Hurricane Milton heads toward Florida and is expected to arrive as soon as late Wednesday night. And details on the Afghan national now in federal custody for planning a massive attack for Election Day and how authorities caught him. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024.
Florida prepares for Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton, which has re-strengthened to a Category 5 storm, continues its trek toward Florida, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene battered parts of the state. It’s expected to make landfall late Wednesday night, Oct. 9, or early Thursday morning, Oct. 10.
Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.
Point phone camera here
Storm surge warnings are in effect for almost all of Florida’s west coast with the dangerous eyewall expected to come ashore somewhere near Tampa. As of early Wednesday morning, the storm was moving at 12 miles an hour with winds of up to 160 miles an hour.
Milton is expected to weaken before making landfall, but also double in size — meaning it will impact a bigger area while making its way from coast to coast in the Sunshine State.
Evacuation orders are already in effect for the areas expected to get the worst of it. Meanwhile, across the state those who aren’t evacuating are hunkering down, preparing to deal with impacts of the storm, including widespread power outages and drinking water shortages.
In Manatee County, a police chief told anybody who stays, “There will be no fire, there will be no EMA, there will be no police,” to rescue people.
Tropical storm force winds are expected to be felt across the entire state. The storm is predicted to potentially be one of the most destructive on record, unleashing record life-threatening storm surge as well, possibly 10-15 feet in Tampa, according to forecasters.
Heavy rain will also add to flooding concerns, with more than 15 inches forecast in parts of the state.
Disney World joins other theme parks closing ahead of Milton
Orlando is one of the areas expected to be inundated with the most rain by Hurricane Milton, prompting a rare move by Disney World. Disney is closing its parks and hotels early Wednesday afternoon and says they will likely stay closed through Thursday.
This will mark the 12th time in Disney World’s 53-year history the park will see a closure. Goldman Sachs estimates Disney will miss out on $150 million due to the closures.
Universal Orlando is also closing Wednesday and canceling its popular Halloween Horror Nights events Wednesday and Thursday. The Orlando Airport is ceasing operations also on Wednesday morning.
Legoland and SeaWorld are both closed Wednesday and Thursday, as well. Busch Gardens in Tampa has also joined the list of closures.
DOJ: Election Day terrorist plot foiled, Afghan national arrested
The Justice Department has announced the arrest of an Afghan national accused of conspiring to conduct a terrorist attack on Election Day in the United States on behalf of the Islamic state.
According to the criminal complaint, Nasir Tawhedi, 27, was living in Oklahoma while trying to obtain semiautomatic weapons and ammunition to carry out a violent attack in the. Authorities say Tawhedi entered the U.S. on a special immigrant visa in 2021.
The FBI uncovered the alleged plot, which saw Tawhedi taking steps to liquidate his family’s assets and resettle some of his family members back in Afghanistan. The DOJ also mentioned a co-conspirator in the plot, who is an Afghanistan citizen with legal permanent resident status — but also a juvenile.
During a post-arrest interview, the Justice Department says Tawhedi confirmed the planned attack would target large gatherings of people on Election Day.
He faces a slew of charges and decades behind prison if convicted.
Israel: 2 of Hezbollah leaders’ successors killed in strikes
Hezbollah militants targeted Israeli troops near the Lebanese border early Wednesday. The Iran-backed terror group said it has pushed the troops back as Israel’s ground incursion into Lebanon escalates.
Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said airstrikes in Lebanon had killed two successors to Hezbollah’s slain leader. The announcement came as Israeli forces expanded their ground incursion into southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s top official said the group supports efforts aimed at achieving a cease-fire in Lebanon, marking the first time Hezbollah has publicly endorsed a truce.
This comes as the Israeli defense minister canceled a trip to Washington, D.C. set for Wednesday. He was slated to meet with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon.
Pentagon officials did not say why the visit was canceled, but Israeli media reported Prime Minister Netanyahu wanted to speak to President Joe Biden first.
Talks break down between Boeing, union as strike nears 1 month
It appears the Boeing factory worker strike will go on for the foreseeable future. Talks broke down Tuesday between Boeing and the union that represents the 33,000 striking workers.
Members of the International Association of Machinists have been on strike since Sept. 13 as they seek higher wages and the restoration of a benefit pension.
No new talks have been scheduled, after two days of federally mediated negotiations turned up no resolutions.
In a statement the IAM said Boeing has not yet made an acceptable offer. Meanwhile, Boeing said the union is making demands far in excess of what can be accepted for the company to remain competitive, adding “further negotiations do not make sense at this point.”
Credit analysts estimate the strike is costing Boeing $1 billion a month. The aircraft maker has been dealing with a slew of bad publicity from 737 Max crashes to mechanical failures on passenger planes.
Alaska’s Fat Bear Week crowns its 2024 winner
The presidential election may still be weeks away, but we have the results of another heated race Straight Arrow News has been keeping a close eye on. Alaska has found its fattest bear.
This year marked the 10th anniversary of the Fat Bear Week contest there, and with voting ended Tuesday night. The large adult female bear known as 128 Grazer became the first bear to win the online tournament while caring for a cub.
The victory was personal for Grazer, who once again defeated her male rival, 32 Chunk, in the finals. Earlier this year, Chunk attacked one of Grazer’s cubs, killing it.
In the end, Grazer received about 40,000 more votes than Chunk to win.