In the lead-up to the U.S. elections, we're kicking off 'Road to the White House' where we'll dive into the American political landscape every Monday. For our first episode, we speak two U.S. citizens living in Malaysia: Prof. William Ray Langenbach and researcher Margo Prebenda, as they share insights on where they're voting, their observations about U.S. politics, and how their relationship with their home country has evolved.

Other stories we covered today:

· Anniversary of Hamas' Attack: One year after the Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent actions, we examine the ongoing crisis in Gaza, where the death toll has exceeded 40,000. Dr Ferooze Ali, Senior Fellow at the Asia-Middle East Centre for Research and Dialogue discusses shifting media narratives, while Dr. Mohd Nazari Ismail, Chairperson of the BDS Movement Malaysia reflects on how the organisation views the escalating conflict.

· Mamak Restaurants Urged To Stop Selling Cigarettes: President of the Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association, Datuk Jawahar Ali Taib Khan, said that over 40% of its 12,000 members have already stopped selling cigarettes. We speak to Prof Dr Mohamad Haniki Nok Mohamed, who is leader of IIUM's Smokefree Sejahtera Campus Community Flagship 3.0 on the implications of disassociating smoking from mamak culture.

· Outcry From Unpaid Journalists: Journalists from The Malaysian Insight and The Vibes are demanding unpaid wages, which has been delayed for months. Teh Athira Mohd Yusof, the General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists Malaysia shares updates on the situation and the union’s efforts to mediate between journalists and their employer, the Petra Group.

· Johor Returning to Saturday & Sunday Weekend: The decision, made by Johor's Regent, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, will begin on January 1st, 2024, reversing the Friday-Saturday schedule in place since 2014 and to better align with the practices of the government and private sector.

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