5 things to know for Sept. 18: Middle East, Presidential race, IVF treatments, Autoworkers, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

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Fast-food chains across the US are offering discounts today to celebrate National Cheeseburger Day. It comes as many companies have unveiled promotions and giveaways this year to try to win back the customers they lost due to price increases. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. Hezbollah has vowed to respond to an Israeli attack that killed at least nine people and injured thousands across Lebanon on Tuesday when pagers belonging to members of the Iran-backed militant group exploded almost simultaneously. Footage showed shoppers and pedestrians collapsing in the street following the blasts. Israel was behind the attack, CNN has learned. The New York Times reported that Israel hid explosives inside a batch of pagers destined for Hezbollah. A switch was embedded to detonate them remotely, it added. Israel has not commented. The attack risks further escalating tensions in the Middle East already heightened over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. It also underscores Hezbollah’s vulnerability as its communication network was compromised to deadly effect. Days following an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, both presidential candidates pressed on with campaign efforts in must-win states on Tuesday. Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia, where she denounced the false rumors about migrants in Springfield, Ohio, as “a crying shame.” Trump hosted a town hall in Flint, Michigan, and shook hands with supporters at his first campaign event since Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt. He discussed tariffs, his recent phone calls with President Joe Biden and Harris, and he said the Secret Service “did a hell of a job” on Sunday. Senate Republicans voted on Tuesday to block a bill that would guarantee access to in vitro fertilization nationwide. Democrats brought the bill back to the Senate floor after GOP lawmakers previously blocked the measure from advancing in June. The bill seeks to make IVF treatment more affordable by mandating coverage for fertility treatments under employer-sponsored insurance and certain public insurance plans. It would also expand coverage of fertility treatments, including IVF, under US military service members and veterans’ health care. Many Republicans criticized the Democrat-led legislation as an unnecessary overreach while saying they do support IVF. The vote is part of a broader push by Senate Democrats to draw a contrast with Republicans over reproductive health care as the elections approach. United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain said Tuesday the union plans to hold strike authorization votes against Stellantis because the automaker is failing to live up to guarantees it made in a 2023 labor deal at the conclusion of a six-week strike. Stellantis — which makes vehicles in North America under the Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler brands — had 43,000 UAW members nationwide at 19 manufacturing facilities at the time of last year’s strike. It is possible, since only some locals will be holding strike authorization votes, that only some plants will go on strike. But even a limited strike could affect operations at several Stellantis facilities. The automaker denied violating its contract and said it still had plenty of time to meet the agreed investment targets and vehicle production commitments.