Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Hurricane Helene’s aftermath: “At least 204 people are known to have died as a result of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene since it made landfall in Florida a week ago. More than half of the deaths were in North Carolina, where entire communities were destroyed by several feet of fast-moving water. Hundreds are still missing, and officials have reported difficulties in identifying some of the dead.”
* In the Middle East: “Israel struck central Beirut overnight and expanded its evacuation orders north of a U.N. buffer zone. At least nine people were killed in Israel’s deepest attack into the Lebanese capital yet. Two Lebanese army soldiers were killed today, as the country entered the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, firing for the first time at Israeli soldiers.”
* The ongoing port strike: “As the East and Gulf Coast port strike enters its third day with no sign of talks restarting, some consumers are starting to worry about potential shortages of groceries and other basics. But so far, experts say only a fraction of perishable goods are likely to see an impact in the short term. These include fresh fruit, especially bananas, and some alcoholic beverages and seafood, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, which represents the agricultural industry.”
* Student loan debt relief: “President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program can proceed after a judge Wednesday let a temporary restraining order on the plan expire. It’s a minor victory for the Biden administration just weeks ahead of the presidential election. The lawsuit was brought in September by seven GOP-led states — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, North Dakota and Ohio — against Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.”
* Trump remains focused on Springfield: “Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump threatened to revoke the legal status of Haitian migrants in the U.S. and deport them, once again falsely suggesting that they are endangering the majority-white city of Springfield, Ohio.” * A broken process: “The diplomat slated to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Libya has withdrawn her name from the process as the Senate has been slow-walking the nomination process. Jennifer Gavito was nominated by President Joe Biden in January, but Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have stalled discussing the appointments of Gavito and 25 other career diplomats.” * How unsubtle: “House Foreign Affairs Committee member Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) slammed billionaire businessman George Soros as ‘a money changer of the worst kind’ in criticism of a deal that will see over 200 radio stations owned by bankrupt radio broadcaster Audacy transferred to a nonprofit owned by the investor.” See you tomorrow.
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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