Shownotes Transcript
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Hurricane Milton's up to a Category 5 strength. Max sustained winds 175 miles per hour. It is projected to move near or just north of the Yucatan Peninsula by tomorrow, cross the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and bear down Wednesday on the west coast of the Florida Peninsula, where coastal residents have been picking up storm debris since Hurricane Helene roared ashore as a Cat 4 less than two weeks ago.
That debris, including shards of wood and twisted metal, are a dangerous threat when Milton hits. Here's Governor Ron DeSantis. We have right now, just in the debris mission, we have 800 National Guardsmen that are also deployed helping our state agencies. We currently have 5,000 Guardsmen that are mobilized for the response to this storm, and we have more than 3,000 additional Guardsmen who will be mobilized prior to landfall.
Projections show Milton could make landfall in the Tampa Bay area and remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida, including heavily populated areas of Tampa and Orlando.
Meanwhile, Florida and other southeastern states are still grappling with the impact of Helene, a storm that poses political consequences in this year's presidential race. Here's NPR's Mara Lyson. Helene hit hardest in two important swing states, North Carolina and Georgia, and the hurricane has already become a political issue there, with Donald Trump falsely accusing the Biden-Harris administration of withholding aid to Republican areas damaged by the storm.
Local Republican officials have debunked that claim. There's also concern about whether the hurricane could depress turnout if voters are more interested in cleaning out their homes than returning an absentee ballot or looking for a polling station. The most devastated areas are in rural counties, many of which have large concentrations of Trump supporters. Mara Liason, NPR News. President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden marked one year since the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel.
with a candle lighting ceremony and Jewish prayer at the White House.
NPR's Deepa Shivaram reports the rabbi who recited the prayer is a friend of the family of one of the American hostages who was killed by Hamas. Biden didn't speak at all during the ceremony. He stood with eyes closed as Rabbi Aaron Alexander recited the traditional Jewish prayer, which is often heard during funerals and on the anniversary of a death. Hamas says,
Alexander then translated into English and Biden lit the candle in memory of the dead. In a statement, Biden said he thinks of the hostages held by Hamas, quote, today and every day, and reiterated his belief that Israel has a right to defend itself. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News. From Washington, this is NPR News.
This message comes from Bombas. Socks, underwear, and t-shirts are the top three requested clothing items by people experiencing homelessness. Bombas makes all three and donates one item for every item purchased. Go to bombas.com slash NPR and use code NPR for 20% off.
