Good morning, I’m Jayakumar Madala filling in for Sarah Naffa.
In the news today: How back-to-back hurricanes are reshaping the 2024 election; Israeli evacuation warnings terrify Lebanese civilians; and what to know about the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment. Also, performers bring Hindu gods to life in the Ramleela.
Coming soon from the AP: In our new Beyond the Story newsletter, Executive Editor Julie Pace is your guide inside the newsroom, with intel and answers to your questions. Sign up here.
|
A house sits toppled off its stilts after the passage of Hurricane Milton in Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island, Florida, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) |
Back-to-back hurricanes reshape the final stretch of the Presidential election campaign |
Hurricanes Helene and Milton have jumbled the schedules of Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump and raised basic questions about who would best respond to deadly natural disasters as president. The storms have also disrupted the mechanics of voting in several key counties. Read more.
|
|
|
-
Florida residents are continuing to repair the damage caused by Hurricane Milton and figure out what to do next as the storm smashed through coastal communities, flooded streets and spawned a barrage of deadly tornadoes.
Vice President Harris is trying to use this as an opportunity to project leadership, appearing alongside President Joe Biden at briefings and calling for bipartisan cooperation. Former President Trump is trying to use the moment to attack the administration’s competence and suggest it is withholding help from Republican areas, despite no evidence of such behavior.
|
|
|
Israeli evacuation warnings terrify and confuse Lebanese civilians |
As the war between Israel and Hezbollah intensifies, Lebanese civilians are increasingly paying the price – and this dangerous reality often becomes clear in the middle of the night: That’s when the Israeli military typically warns people to evacuate buildings or neighborhoods to avoid airstrikes. According to the U.N.'s human rights division, one quarter of Lebanese territory is now under Israeli military displacement orders. Read more.
|
|
|
Lebanon's health ministry says at least 22 people were killed and 117 wounded in Israeli airstrikes that hit two areas in central Beirut on Thursday. The air raid on central Beirut — the deadliest in over a year of war — apparently targeted two residential buildings in separate neighborhoods simultaneously, according to an AP photographer at the scene.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said in a statement that its headquarters and positions “have been repeatedly hit" by Israeli forces. Two UNIFIL troops wounded in the attacks and hospitalized are Indonesian, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said. The Israeli military acknowledged opening fire at a U.N. base and said it had ordered the peacekeepers to “remain in protected spaces.”
-
Even as attention has shifted to Lebanon, Israel has continued to strike at what it says are Palestinian militant targets across the Gaza Strip. In central Gaza, an Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced people killed at least 27 people, Palestinian medical officials said. The Israeli military said it targeted Palestinian militants, but people sheltering there said the strike hit a meeting of aid workers.
|
|
|
What to know about this year’s Social Security cost-of-living adjustment |
Millions of Social Security recipients will get a 2.5% cost-of-living increase to their monthly checks beginning in January, the Social Security Administration announced. The raise is intended to help beneficiaries meet higher prices for food, fuel, and other goods and services. An average recipient will see an increase of about $50 per month, according to agency officials. Read more.
|
|
|
About 72.5 million people, including retirees, disabled people and children, get Social Security benefits, funded by taxes from working people.
The smaller increase for 2025 is because inflation is slowing, which means prices aren’t increasing as fast as they were at the height of the COVID pandemic. Recipients got a historic 8.7% increase in 2023 because of record high inflation.
-
The announcement comes as the national social insurance plan faces a severe financial shortfall in the coming years. The presidential candidates, Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, have presented dueling plans to strengthen Social Security.
|
|
|
Characters of the demon king Ravana and Sita perform onstage during Ramleela in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) |
Performers in India bring Hindu gods to life in the Ramleela
Ahead of the Dussehra festival, which celebrates the defeat of mythological demon Ravana at the hands of Lord Rama, artists dressed in ornate crowns and costumes perform the Ramleela, a dramatic re-enactment of Lord Rama’s life as told in the religious epic Ramayana. It tells the story of Lord Rama’s exile with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana, Sita’s abduction by the demon king of Lanka, Ravana, and the grand battle to rescue her.
|
|
|
Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Jayakumar
|
| |
|
Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Jayakumar
|
| |
|
*Advertisers have no control over editorial decisions or content. If you're interested in advertising, contact us here. |
|
|
|
