Friday morning news: October 11, 2024

Milton update » The death toll from Hurricane Milton continues to rise.

Authorities said Thursday at least 10 people died as a result of the powerful Category 3 storm that cut a path across the Florida peninsula.

Homeland Security Secretary Alajandro Mayorkas:

MAYORKAS: It is our job to make sure that that number doesn't climb through valiant search and rescue efforts. But we are dealing in the immediate aftermath of a terrible hurricane and many, many tornadoes ancillary to it.

Officials believe most of the fatalities occurred from multiple tornadoes that spun up in advance of Milton's landfall.

Mayorkas said the government will help residents recover from both Milton, and its immediate predecessor, Hurricane Helene. But he also called on Congress to allocate additional funds to FEMA.

And as Floridians continue to pick up the pieces from Milton's path of destruction...Governor Ron DeSantis had a word of warning for any would-be looters:

DESANTIS: There may be opportunities that some people think they can take advantage of. I'm warning you, don't do that. If you loot, you will be held accountable. If you're doing things that violate the law, you're gonna try to take advantage of vulnerable people, we're gonna throw the book at you.

Hurricane Milton brought 18 inches of rain in some places and a storm surge of up to a dozen feet. As of Thursday night, nearly 3 million residents were still without power.

Israel update » Relatives and supporters of the more than 100 hostages still held by the terror group Hamas demonstrated in Tel Aviv yesterday, calling for their release.

One of the demonstrators told the Associated Press:

PROTESTER: Our government has failed us. We call upon the world to join forces and bring our people home and bring them back. This is a humanitarian, a global humanitarian issue.

Roughly a third of those remaining hostages are believed to be dead.

Meanwhile:

SOUND: [Strike scene in Beirut]

Chaos in Beirut last night after authorities say Israeli airstrikes hit the Lebanese capital in two locations. Lebanon's health ministry said there were multiple casualties.

But the Israeli military maintains its offensives are targeted...and necessary to eliminate infrastructure put in place by the terror group Hezbollah.

Yesterday, the IDF released a video showing spokesman Daniel Hagari touring a home in a southern village in Lebanon.

HAGARI: This is a terror base. This is a Lebanese village, a Shia village built by Hezbollah. Every house has gear ready for the raid against Israel, Conquer the Galilee plan. We are now going house to house, raiding each and every house, taking all this gear.

He says they found grenades, sniper rifles, mines and other weaponry.

Taiwan v. China » In Asia:

SOUND: [Taiwan celebrations]

Taiwan celebrated its National Day yesterday...amid ongoing threats by China. The holiday is meant to mark Taiwan's founding as a republic that broke away from the Qing Dynasty in 1911.

LAI: [Speaking in Mandarin]

Speaking at the celebration yesterday, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-Te tells a crowd that his mission is to unite the 23 million citizens of Taiwan. He also pledged to defend Taiwan's sovereignty.

That brought a sharp rebuke from Taiwan's neighbor, China.

NING: [Speaking in Mandarin]

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning calling Lai's comments obstinate and sinister.

China has long claimed Taiwan as its own territory and refuses to recognize its claims of independence.

Zelenskyy in Europe » Two weeks ago Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Washington D.C. pitching his plan for victory on Capitol Hill. He walked away with an additional 8 billion dollar aid package.

This week he’s city-hopping across Europe.

ZELENSKYY: So now we work with France…and some other allies…I hope that we will, we can count in the nearest future soon, we can count on our strong allies…

Zelenskyy was in France Thursday for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. After the meeting, he insisted that he wasn’t there to discuss a “cease fire” but continued to lobby for more support and permission to use Western munitions to strike into Russia.

ZELENSKYY: So we are searching some funds, some money for this for interior production and some permission from our partners.

After meeting with Macron, Zelenskyy flew to Rome where he met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis. Today he is visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.

Ethel Kennedy obit » Ethel Kennedy, the widow of the late former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, has died.

Her family said the 96-year-old passed away Thursday morning due to complications from a stroke she suffered last week.

In 2014, President Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Audio courtesy WCVB-TV in Boston.

OBAMA: To most Americans, Ethel Kennedy is known as a wife, mother, and grandma. And in many ways, it's through these roles that she's made her mark on history. As Bobby Kennedy's partner in life, she shared his commitment to justice.

Ethel Kennedy carried on the legacy of her husband after his 19-68 assassination.

She leaves behind nine children, more than 30 grandchildren and two-dozen great grandchildren.

SOUND: [Hospital cheers]

Conjoined twins » Cheers and smiles earlier this week at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The reason?

Twin brothers who were born conjoined are going home to their own beds.

Amari and Javar Ruffin were born via C-section in September of last year. The conjoined twins shared part of their sternum, diaphragm, abdominal wall and liver.

Together, they weighed a combined six pounds.

But in August, a team at the children's hospital were able to separate the boys after an eight hour surgery. Their abdomens were closed and rebuilt using layers of mesh and plastic surgery techniques.

The parents say they learned of the boys' condition early on in the pregnancy and were advised to abort the children. But they instead chose life. Now they say they're glad to have the boys home in their family of six.

I'm Kristen Flavin.

Straight ahead: Culture Friday with John Stonestreet. Plus, what’s new in theaters this weekend.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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