HURRICANE MILTON IS HAMMERING FLORIDA AND MOVING EAST, AFTER MAKING LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY 3 STORM IN SIESTA KEY NEAR SARASOTA WEDNESDAY NIGHT. 

THE STORM HAS SINCE WEAKENED TO A CATEGORY 1 — BUT IT HAS KNOCKED OUT POWER TO MORE THAN 3 MILLION HOMES AND CAUSED WIDESPREAD FLOODING. 

MILTON DROPPED ABOUT 16 INCHES OF RAIN ON ST. PETERSBURG — THATS A 1-IN-1000 YEAR RAINFALL FOR THE AREA. 

AND “MULTIPLE FATALITIES” HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN ST. LUCIE COUNTY FROM A TORNADO OUTBREAK AHEAD OF MILTON. 

AT LEAST 27 TORNADOES WERE REPORTED. 

IN TAMPA, THERE IS FLASH FLOODING ALL OVER THE CITY EMERGENCY SERVICES ARE SUSPENDED. 

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS REPORTING SOME RESIDENTS IN PINELLAS COUNTY HAD TO BE RESCUED FROM FLOOD WATERS AS HIGH AS THEIR WAISTS AFTER HURRICANE MILTON PASSED THROUGH. 

AND IN WHAT ONE STORM CHASER CALLED A “SURREAL” MOMENT… MILTON’S WICKED WINDS TORE THE ROOF OFF TROPICANA FIELD IN ST. PETERSBURG. 

THAT’S THE HOME FIELD OF THE TAMPA RAY RAYS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM. 

THE STADIUM WAS **NOT** BEING USED AS A SHELTER — BUT ACCORDING TO THE TAMPA BAY TIMES, IT WAS BEING USED AS “A STAGING SITE FOR WORKERS” WHO ARRIVED IN THE AREA TO DEAL WITH THE STORM’S AFTERMATH. 

A CRANE THAT WAS ON TOP OF A HIGH RISE,  THERE,  CAME CRASHING DOWN. 

SO FAR, NO INJURIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN CONNECTION WITH EITHER INCIDENT. 

RECOVERY EFFORTS ARE STARTING TO GET UNDERWAY IN FLORIDA COUNTIES WHERE MILTON HAS ALREADY COME AND GONE — BUT THE STATE IS STILL SEEING HEAVY RAINS AND WHIPPING WINDS, IN PLACES,  SUCH AS,  HEAVILY POPULATED ORLANDO.

THE SUNSHINE STATE HAS ITS WORK CUT OUT FOR IT WHEN IT COMES TO RECOVERY — WITH TWO STORMS TO CLEAN UP AFTER. 

MANY COMMUNITIES WERE STILL REELING FROM HURRICANE HELENE, ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO. THEY ARE NOW FORCED TO START THE PROCESS OVER AGAIN, WHILE OTHERS TAKE IT ON FOR THE FIRST TIME. 

AS QUESTIONS INCREASE ABOUT WHETHER FEMA HAS ENOUGH STAFF AND FUNDING TO RESPOND TO THE STORM, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN HAS PROMISED THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL STEP IN AS NEEDED. 

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN 

“To the people of Florida and all the impacted states: we’ve got your back.” 

“We’ve already approved emergency declarations for Florida. We have thousands of personnel on the ground. We have staged and have ready to go — we have 20 million meals, 40 million liters of water. At my direction, the Secretary of Defense, Austin, has pre-positioned search and rescue teams, helicopters as close to the storm as possible, so they’re ready to conduct lifesaving missions.” 

FEMA ADMINISTRATOR DEANNA CRISWELL HAS ALSO SAID THE AGENCY **IS** PREPARED TO SUPPORT **EVERY** STATE AFFECTED BY THE MASSIVE BACK-TO-BACK STORMS.

TURNING TO THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN – AS ELECTION DAY IS JUST NOW 26 DAYS AWAY. BOTH CAMPAIGNS TURNED THEIR ATTENTION TO PIVOTAL SWING STATES WEDNESDAY. 

FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HOLDING TWO RALLIES IN PENNSYLVANIA – INCLUDING IN SCRANTON, THE HOMETOWN OF PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN. 

LATER IN A SPEECH IN READING,  HE URGED HIS SUPPORTERS TO turn out. 

FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP 

“And all I want is one thing, because we’re going to do this. You have to go out and vote. That’s all I want. You don’t even have to give us any money. That’s a pretty good deal, right? Just vote. Vote for all of us. You’re not voting for me. You’re voting for all of us. We’re going to save our country. It’s being run by incompetent people that have no idea what the hell they’re doing.” 

AND IT WAS THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES MAKING STOPS IN ARIZONA – WHERE EARLY VOTING IS UNDERWAY. 

DONALD TRUMP’S RUNNING MATE, OHIO SENATOR JD VANCE,  ALSO ENCOURAGED PEOPLE TO GET OUT,  TO VOTE,  EARLY. 

MEANWHILE THE DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE,  MINNESOTA GOVERNOR TIM WALZ, DELIVERED A SPEECH AT AN EVENT FOR MILITARY AND VETERANS FAMILIES ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS ELECTION. 

GOV. TIM WALZ | D-MN, VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE 

“So the issue isn’t people say we’re making everything political. Look, it’s not about politics. It’s about basic human decency. It’s about leadership and character. It’s about delivering for those folks rather than spending all your time trying to tear people down and divide us. We need President Harris to be there to make sure you’re uniting us, to find solutions together, to work across the aisle.” 

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS IS SCHEDULED TO VISIT ARIZONA TODAY AND FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL HOLD A RALLY THERE ON  SUNDAY.

NOW TO THE LATEST IN THE MIDDLE EAST — 

THE ISRAELI SECURITY CABINET IS SET TO VOTE **TODAY** ON ITS RESPONSE TO IRAN’S BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK — ACCORDING TO C-N-N. 

PRESIDENT BIDEN SPOKE WITH ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU LAST NIGHT — THEIR FIRST CALL IN WEEKS — BUT THE WHITE HOUSE DID **NOT** GIVE ANY DETAILS ON ISRAEL’S PLANNED RESPONSE TO IRAN. 

EARLIER IN THE DAY — ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER YOAV GALLANT SAID THE RESPONSE WOULD BE QUOTE “LETHAL, PRECISE AND SURPRISING.” 

NETANYAHU HAS PROMISED IRAN WILL PAY FOR THE MISSILE ATTACK, WHILE TEHRAN HAS SAID ANY RETALIATION WOULD BE MET WITH DESTRUCTION. 

THIS ALL COMES AS ISRAEL LAUNCHED NEW STRIKES AGAINST THE IRAN-BACKED MILITANT GROUP HEZBOLLAH IN LEBANON WEDNESDAY NIGHT. 

THE U-S HAS SAID IT SUPPORTS ISRAEL GOING AFTER IRAN-BACKED TARGETS LIKE HEZBOLLAH AND HAMAS.  THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS TRIED — UNSUCCESSFULLY — TO STOP THE CONFLICT FROM ESCALATING AND HAS CALLED ON ISRAEL NOT TO HIT IRANIAN NUCLEAR SITES. 

MEANWHILE, FEARS THE U-S WILL GET PULLED INTO A WIDER WAR IN THE REGION CONTINUE TO GROW.

EARLIER ON UNBIASED UPDATES – WE SPOKE ABOUT A SEVERE STORM IN THE FORM OF A HURRICANE. NOW WE TURN TO ANOTHER TYPE OF SEVERE STORM – A SOLAR ONE. 

THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION HAS ISSUED A SEVERE GEO-MAGNETIC STORM WATCH FOR THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. 

THIS  SOLAR STORM IS CURRENTLY A LEVEL FOUR ON A SCALE FROM ONE TO FIVE – WITH A POTENTIAL OF REACHING FIVE. 

THE ALERT WEDNESDAY CAME AFTER AN OUTBURST FROM THE SUN WAS DETECTED EARLIER IN THE WEEK. 

NOAA SAYS THE STORM COULD TEMPORARILY DISRUPT POWER AND RADIO SIGNALS. 

THE AGENCY HAS NOTIFIED FEMA,  AS WELL AS OPERATORS OF THE AMERICAN POWER GRID, POWER PLANTS, AND SATELLITES TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS AS PARTS OF THE NATION CONTINUE TO DEAL WITH DEVASTATING WEATHER. 

THE SOLAR STORM COULD ALSO PRODUCE COLORFUL AURORAS TONIGHT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, – WITH THE NORTHERN LIGHTS REACHING AS FAR SOUTH AS ALABAMA.

FINALLY THIS MORNING — MCDONALD’S IS BRINGING A BIG TWIST TO ITS SIGNATURE BIG MAC SANDWICH – SWITCHING OUT THE BEEF  FOR CHICKEN. 

STARTING TODAY THE FAST FOOD CHAIN IS RELEASING ITS CHICKEN BIG MAC NATIONWIDE- GIVING ITS FLAGSHIP MENU ITEM A POULTRY VERSION FOR ALL U.S. CUSTOMERS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE BIG MAC’S DEBUT IN THE LATE 1960S. 

THE CHICKEN BIG MAC IS FOLLOWING A TREND IN THE INDUSTRY – THAT PUTS MORE EMPHASIS ON CHICKEN OPTIONS. 

ACCORDING TO THE USDA – CHICKEN CONSUMPTION HAS BEEN ON THE RISE IN THE COUNTRY OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DECADES, WHILE BEEF CONSUMPTION HAS DECREASED. 

MCDONALD’S ITSELF CONFIRMS IT SELLS MORE CHICKEN PRODUCTS THAN BEEF. 

BUT FOR ALL YOU TRADITIONAL BIG MAC FANS OUT THERE — DON’T WORRY – MCDONALD’S SAYS THE ORIGINAL TWO-ALL-BEEF PATTY OPTION IS NOT GOING AWAY AND THE CHICKEN VERSION IS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME.