Wednesday morning news: October 16, 2024

North Carolina, recovery, threats » Officials in North Carolina are still trying to determine the fate of almost a hundred people … after catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene. Gov. Roy Cooper:

COOPER: As of today, the task force number of accounted for people is 92.

More than 70 people are confirmed dead in the state from Helene … which is blamed for well over 200 deaths across six states.

Cooper also asserted that some people are spreading lies about a lack of rescue and response for storm victims in the Asheville area.

COOPER: This is happening in the middle of an election where candidates are using people's misery to sew chaos.

Cooper said he’s assigning law enforcement to guard federal and state responders … saying their safety has been threatened, but he wouldn't elaborate on what those threats were.

Florida Milton aftermath » Meantime, parts of Florida are still slowly returning to normal with power coming back online after Hurricane Milton knocked out service to millions last week.

Gov. Ron DeSantis praised the response of line crews for restoring power to more than 4-million homes and businesses.

DESANTIS: That is the fastest that's ever been done for that many accounts. We had over 50, 000 linemen. These folks really got to work.

DeSantis also said the state is enforcing its zero-tolerance policy for crimes related to a major storm … including filing animal cruelty charges. He pointed to one case in which authorities rescued a dog left chained to a fence as the storm closed in.

DESANTIS:  This poor dog was left out there. Uh, we said that there would be justice for that. And we're going to nail you, uh, when we find out who did it. And that's exactly what they're doing here in Hillsborough County.

Prosecutors are also bringing charges for crimes including break-ins in evacuation areas … and dumping of debris on private property.

Israel » Israel is thanking the United States for its delivery of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, commonly known simply as a THAAD battery.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer:

MENCER: The THAAD missile defense system is a useful addition to seek to protect this country. And of course, it does show in, not just in words but in deeds as well, the U.S. willing to defend this country, As the U.S. itself says, its ironclad commitment to Israel's defense.

The THAAD system uses a combination of radar and interceptors to take out ballistic missiles.

The delivery comes two weeks after Iran fired a barrage of nearly 200 missiles at Israel. Most were intercepted with minimal casualties...but Israel has vowed to retaliate.

GALLANT: [Speaking Hebrew]

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant promises Israel's response will be precise, painful, and unexpected.

Presidential politics » We are now less than three weeks away from Election Day with early voting already underway in some places.

That includes the critical battleground state of Georgia where Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says officials have been working to reassure voters.

RAFFENSPERGER: Everything that we have done since 2019 has been to improve the process, to build trust, and to build your confidence in the election cycle.

In an average of recent Georgia polls, former President Donald Trump enjoys a narrow lead of less than 1 point in the state over Vice President Kamala Harris.

Youngkin vs DOJ » The Republican governor of Virginia is clashing with the Biden administration over voter registration.

Late last week, the Department of Justice sued to block a state program that purges voters who are unable to prove their U.S. citizenship.

The DOJ says the program violates federal laws prohibiting systemic efforts to remove voters within 90 days of an election.

But Gov. Glenn Youngkin says state law signed in 2006 requires the purge, adding that the Justice Department is suing Virginia …

YOUNGKIN: Because someone who self-identified as a non-citizen is being removed from the voter roll unless they prove they are a citizen and affirm so. It is just the next step in a pattern that truly undermines peoples' confidence in the election process.

But the DOJ maintains that the process of purging the voter roll should have been completed earlier.

North Korea blasts roads into SoKo » North Korean forces today blew up portions of two roads that connect the country with South Korea amid growing tensions on the peninsula. WORLD’s Mary Muncy has more.

MARY MUNCY: The move comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to end relations with the South and abandon any efforts to reunify the peninsula peacefully.

The roads have not been in use for years. Destroying them is symbolic.

BYOUNGSAM: The government strongly condemns today's explosion of Gyeongui and Donghae inter-Korean roads by North Korea.

A representative of the South Korean Unification Ministry condemned the explosions, calling it more provocative behavior by the North.

Officials in Pyongyang last week threatened to sever all road and rail connections with the South.

North Korea claims that Seoul flew drones over its capital and dropped anti-North leaflets.

For WORLD, I’m Mary Muncy.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: abortion’s empty promises and congressional fundraising on today’s Washington Wednesday. Plus, a family who believes a large family is the solution to a lot of society’s problems.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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