Helene’s toll: The confirmed death toll from the storm Helene rose to 116 this morning as the massive cleanup effort continued along the storm’s more than 500-mile path of destruction. Hundreds of roads remain closed due to flooding, mud slides and fallen trees. An estimated 2 million customers were without power this morning from Florida to Virginia. Thousands of people were reported missing, but it’s not known whether they are storm victims or it’s just because they are unable to communicate because phone service was interrupted by the storm.
Storm response: Vice President Harris canceled planned campaign appearances to fly from Las Vegas this morning back to Washington to go to FEMA Headquarters. She was to be briefed on the ongoing impacts of Hurricane Helene and the Federal actions being taken to support emergency response and recovery. Harris made clear that the Administration will stand with the impacted communities throughout their recovery. The Vice President intends to visit impacted communities as soon as it is possible to do so without disrupting emergency response operations. President Biden also is planning a trip to the storm area.
Trump’s speeches: In speeches over the weekend, without providing a factual basis for making his claim, Donald Trump accused Vice President Harris of being born mentally disabled. Trump did not explain why he nonetheless contributed to her 2014 campaign for U.S. Senate. Trump also said the U.S. cities of Philadelphia, Detroit and Atlanta, which have large non-white populations and welcome immigrants, are horrible. Trump also called on police to get violent with people.
Middle East fighting: A spokesperson for the terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon says that the group will be selecting a new leader following Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. They pledged to continue fighting Israel. Three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine were reported killed in an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon’s capital city Beirut today. The Gaza Ministry of health said today that 41,615 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting that began with the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.
DIRECTTV: The asset management firm TPG has announced it will acquire from AT&T the remaining 70% of the television content distributor DIRECTTV that it doesn’t already own. The transaction is expected to close next year. TPG says it will pay AT&T $2 billion next year and $500 million in 2029. TPG said that AT&T expects to receive approximately $7.6 billion in cash payments from DIRECTV through 2029.
Kris Kristofferson: Actor and singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson has died at his home in Hawaii at age 88. Among his notable movie appearances were in “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” and with Barbra Streisand in the 1977 remake of “A Star is Born.” Kristofferson won a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of a rock star in “A Star is Born.”
