Shownotes Transcript
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. Hurricane Milton is barreling toward the Florida Gulf Coast. It's a Category 4 storm. Just yesterday, it was a Category 5 hurricane, and at one point, its top sustained winds were 180 miles per hour. NPR's Alejandra Burundo reports a super-warm Gulf of Mexico is likely to blame for the storm's power. On Sunday, Hurricane Milton was a Category 1 storm, but within about 24 hours, it had escalated to a Category 5.
Only six other storms in history have intensified so dramatically, but that's exactly the kind of storm behavior scientists expect to see more of in a world overheated by climate change, like this one. They're already working on pinpointing the exact human fingerprints on the storm. But one reason for the extremely rapid intensification? The Gulf of Mexico is downright hot for this time of year.
storms feed off warmer than normal ocean water. It gives them more moisture, which means more rain, and more heat, which gives them energy. And climate change made the extremely hot Gulf temperatures as much as 800 times as likely. I'll
Alejandra Burunda, NPR News. The White House says President Biden has postponed his trip to Germany and Angola this week. This is to focus on the response to Hurricane Milton and the ongoing response to Hurricane Helene in the southeastern U.S. There's been a surge of misinformation about federal relief aid for Hurricane Helene.
NPR's Stephen Fowler says despite information to the contrary, relief efforts are in full swing. There are thousands of people on the ground helping with rescue efforts across several states, passing out food, water, supplies, signing people up for the fuller assistance.
Emergency response isn't a one-way street nor a top-down mandate from the feds. I mean, it involves a lot of communication and coordination and planning at every level. So while national Republicans are complaining, state and local Republicans affected are complimentary of the response and focused on the task at hand. NPR's Stephen Fowler reporting.
More than a dozen states are suing TikTok, alleging the company intentionally addicted young people to the video streaming app. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, the lawsuits are seeking product changes to TikTok that authorities say pose dangers to teens. States including New York, Louisiana and Vermont have filed consumer protection lawsuits against TikTok. The attorneys general argue that TikTok uses manipulative features that keep teens hooked on the app to maximize profits.
While pinpointing the role social media plays in teen mental health is complicated, the states argue TikTok is worsening body image issues for young people with features like its image-enhancing beauty filters. The state authorities say TikTok has downplayed how the app increases the risk of issues like eating disorders, depression, and anxiety.
TikTok, which is used by half of America, has said it has many features to safeguard children, including its Take a Break tool to curb internet addiction. Bobby Allen, NPR News. This is NPR.
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