Friday morning news: September 30, 2022

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Ian » Hurricane Ian could be the deadliest storm in Florida’s history. That according to President Biden on Thursday.

BIDEN: The numbers are still unclear, but we’re hearing reports of what may be substantial loss of life.

Rescue crews steered boats through flooded streets Thursday in a scramble to save people trapped after the storm.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis:

DESANTIS: There were 911 calls from people saying ‘hey, the water is rising in my home. I’m going to go up in the attic, but I’m really worried.’

DeSantis said his state has never seen a flood event like this.

Ian struck the Florida coast Wednesday around Ft. Myers, very nearly as a Category 5 hurricane, one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the United States.

It knocked out power to millions and caused untold billions of dollars in damage.

Hurricane Ian is now spinning over the Atlantic on a collision course with South Carolina.

Governor Henry McMaster:

MCMASTER: We’re prepared, but people, be careful. Be careful, be smart. Don’t be a statistic.

It could slam the coast later today with wind speeds of up to 80 miles per hour.

But Jamie Rhome with the National Hurricane Center says flooding may pose a greater risk and that risk extends well inland.

RHOME: Charleston, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, potentially all the way to Roanoke, VA - a risk of heavy rain.

Much of the southeastern seaboard is under a storm surge warning.

Russia annexation » Russia is expected to annex more of Ukraine today in an escalation of the seven-month war.

The Kremlin has planned celebratory concerts and rallies in Moscow and the occupied territories. That just days after it claimed Ukrainians voted in referendums join Russia.

President Biden declared again on Thursday…

BIDEN: This so-called referenda was a sham, an absolute sham. The results were manufactured in Moscow.

Moscow says the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions will be folded into Russia.

The move is expected to further isolate the Kremlin and draw more international punishment.

ZELENSKYY: [Ukrainian]

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Russians to resist Moscow’s military mobilization.

ZELENSKYY: [Ukrainian]

He told would-be draftees, "If you want to live, run. If you want to live, surrender. If you want to live, fight on your streets for your freedom."

Russia draft offices » Meantime, in Russia, thousands of men continue to wait in long queues at border crossings in vehicles and on foot as they try to flee military conscription. And the Kremlin is now moving to stop them. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: Military officials are now handing draft notices to men as they wait in line at border checkpoints. Officials say they plan to hand call-up notices to all eligible men trying to leave the country.

The military is opening new enlistment centers on the Kazakhstan border.

And earlier this week, makeshift draft offices popped up near border crossings into Georgia and Finland.

More than 200,000 citizens have fled Russia since Vladimir Putin last week announced the military mobilization.

The Kremlin has said it plans to call-up some 300,000 people, but Russian media reported that the number could be as high as 1.2 million.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Senate averts shutdown » The Senate passed a short-term spending bill on Thursday that would avert a partial government shutdown when the fiscal year expires at midnight.

AUDIO: On this vote, the yeas are 72, the nays are 25. The 60 vote threshold having been achieved, the bill as amended is passed.

Neither party had an appetite for a shutdown right before midterm elections.

The continuing resolution pays the government’s bills through Dec. 16th. It keeps spending at current levels. But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says there are some exceptions, most importantly:

MCCONNELL: Assisting Ukraine is not some feel-good symbolic gesture. It is literally an investment in our own national security and that of our allies.

The bill provides another $12 billion in aid to Ukraine.

GOP states sue over Biden student loan plan » Several Republican-led states are suing the Biden administration to halt its student loan debt forgiveness plan. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: Six states say the administration is overstepping its executive powers with its plan to erase private debts with taxpayer dollars.

President Biden said his proposal would cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for many borrowers.

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge is leading the suit. She said it’s unfair to saddle working-class “Americans with the debt of those who chose to go to college.”

She added that the Department of Education is legally required “to collect the balance due on loans … and President Biden does not have the authority to override that.”

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

I’m Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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