Daily Briefing: Kids aren't getting flu shots

The nation recorded one of its worst totals for child deaths from the flu this past season. Unease spreads across Lebanon after attacks on wireless electronic devices caused thousands of injuries. USA TODAY went to Hope to look for hope.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert , Daily Briefing author. Check out Earth's (temporary) mini moon .

Drops in vaccinations mean more lethal childhood flus

Nearly 200 children died from influenza-related complications in the 2023-24 season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The common denominator: Most of the 199 total children who died from the virus were eligible for a vaccine but did not receive one.

• Two children have already died in early September . The CDC data included 158 children who died who were eligible for a vaccine and whose vaccination status was known. Of those, 131 children, or 83%, were not fully vaccinated.
• How we got here : Misinformation and hesitancy around vaccines took hold with COVID-19, and the pandemic disrupted families' routine doctor's office visits.
• But does the flu shot even work ? Studies have shown that annual flu vaccines, while not foolproof against infection, are effective against serious illness.

Lebanon is on edge

Tensions are high in Lebanon on Thursday after Israel's defense minister vowed to begin a "new phase" in its war with Hamas in Gaza, and after pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah fighters exploded in the Middle Eastern country across two days, killing at least 32 people and injuring thousands. In a statement Wednesday, Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the "center of gravity" in the Israel-Hamas war was moving north to Lebanon. Read more

More news to know now on Thursday

• A 12-day manhunt in Kentucky has ended .
• Ukraine destroyed a Russian arsenal .
• Atlantic City's mayor and others were indicted on child abuse charges .
• America tested 100,000 forgotten rape kits. But justice remains elusive .
• Five people perished on OceanGate's doomed Titan sub. Will we soon know why ?

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here .

Will Congress dodge a government shutdown?

With just 11 days to go until a potential government shutdown, the House attempted – and failed – to pass a 6-month funding extension that was tied to a contentious piece of voting legislation on Wednesday. The chamber voted 220-202 to defeat the measure, which would fund the government at existing levels through the end of March 2025 and advance a bill that would require people to show proof of citizenship in order to vote. Read more

Why won't Teamsters back Trump or Harris?

For the first time since 1996, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters won't make an endorsement in the presidential election, opting against throwing the union's support behind either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump. The union cited that "neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union." The move is a blow to Harris, the Democratic nominee who has touted her union backing on the campaign trail in her push to win the key Rust Belt battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. Read more

Keep scrolling

• Meet the 24 men of "The Golden Bachelorette."
• The WNBA is coming to Portland, Oregon .
• Are remote workers really working all day ?
• Watch Anna Delvey's "lackluster" "Dancing With the Stars" debut .
• Here's why Bryce Young needs to escape the Panthers .

The Anxious States of America

We went searching for hope. In Hope. From Maine to Alaska, USA TODAY reported from towns named Hope about the state of a nation that to all appearances is divided, angry and fearful about its future amid a ferocious election year. We found challenges everywhere, from the economic to the existential. A sense of alarm seems to be the sentiment that most unites us: the Anxious States of America. Read the Hope in America series.

Photo of the day: Tupperware (goodbye) party

Tupperware Brands Corp. and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week . The brand known for its plastic containers was once popularized by "Tupperware Parties" in which representatives hosted at-home events show off products to potential customers.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here . Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Daily Briefing: Kids aren't getting flu shots