Tuesday morning news: September 27, 2022

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Hurricane Ian » Hurricane Ian slammed western Cuba very early this morning bending palm trees and battering seaside homes with winds of more than 120 miles per hour.

Today, Ian is expected to grow stronger as it spins to north over warm Gulf waters taking aim at Florida.

WELLS: We are really begging you to evacuate once you have the order. Find a safe location for you and your family.

Rick Wells, heard there, sheriff of Manatee County, just south of Tampa.

The storm could hit anywhere from the panhandle down to Ft. Myers in southwest Florida.

It could strike as early as tomorrow afternoon, possibly as a Category 4 hurricane.

Russian referendums » The White House stated once more on Monday that staged referendums in Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine are illegitimate.

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre:

PIERRE: We will never recognize this territory as anything other than as part of Ukraine when it comes to the sham referendum, the sham votes that we’re seeing.

Almost every other UN member nation agrees.

The Russian government held rallies in Moscow and other cities celebrating the referendums before the conclusion of several days of balloting.

Russian exodus/protests » Meantime, long lines of cars on roads snaked to border crossings with Georgia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia and airports were packed again on Monday.

That as military-aged men flee the country to avoid being drafted to fight in Ukraine.

AUDIO: [Protest]

Elsewhere, anti-war protests continue.

Women in Dagestan confronted police officers with some shouting "Russia invaded Ukraine" and “We aren't blind” before chanting “No to war!”

AUDIO: [Protest]

Authorities there arrested more than 100 peaceful protesters.

And in Siberia, a man shot an enlistment officer, gravely wounding him.

AUDIO: [Gunshot]

The gunman yelled, "No-one's going to fight," and "we're all going home now."

Snowden granted Russian citizenship » Edward Snowden is now a Russian citizen. Vladimir Putin signed a decree Monday naturalizing former US intelligence contractor.

Snowden fled to Russia in 2013, to avoid prosecution after he leaked information about highly classified U.S. surveillance programs.

His supporters consider him a whistleblower, protecting civil liberties. But intelligence officials say he jeopardized American personnel and national security.

State Dept. spokesman Ned Price said the US government’s position hasn’t changed and that Snowden should return to face charges.

PRICE: Perhaps the only thing that has changed is that as a result of his Russian citizenship, apparently now he may well be conscripted to fight in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Despite speaking out against the U.S. government, Snowden has been mostly silent throughout Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

School shooting in Russia » A gunman opened fire in a school in central Russia on Monday, killing more than a dozen people, many of them children. WORLD’s Mary Muncy has more.

MARY MUNCY, REPORTER: Authorities said a 34-year-old attacker walked into a school he once attended in the town of Izhevsk and began shooting.

The gunman killed at least 15 people, including 11 children. He also wounded 24 others before turning the gun on himself.

The school is 600 miles east of Moscow and educates children between grades one and 11.

The attacker was wearing a black t-shirt reportedly bearing “Nazi symbols.” No details about his motives have been released.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Mary Muncy.

Europe's outlook "darkening” » Europe could be facing a very rough winter. That’s the word from Christine Lagarde, who heads the European Central Bank. She said global inflation and the war in Ukraine are weighing on the eurozone's economy.

LAGARDE: The economic consequences for the euro area continue to unfold since we last met in June, and the outlook is darkening.

Europe has relied heavily on Russian energy and prices have risen to record highs in recent months.

Now, it is heading into winter in the throes of an energy crisis.

Statues and historic buildings are going dark. Bakers who can't afford to heat their ovens are talking about giving up, while fruit and vegetable growers face letting greenhouses stand idle.

Italy election » Italy has elected its first female prime minister and its most conservative government in generations. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: Giorgia Meloni will be Italy’s next premier, marking a major shift in Italian politics.

The election follows a similar tilt to the right in Sweden and recent conservative gains in France and Spain.

Near-final results Monday showed the center-right coalition netting 44% of the parliamentary vote, with Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party garnering 26%.

Meloni sounded a unifying tone in a victory speech on Monday. She said, “If we are called to govern this nation, we will do it for everyone.”

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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