Wednesday morning news: September 5, 2018

Gordon hits Gulf Coast » AUDIO: [Sound of Tropical Storm Gordon]

Tropical Storm Gordon was very nearly Hurricane Gordon when it rumbled ashore along the Central Gulf Coast last night.

AUDIO: [Sound of Tropical Storm Gordon]

The storm packed maximum sustained winds of about 70 miles per hour. That’s just below the threshold for a category-1 hurricane.

But Gordon still proved deadly. The wind knocked a tree over onto a home in Pensacola, Florida, killing a young child inside.   

There were no other reports last night of deaths or injuries, but tornado and flash flood watches remained in effect into the morning hours today, from Louisiana to the Florida panhandle. Some areas could see as much as 12 inches of rain through the end of the day tomorrow.

Jon Kyl to replace the late Sen. John McCain » Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has announced the late Senator John McCain’s replacement in the U.S. Senate: Former Republican Senator John Kyl. The governor said Kyl was the clear choice for the job and will need no introduction on Capitol Hill.

DUCEY: With nearly two decades experience in the Senate, serving alongside John McCain, Senator Kyl is prepared to hit the ground running. 

Kyl is already in Washington. He’s been guiding Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh through the confirmation process.

The state will hold a special election in 2020 to choose a replacement for the final two years of McCain’s term. Governor Ducey would like Kyl to stay until then, but the senator has only committed to serve through the end of this year.

KYL: I do know I will not seek the seat in 2020 nor any other office in the future. I’m accepting this appointment to fill the seat vacated by the passing of my dear friend because of my sense of duty to the state I love and the institution of the Senate in which I served for 18 years.  

If Senator Kyl does leave Washington in January, the governor will appoint another replacement.

Kyl last served in the Senate form 1995 though 2012.

Woodward » The White House is pushing back against explosive claims outlined in an upcoming book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob Woodward, titled Fear: Trump in the White House. WORLD Radio’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: In his new book, Woodward claims several top officials in the administration have openly doubted President Trump’s competence.

Among Woodwards claims: That Defense Secretary James Mattis ignored the president’s order to kill Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad.

The book also says former top economic adviser Gary Cohn stopped the president from pulling out of a trade agreement by stealing a letter off his desk.

And Woodward repeats an earlier claim that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly called the president an “idiot.”

Kelly fired back on Tuesday insisting that never happened and calling the book “another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President Trump.”

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also said the “book is nothing more than fabricated stories” “told to make the President look bad.”

Reporting for WORLD Radio, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Nike features Kaepernick » Nike is facing criticism for launching an ad campaign featuring former NFL player Colin Kaepernick. He was the 49ers quarterback who led the trend of players kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality.

The ad features Kaepernick’s face with the words “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”

That is a reference to Kaepernick’s belief that NFL team owners colluded to keep him off their rosters. Last year, Kaepernick filed an official grievance against the league and team owners. Last week, an arbitrator ruled against the NFL’s effort to have the case dismissed.

Nike reportedly said it wanted to showcase athletes who have overcome struggles. But the decision to feature Kaepernick drew criticism, and Nike shares tumbled amid the backlash.

Amazon follows Apple into trillion-dollar club » Amazon on Tuesday became the world’s second company valued at $1 trillion. WORLD Radio’s Leigh Jones has that story.

LEIGH JONES, NEWS EDITOR: Amazon’s valuation hit the trillion-dollar mark one month after Apple became the first publicly traded company to reach that milestone.

Amazon.com launched as an online bookstore in 1995. It has since expanded to become the world’s biggest online retailer of just about everything. And it’s begun ramping up its brick and mortar presence as well—opening physical bookstores and convenience stores with no cashiers. Last year the company also bought the grocery chain Whole Foods.

Amazon’s stock value has grown almost 600 percent in the last five years, including a 70 percent surge so far this year.

Reporting for WORLD Radio, I’m Leigh Jones.

Pressley poised to become first MA’s first black woman elected to Congress » Ayanna Pressley is all but assured of becoming the first black woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts. The 44-year-old scored an upset victory over 10-term Democratic Congressman Michael Capuano on Tuesday. She’ll run to represent a heavily Democratic area once represented by Tip O’Neill and John F. Kennedy.

Pressley was endorsed by fellow congressional upstart Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who knocked off veteran Congressman Joe Crowley of New York in June. Like Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley backs a single-payer healthcare proposal similar to the one championed by socialist independent Senator Bernie Sanders.

I’m Kent Covington. Straight ahead: Day 1 coverage from the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearing. And later, singing Samoan firefighters. This is The World and Everything in It.

(AP Photo/Dan Anderson) Trucks with the Alabama Department of Transportation work to block off a flooded part of US Highway 98 while fighting rain from Tropical Storm Gordon on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018, in Spanish Fort, Ala.

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