cover of episode NPR News: 10-12-2024 7PM EDT

NPR News: 10-12-2024 7PM EDT

Publish Date: 2024/10/12
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NPR News Now

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst. As cleanup continues in Florida today, power is slowly coming back on. There are around 1.3 million customers in the dark, but that number has been quickly falling. More than 50,000 power workers from around the country and Canada are in the state helping.

Another big problem is getting gasoline. As residents who fled Hurricane Milton return. Well, now the state's opening more fuel sites as people make the trip on crowded highways. Governor Ron DeSantis. These are free for people. We're doing 10 gallons a customer. So you go, you get it, and you can be on your way. So this is stuff that we are providing for people. And he says schools will reopen on Monday.

Former President Donald Trump is campaigning in the West today. First, he attended a Hispanic roundtable near Las Vegas. Later tonight, he heads to a rally in Coachella in Southern California. Harris campaigns in Greenville, North Carolina tomorrow.

Asian American voters are about 3% of the voting population in the swing state of Pennsylvania. Their historic turnout in 2020 helped President Biden win the election, and their turnout could be critical in this election year.

Empiric's Deepa Shivaram has more. There are more than a quarter million Asian Americans and Pacific Islander voters in Pennsylvania, but historically there has been a lack of outreach to AAPI voters for years from both parties, says James de los Reyes, who works with the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance, an advocacy group for AAPI voters in Pennsylvania.

Thinking for a really long time is that the Asian community is too difficult and too expensive to really invest in and try to bring in politically. In recent years, though, engagement with AAPI voters has increased. While these voters tend to vote blue, they don't identify strongly with the political party, which could make them persuadable in key swing states. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News, Philadelphia.

More than 4,000 hotel workers are on strike in Boston, San Francisco, and Honolulu, part of a wave of hotel strikes that started on Labor Day weekend.

Empire's Andrea Hsu has more. The hotels include Hilton, Hyatt and Weston properties. These are large hotels, some of them with conference facilities. The hotels have implemented contingency plans, but the hospitality union Unite Here says housekeeping services have been disrupted. Some bars and restaurants have been closed due to the work stoppages. In Boston, San Francisco and Honolulu, the workers say they'll remain on the picket lines until they win a new contract.

Meanwhile, more than 700 employees at a Hilton in San Diego returned to work after a 38-day strike. The union and the hotel came to a new labor agreement that includes improvements to workers' wages, health benefits, and staffing. Andrea Hsu, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News from Washington.

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