Monday morning news: October 14, 2024

Milton aftermath, Biden in Florida » Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is boosting relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Milton by setting up fuel depots in Bradenton, Plant City, and Saint Petersburg. Florida Congressman Greg Steube says he fully supports the plan.

STEUBE:  It's really hard to run a chainsaw and do cleanup when you don't have fuel for that. Um, you've got a lot of gas stations that either don't have fuel or the ones that have fuel. You have huge long lines wrapped for miles to try to get in. So, I'm glad to see the state trying to bring some tanker trucks down to at least be able to get some fuel.

DeSantis also issued executive orders to loosen restrictions, allowing voters in hard-hit areas to cast their ballots for the upcoming presidential election.

President Biden, meantime, got a firsthand look Sunday at Hurricane Milton’s destruction. He arrived in Tampa Sunday and flew by helicopter to St. Pete Beach … where he met with first responders.

BIDEN:  This is all a team effort, folks. We made a big difference and it saved lives, but there's much more to do. We're going to do everything we can to get power back in your home, not only helping you recover, but to help you build back stronger.

He also announced more than $600 billion dollars in new projects to support communities impacted by Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

Helene recovery » And that road to recovery from Hurricane Helene will be a very long one in parts of North Carolina, including the city of Asheville where Katie Cornell, executive director, Arts AVL.

CORNELL:  The loss is devastating. An estimated 80 percent of the district is destroyed. For perspective, the River Arts District included 26 warehouses and was home to 300 artists.

As of Sunday, Asheville’s Water Resources Dept said up to 100,000 residents remain without running water.

And tens of thousands remain without power throughout the North Carolina mountains. 

Israel » Israel’s military has released footage of an Israeli officer giving reporters a tour of tunnels dug by the Hezbollah terror group in southern Lebanon to transport weapons.

OFFICER: Like anti-tank missiles, rifles, and military equipment to attack Israel and to cross the border.

The officer noted the entrance of one tunnel located the length of just two football fields from a United Nations base.

And as Israeli forces continue to target Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging the UN to evacuate peacekeeping forces from combat areas.

NETANYAHU: Mr. Secretary General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm's way. It should be done right now, immediately.

Meantime, the Pentagon says the United States will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to Israel along with troops needed to operate it.

That comes as Iran has warned Washington to keep its military forces out of Israel with Israeli leaders readying an unspecified military response to Iran’s recent missile attack against Israel.

Presidential politics » Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the turmoil in the Middle East with just a few weeks left until Election Day. He said before he left office …

TRUMP: Iran was doing zero, almost zero business. And they were broke and ready to make a deal. Now they have 300 billion.

He accused the Biden-Harris administration of empowering Iran to carry out terrorist attacks, both directly and indirectly, against Israel and other targets.

Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, preached politics from the pulpit at a North Carolina church on Sunday. She blasted Trump and others over their criticism the administration’s handling of hurricane relief efforts.

HARRIS:  Frankly, the motives are quite transparent to gain some advantage for themselves to play politics with other people's heartbreak.

VP nominees on the issues » Meantime, the candidate’s running mates sparred on the Sunday talk show circuit, each campaign accusing the other of making false claims on major hot button issues. Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz …

WALZ:  No one's coming for your guns. I continue to buy them. The vice president is a gun owner. So many of your viewers are, but they also are concerned that we don't need to see our children shot in schools.

Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance says the former president is not pushing for new federal abortion rules.

VANCE:  President Trump recognizes that California is a different state from Alabama, which is a different state from Pennsylvania. We want the voters in these states to make these decisions. We're sick of the nationalized culture war over this topic, and I think the best way is to return it to the voters in the states.

Momentum in the race seems to have swung back in Donald Trump’s direction. He now has at least a small lead over Harris in almost every major swing state in the country except for Wisconsin with the last three polls there showing the race dead even.

SpaceX booster catch » SpaceX has pulled off the boldest test flight yet of its enormous Starship rocket. The company caught the returning booster back at the Texas launch pad with mechanical arms Sunday, shortly after liftoff. The reaction of one SpaceX announcer heard here …

SPACEX ANNCR: It is absolutely insane! On the first ever attempt, we have successfully caught the Super Heavy Beaster back at the launch shelter! What an incredible! Are you kidding me?

Towering almost 400 feet, the empty Starship blasted off from the southern tip of Texas. It arced over the Gulf of Mexico like the four Starships before it that ended up being destroyed. This latest demo successfully brought the first-stage booster back to land seven minutes after liftoff.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: the Supreme Court considers how to classify guns made from kits. Plus, the health of U.S. financial markets with David Bahnsen on the Monday Moneybeat.

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