimate.

Scams are becoming very sophisticated, and that can lead people to becoming a victim of a cyberscam even when they are trying to be aware. Take advantage of features like two-factor authentication and passkeys instead of passwords, which help resist phishing.

The Texas Supreme Court late on Thursday night delayed the execution of Robert Roberson, who was originally scheduled to be put to death earlier in the day after being convicted of murder in a case related to shaken baby syndrome.

A Texas House committee had requested the stay so that Roberson could testify at a hearing in his case next week.

Wednesday the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied a request for clemency for Roberson.

On Thursday the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had rejected an appeal to halt the execution.

Also on Thursday the U.S. Supreme Court declined to halt the execution. Justice Sonya Sotomayor wrote urging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to issue a 30-day delay in Roberson's case. Gov. Abbott has so far not commented on the case.

Roberson was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2002 killing of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis.

RELATED STORY | Texas intends to execute Robert Roberson, whose attorneys claim he was wrongly convicted

Prosecutors allege Roberson abused his daughter and violently shook her to death, leading to the "shaken baby syndrome" diagnosis.

Roberson's attorneys claim he was wrongly convicted. His defense now points to undiagnosed pneumonia as his daughter's cause of death claiming Nikki stopped breathing in her sleep.

The U.S. Department of Justice said that RTX Corporation the defense contractor formerly known as Raytheon has agreed to pay over $950 million in a case to resolve allegations that say the company defrauded the government and paid bribes to secure business with the government of Qatar.

The DOJ said in a release that Raytheon Company which is a subsidiary of the Arlington, Va.-based defense contractor formerly known as Raytheon Technologies Corporation, is accused of "a major government fraud scheme involving defective pricing on certain government contracts and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Arms Export Control Act."

The DOJ said the company also had violations in "its implementing regulations" and in "the International Traffic in Arms Regulations."

RELATED | So much polarization: Survivors reflect on the impacts of politically-motivated gunfire

The company entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement in separate cases - those cases played out in federal court in Brooklyn and Boston.

The company agreed to hire independent monitors to oversee compliance with anti-corruption and anti-fraud laws and must show good conduct for three years, the Associated Press reported, citing DOJ information on the cases made public.

The money the company owes includes penalties in the criminal cases, as well as civil fines, restitution and the return of profits it derived from inflated Defense Department billing and business derived from alleged bribes paid to a high-ranking Qatari military official from 2012 to 2016.

The members of One Direction posted an Instagram message Thursday about the death of Liam Payne.

"We're completely devastated by the news of Liam's passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly."

"The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever."

Payne, who was 31 years old, reportedly died Wednesday after an apparent fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

Coroners investigated his cause of death and found injuries consistent with a fall from a height, according to local media outlets. Full details of an official autopsy report have not yet been released.

RELATED STORY | Officials reveal preliminary results for Liam Payne's cause of death

One Direction, which also included members Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, formed in 2010 after each member had appeared on the reality competition show "The X Factor." The British band has sold more than 70 million records worldwide, but broke up in 2016 as its members pursued different projects.

While he was not married, Payne is survived bu by a 7-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, who was born in 2017 to then-girlfriend and Girls Aloud group member Cheryl Cole.

Apple TV+'s new limited series "Before" set to premiere this month takes a look, as the title suggests, at some thrilling and sometimes frightening ways we deal with the past, actress Rosie Perez told Scripps News.

The film star said acting in a lead role alongside actor and executive producer Billy Crystal was a great experience.

The series, which will premiere globally in just days, tells the story of child psychologist Dr. Eli Adler who "encounters a troubled young boy who seems to have a haunting connection to Eli's past," Apple TV writes.

Perez plays the role of a foster mother, and says her own past in the foster system helped her in the role. She says she was originally offered another role in the project, but pushed for the one she ended up playing.

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"It was a heavy lift, it's a very dark and heavy, emotional role," Perez said. "I just kind of dig down into the truth of the situation."

Perez said Crystal was very supportive of her as she was working through the character.

"Before" will premiere on Apple TV+ on Oct. 25.

The Israeli military has confirmed that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, has been killed in an Israeli military operation.

"Eliminated: Yahya Sinwar," the Israel Defense Forces wrote Thursday in a post on social media.

Israel's foreign minister said Sinwar's identity was confirmed after authorities conducted a DNA test on his body. He was among two others who were also killed in the Israeli military operation.

RELATED STORY | Biden: US troops to "remain postured" in the Middle East as tensions escalate

Sinwar's death marks a significant development in Israel's yearlong war against Iranian-backed Hamas militants in Gaza. However, it could also complicate Israeli efforts to get dozens of Israeli hostages freed from Hamas captivity.

The IDF said in a statement that "there were no signs of the presence of hostages" in the area where Sinwar was killed. After his death was confirmed, Families of American Hostages Held In Gaza released a statement demanding the immediate release of all hostages.

"It is now time for every single hostage held in Gaza to be returned to their families. No more delays and no more demands," the statement reads. "Whether through negotiation or by any other means, all parties must immediately seize this opportunity to bring home the 101 remaining hostages, including seven Americans, before it's too late. The elimination of this brutal terrorist is a step toward justice. But true victory for Israel, its allies, and for the world will only be achieved when every hostage is released and the suffering of civilians in Gaza ends."

RELATED STORY | Israel assures US it won't strike Iranian nuclear or oil sites, US officials say

Following news of Sinwar's death, President Joe Biden said he plans to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the path forward, but called it "a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world."

"To my Israeli friends, this is no doubt a day of relief and reminiscence, similar to the scenes witnessed throughout the United States after President Obama ordered the raid to kill Osama Bin Laden in 2011," President Biden said in a statement. "Israel has had every right to eliminate the leadership and military structure of Hamas. Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another October 7."

Vice President Kamala Harris echoed those words during a press conference, saying the world is "better off" with Sinwar dead.

"Sinwar was responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent people, including the victims of October 7th and hostages killed in Gaza," Harris said. "He had American blood on his hands. Today I can only hope that the families of the victims of Hamas feel a sense and measure of relief."

RELATED STORY | Understanding the dynamics of a potential Israel-Hamas cease-fire

Meanwhile, U.S. troops are set to remain stationed throughout the Middle East as tensions continue to escalate in the region. In a letter sent to Congressional leadership earlier this week, President Joe Biden explained that troops are to "remain postured" in order to "protect Israel from Iranian and Iranian-aligned threats."

The latest actions from the Biden administration come as Israel's year-long war against Hamas in Gaza has expanded into a multi-front operation to also combat Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Late last month, the Israeli military said it had launched a "limited, localized" ground operation into the country, that has since boiled over into all-out war between the two sides and risks sparking an even wider regional conflict.

In a Fox News town hall, in front of an all-female audience, former President Donald Trump responded to a question about whether he would support IVF access:

"I want to talk about IFV. I'm the father of IFV," Trump said.

He went on to say Republicans were "the party" for IFV.

In a gaggle with reporters, Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump's comment bizarre and said he was unfit for the Oval Office.

"Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and as has been said by the people who have worked closely with him, even when he was president, he's unfit to be president of the United States," Harris said.

Trump also appeared in a Univision town hall with Latino voters Wednesday. He doubled down on false claims of Haitian migrants eating pets and his characterization of undocumented immigrants as criminals and rapists.

Harris returned to Pennsylvania for a rally where she touted recent endorsements from Republicans.

"At stake in this election is the Constitution of the United States its very self," Harris said. "We are here today because we share a core belief: that we must put country before party."

And Harris continued her efforts to court conservative voters Wednesday evening, sitting down for an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier.

RELATED STORY | Harris' interview with Fox News is marked by testy exchanges over immigration and more

A federal appeals court is advancing a case against a platform that allows people to bet on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which brought the case, is worried U.S. election betting could harm the country's election systems.

Interactive Brokers have been working with Kalshi to offer election contracts. These deals would issue payouts on bets placed on the outcome of U.S. elections.

RELATED | Early in-person voting has begun in some states amid historic changes in the voting process

Election bettors have been banking on the odds that Donald Trump will win the White House in the next election, with Kamala Harris winning the popular vote.

Kalshi has reportedly booked millions of dollars in contracts on the 2024 presidential race.

CFTC is challenging the right for Kalshi to offer betting on elections, arguing it can harm election integrity or may be vulnerable to market manipulation.

A judge on Wednesday invalidated more of Georgia's recently passed election rules, adding new wrinkles in a state where the pace of early voting has already set records.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas Cox Jr. said seven rules, including one that mandated hand-counts of votes and one that called for a "reasonable inquiry" before certifying election results, were "illegal, unconstitutional and void."

The rules, passed by the state's Republican-majority State Election Board, deal mostly with administrative processes after votes are cast. But critics worried the changes could have been used to delay or obscure vote results.

The judge wrote the board did not have the authority to set those rules and ordered the board to ensure that state election officials did not follow them.

RELATED STORY | Georgia judge rules on ballot counting and vote certification as early voting begins

The ruling is a stricter version of one delivered Tuesday, when Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney blocked the hand-counting rule just for the 2024 election. He said it was "too much, too late" ahead of the election, which is now just weeks away.

Early voting is underway in Georgia. Officials said more than a quarter million people had voted by Tuesday, the first day of early in-person voting, and another 260,000 voted on Wednesday.

As the 2024 presidential election approaches early in-person voting has begun already in some states.

It comes as a number of voting laws have seen changes in recent years.

Andrew Garber, with the Brennan Center's Counsel in Voting Rights and Elections Program, is a former clerk to Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware.

He told Scripps News the Brennan Center has found that going back to January 2021 at least 30 states have passes at least 78 laws "that make it harder to vote."

RELATED | Presidential candidates hit airwaves for major interviews as Election Day nears

The center says trust in election integrity in the U.S. is incredibly important.

Garber says the amount of election law changes is almost twice what his organization saw in the prior two election cycles combined. The Brennan Center has a stated goal of tracking every election law and changes to them around the United States.

Garber, who has a background in election integrity and security, says states including Georgia, Florida and Texas has passed omnibus laws that the Brennan Center says make it harder to vote in multiple ways.

RELATED | Georgia sets record after over 300,000 vote early ahead of high-stakes presidential election

In some states laws can make it more time consuming or harder to register to vote, while in other states it might be harder to get assistance to go out and cast a ballot. And Garber says around half of the 78 election laws around the U.S. make it harder to obtain absentee ballots.

The Brennan Center found that at least 41 states have passed around 168 laws that the organization says make it easier to vote, in their findings. It comes down to what state voters are in, as laws have changed since 2020.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to reinstate six charges in the state's election subversion case against Donald Trump.

Earlier this year, the judge in the case ruled that six counts, including three specifically against Trump, weren't detailed enough about the alleged crimes. The counts in question have to do with alleged efforts to appoint fake electors in Georgia, after Trump lost the state in the 2020 election.

In a new filing submitted Tuesday, Willis asked to have that ruling reversed.

"The indictment more than sufficiently placed Cross-Appellees on notice of the conduct at issue and allowed them to prepare an intelligent defense to the charges," the new filing read.

Lawyers for Trump say the judge's initial decision to disqualify the counts was unambiguous.

The brief filed by DA Fani Willis is simply incorrect on the law," Trump attorney Steve Sadow said in a statement obtained by Scripps News. "The trial courts dismissal order properly decided that the State failed to sufficiently plead the allegations in the dismissed counts under Georgia law."

RELATED STORY | Georgia judge rules on ballot counting and vote certification as early voting begins

The filing comes as Georgia begins early voting for the 2024 presidential election. According to data provided by the Georgia Secretary of State's office, more than 310,000 voters voted in person in Georgia on Tuesday.

This round of voting is seeing its own unique legal developments: a judge ruled on Tuesday that election officials are required to certify the state's votes by 5p.m. on the Tuesday following the election. He also blocked a rule passed earlier this year that required counties to hand-count all ballots, saying such a change would be "too much, too late" ahead of the 2024 election.

The family of convicted murderers Erik and Lyle Menendez is calling for their release from prison 35 years after the killings of their parents in their Beverly Hills home.

The brothers were found guilty in the 1989 murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez, and were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, family members argue that the boys had a history of sexual abuse at the hands of their father, and the judge overseeing the case never let the defense present much of that evidence to the jury.

RELATED STORY | Who are the Menendez brothers? What to know about Netflix's new crime series

Speaking at a press conference Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles, more than a dozen relatives to the Menendez brothers were joined by their attorney, Mark Geragos, calling on Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascn to consider re-sentencing the brothers based off new evidence including a letter written by Erik Menendez, alluding to abuse he endured prior to the murders.

"I had no idea the extent of the abuse they suffered at the hands of my brother-in-law. None of us did," said Joan Andersen VanderMolen, sister to Kitty Menendez. "We know that abuse has long effects, and victims of trauma sometimes act in ways that are very difficult to understand."

Wednesday's news conference comes less than two weeks after Gascn's office announced it would review the new evidence to reconsider whether the Menendez brothers should be serving life sentences. If a retrial or resentencing were to be granted, it's possible that the Menendez brothers, who are now in their 50s, could be released due to time served.

RELATED STORY | Los Angeles district attorney investigating new evidence in Menendez brothers' case

Lyle and Erik, who were 21 and 18 years old at the time of the killings, contend that they killed their parents after years of sexual assault. Prosecutors, however, argued that they were motivated by money, as Jose Menendez was a wealthy record company executive.

Both Menendez brothers remain incarcerated at California's RJ Donovan Correctional Facility, according to the California Department of Corrections. In the decades since their arrest, their case has continued to transfix the true-crime world most recently with a Netflix series titled "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story," which premiered last month.

There's no shortage of advice about diets and eating habits on social media and television.

Dr. Supatra Tovar warns that some schools of thought, like those about eating lots of animal protein and no carbs, could lead to unhealthy habits.

"Diet culture tells us a whole bunch of lies," Tovar told Scripps News. "There's no good food and there's no bad food."

Tovar is the author of the book, "Deprogramming Diet Culture." She says that when people have a neutral mindset about food, it mitigates negative eating habits like binging.

As the holiday season approaches, many people include a diet culture mindset into their behaviors around eating during the holidays.

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Tovar said that in working with her clients she found that rejecting diet culture was the best way to start on a pathway to success. She says in her work, there are two main categories:

"Lookism," or the obsession with staying thin; and "Weightism," also known as fat-shaming and fatphobia.

"Deprogramming Diet Culture" guides the reader through seven steps that are meant to help people break out of programming that leads to destructive types of diets.

Tovar says that it's important to eat slowly and mindfully but to have a healthy and neutral mindset about food that doesn't assign morality to each type of food.

Federal regulators have just finalized a new rule that will soon make it easier for consumers to cancel ongoing subscriptions without jumping through hoops.

The Federal Trade Commission unveiled its "click-to-cancel" rule Wednesday for things like gym memberships, newspapers, food delivery and other services that charge weekly or monthly fees.

The new rule goes into effect in 180 days and will require sellers to make it just as easy for consumers to cancel a subscription as it was for them to sign up in the first place.

"Too often, businesses make people jump through endless hoops just to cancel a subscription," said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. "The FTCs rule will end these tricks and traps, saving Americans time and money. Nobody should be stuck paying for a service they no longer want."

RELATED STORY | Government sues Adobe for allegedly 'deceiving consumers' about canceling subscriptions

The rule changes are part of the FTCs review of the negative option rule. The federal government defines a negative option as one that allows a seller to interpret a customer's silence, or failure to take an affirmative action, as acceptance of an offer.

Under the new FTC rule changes, sellers will now be prohibited from:

misrepresenting any material fact made while marketing goods or services with a negative option feature; failing to clearly and conspicuously disclose material terms prior to obtaining a consumers billing information in connection with a negative option feature; failing to obtain a consumers express informed consent to the negative option feature before charging the consumer; and failing to provide a simple mechanism to cancel the negative option feature and immediately halt charges.

RELATED STORY | SiriusXM sued for 'trapping' subscribers in its cancellation process

The publication of the proposed rules was approved by a 3-2 margin by the FTC, with Commissioners Melissa Holyoak and Andrew N. Ferguson voting no. Holyoak issued a dissenting statement after the vote was finalized.

"Whenever we engage in rulemaking, the Commission should recall that Article I of the Constitution vests legislative powers in Congress, not with agencies," Holyoak said. "Because of that, it is elected officials that delineate the boundaries, and set the requirements, that we as Commissioners must adhere to. I believe the Commission exceeds those boundaries and requirements in amendments to the Negative Option Rule "

An updated survey from Gallup shows that one in five U.S. adults say they were feeling lonely. The poll asked did you experience loneliness a lot of the day yesterday? Gallup said 20% of respondents said "yes."

Gallup takes this poll four times a year. The recent poll, taken in August and September, showed a slight uptick in loneliness compared to previous polls that hovered around 17% or 18%.

RELATED STORY | Why are millennials lonelier than other generations?

The recent results, however, show an improvement from when about one in four Americans experienced loneliness during the pandemic.

Those experiencing loneliness were also more likely to evaluate not only their current life, but their future life.

Significant daily loneliness in the U.S. is closely linked to many aspects of wellbeing, including current life satisfaction and anticipated life satisfaction in five years, Gallup said in its findings.

Gallup noted that 64% of those experiencing loneliness generally expect to have a positive life score in five years.

Although loneliness has a detrimental impact on general life satisfaction, it is encouraging that it appears to have a smaller effect on how people see their future lives, leaving room for hope. Hope is a powerful feeling that should not be underestimated. It has fostered resilience for those with clinical depression and deterred terminal illnesses like cancer, the report says.

RELATED STORY | People who use YouTube are often more lonely, study finds

Gallups data comes months after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared loneliness and isolation a national epidemic, calling it an urgent public health issue.

"Social connection is as essential to our long-term survival as food and water," Murthy said in a report released by his office.

Former President Jimmy Carter cast his vote for president just days after his 100th birthday.

According to the Carter Center, voted by mail on Wednesday. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Carter voted for fellow Democrat Kamala Harris adding the former president filled out a ballot, which was dropped off at the Sumter County Courthouse near his home in Plains.

In August, Carter's grandson told Scripps News that his grandfather wanted to live long enough to vote for Harris.

RELATED STORY | Family, supporters celebrate Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday

"That certainly means more to him than a birthday milestone," Jason Carter said.

Carter, who has been in hospice care since February 2023, celebrated his 100th birthday on Oct. 1. While he has remained out of the public eye for much of the past year, he wheeled outside his home on his birthday to watch a military flyover in his honor. He was also seen in public in November 2023 for the memorial for his late wife, Rosalynn.

Over the course of his life, Carter has survived battles with brain cancer, liver cancer and a number of other health scares.