News

Via press release from the state of Georgia: Overnight, monitoring around the Bio Lab facility detected some exceedances above the action level for chlorine. Workers on site have continued to make progress in neutralizing the product. As the neutralization process continues, periodic increases in chlorine levels around the facility are expected. The current weather models show the winds will begin …

Florida Politics reports: As debates show sharp the divide between the Republican and Democratic tickets, a recreational marijuana campaign is highlighting a key area of agreement. The Smart & Safe Florida campaign notes Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican opponent Donald Trump both favor legalizing marijuana in Florida. So do their running mates, Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim …

The Associated Press reports: As the rain from Hurricane Helene came down harder and harder, workers inside a plastics factory in rural Tennessee kept working. It wasn’t until water flooded into the parking lot and the power went out that the plant shut down and sent workers home. Several never made it. The raging floodwaters swept 11 people away, and …

The Jerusalem Post reports: Israel’s foreign minister declared UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres ‘persona non grata’ and was henceforth banning him from entering Israel, according to a post on X/Twitter on Wednesday. The ban on entry, said FM Israel Katz, was due to Guterres’s failure to “unequivocally condemn” Iran’s massive missile attack on Israel. “Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s …

CBS News reports: Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — both relative newcomers to the national political spotlight — face off Tuesday in the only scheduled vice presidential debate before the November election. The debate starts at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday. It will run 90 minutes — the same length as the two presidential debates …

Deadline Hollywood reports: John Amos, the actor whose characters in Good Times, Roots, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show lent the 1970s a solid share of its too-few portrayals of strong Black male role models, died August 21 in Los Angeles of natural causes. He was 84. His death, announced by son Kelly Christopher Amos, had not been disclosed until …

The Washington Post reports: Iran is preparing an imminent ballistic missile attack against Israel, a White House official said Tuesday. The United States is “actively supporting” Israel’s “defensive preparations,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. “A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran.” The warning of …

The New York Times reports: A preliminary check of election offices in North Carolina’s flooded west showed that offices in 14 counties were closed, with officials unsure when they would open, the State Board of Elections said late Monday. One office in Haywood County, just west of hard-hit Asheville, could not be reached. While the region is largely rural, it …

Axios reports: Mexico on Tuesday is inaugurating its first woman president, Claudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist who is facing surging violence, a major constitutional reform and maintaining a key relationship with the U.S. Mexico is the U.S.’ top trading partner — $807 billion worth of goods were exchanged both ways last year — and it’s been a critical ally in …

NBC News reports: A judge in Georgia’s Fulton County struck down the state’s six-week abortion ban Monday, allowing the procedure to resume and making it legal up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. The state law was signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in 2019 but didn’t take effect until July 2022 after it faced a legal challenge and the Supreme …

The Associated Press reports: CBS News, hosting vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz for the general election campaign’s third debate, says it will be up to the politicians — not the moderators — to check the facts of their opponents. The 90-minute debate, scheduled for 9 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday in a Manhattan studio that once hosted the …

The New York Times reports: Gavin Creel, a sly and charming musical theater actor who won a Tony Award as a wide-eyed adventure seeker in “Hello, Dolly!” and an Olivier Award as a preening missionary in “The Book of Mormon,” died on Monday at his home in Manhattan. He was 48. His death was confirmed by his partner, Alex Temple …

Tampa’s ABC affiliate reports: As residents across the Tampa Bay area return to their homes for the first time since Hurricane Helene passed through the area, local officials are asking those who own electric vehicles to stay vigilant when assessing damage. On Saturday, Pinellas County Government posted a video of a flooded Tesla that caught fire inside a homeowner’s garage. …

The Miami Herald reports: Ryan Wesley Routh, a convicted felon who authorities say drove from North Carolina to South Florida with a plan to kill Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty on Monday to attempting to assassinate the former president while he was playing golf in mid-September at his club in West Palm Beach. Routh, 58, is accused of setting up …

Florida Politics reports: A Florida-based Republican pollster finds Republican Donald Trump leading Democrat Kamala Harris by just 2 percentage points. Additionally, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott holds less than a 1-point edge on Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. The poll finds Trump winning just under 47% of likely voters in his home state, while nearly 45% intend to vote for Harris. Scott, a …

The Associated Press reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged EV owners this week to get their vehicles to higher ground before Hurricane Helene arrived. Although the problem is rare, there have been a number of instances in recent years of electric vehicles igniting after hurricanes. Keeping electric vehicles out of standing water is the best way to avoid the possibility …

The New York Times reports: “Saturday Night Live” dug deep into its contact list of celebrity alumni and friends in the comedy world as it kicked off its 50th season with an opening sketch that featured Maya Rudolph’s anticipated return as Vice President Kamala Harris. The sketch, for which the cast member James Austin Johnson returned in his recurring role …

The Verge reports: Zillow has announced that its real estate property listings in the US will soon feature details about climate risks, including the potential for wildfires, flooding, extreme temperatures, high winds, and poor air quality. Buyers will also see what types of insurance are required or recommended for a property. The climate risk data, provided through a partnership with …

The Weather Channel reports: H​urricane Helene is intensifying ahead of a Category 4 landfall in Florida tonight, delivering catastrophic, possibly record storm surge, destructive winds and flooding rainfall. The fast-moving pace of Helene means its dangers will spread well inland. Life-threatening flash flooding, potential record river flooding, damaging winds and tornadoes are expected in parts of Georgia, the Carolinas and …

The Hill reports reports: The House task force investigating the assassination attempts against former President Trump will hold its first hearing Thursday morning, focused on the shooting at Trump’s July rally in Butler, Pa. The hearing will narrow in on the “Secret Service’s Reliance on State and Local Law Enforcement” at the campaign event where a gunman opened fire. The …