Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Hurricane Helene’s aftermath: “At least 223 people have died and hundreds are unaccounted for in the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene since it made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26. More than a week later, some residents and communities remain isolated, hundreds of thousands are without power, and spotty service has made communication difficult.”
* An unsettling concern: “President Joe Biden said Friday he was confident that the November election would be ‘free and fair’ but expressed concerns that it may not be ‘peaceful.’”
* Wall Street: “Stocks advanced on Friday after an expectation-defying jobs report gave investors confidence around the health of the economy. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% to 5,751.07, while the Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.22% to 18,137.85. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 341.16 points, or 0.81%, to notch an all-time closing high of 42,352.75.”
* Another Trump-appointed judge: “A federal judge in Missouri put a temporary hold on President Joe Biden’s latest student loan cancellation plan on Thursday, slamming the door on hope it would move forward after another judge allowed a pause to expire. Just as it briefly appeared the Biden administration would have a window to push its plan forward, U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp in Missouri granted an injunction blocking any widespread cancellation.”
* The latest on the dockworkers strike: “Thousands of dockworkers on the East Coast and Gulf Coast will return to work after reaching a tentative agreement on wages, ending one of the biggest work stoppages in decades. In a joint statement, the United States Maritime Alliance, or USMX, and the International Longshoreman’s Association said the two sides have an agreement to extend their current labor contract through Jan. 15 and continue to negotiate.” * Remember Michele Fiore? “A Nevada Republican politician who ran unsuccessfully two years ago for state treasurer was found guilty Thursday of using funds raised for a statue honoring a slain police officer for personal costs, including plastic surgery. A jury convicted Michele Fiore, a former Las Vegas city councilwoman and state lawmaker, of six counts of federal wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, KLAS-TV in Las Vegas reported. The weeklong trial in U.S. District Court in Nevada began last week. Each count carries a possible penalty of 20 years in prison.” * The Tyre Nichols case: “A federal jury in Tennessee on Thursday convicted three former Memphis police officers of witness tampering stemming from the beating death of Black motorist Tyre Nichols, but cleared them of the most serious charges that could have resulted in life in prison. The officers still face a potential murder trial in Tennessee state court.” Have a safe weekend.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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