Campaign ramps up as Kamala Harris allies deploy new Trump ‘plain weird’ attack line | First Thing

New attack line on Trump seems to be sticking, simplifying Biden's threats to democracy warnings. Plus, US beat Germany at soccer in Paris

Good morning.

US Democrats have spent recent days trying out a relatively new attack line on Donald Trump: that he is weird.

What are the polls saying? Harris is showing an uptick on Biden but still behind Trump. According to averages based on New York Times/Siena College polls, Trump is averaging 48% compared with Harris on 46%.

What attack lines are Republicans deploying against Harris? Several Republicans on Sunday tried to portray Harris as a dangerous liberal" with far-left politics.

What's been the latest trigger for escalating tensions? The diplomacy came amid growing anger in Israel over the strike on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, which Israel seized in 1967 and annexed from Syria in 1981. On Sunday, thousands attended funeral processions for the 12 children.

What has the UN said about the prospect of war? The UN's special coordinator for Lebanon, as well as the UN peacekeeping force, urged maximum restraint". Both sides, they said, must put a stop to the ongoing intensified exchanges of fire", which risks a catastrophe beyond belief".