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Today’s top stories

Hurricane Helene weakened to a Category 1 storm as it moved north from Florida into Georgia after hitting Florida’s Big Bend region as a powerful Category 4 storm late Thursday. The storm made landfall with winds of up to 220 kilometers per hour and a storm surge of 6 meters. Initial reports indicate there have been three storm-related deaths. Helene could potentially cause destruction across much of the South in the coming hours and days.

People are splashed by the swirling surf from Tampa Bay as Hurricane Helene passes offshore in St. Petersburg, Florida on September 26, 2024.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

• 🎧 NPR’s Frank Morris narrates Up first The storm made landfall in an area with dense tree cover, likely resulting in thousands of fallen trees. Nearly 5,000 people in Florida spent the night in shelters. However, some, like 85-year-old James Judy, have weathered the storm at his home, stating that he simply hates leaving home. Winds will ease this morning, but there is a possibility the rain will worsen, causing widespread flash flooding and possible river flooding.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will plead his case at the United Nations today as he continues to reject a US-backed ceasefire proposal in Lebanon. This week, world leaders at the UN called for a ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon. More than 90,000 people in Lebanon have fled their homes this week due to Israeli attacks.

• 🎧 US officials told reporters they had made a breakthrough in the 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon that the US and France had proposedbut it appears that was wishful thinking, says NPR’s Michele Kelemen. Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi said yesterday that this is a pattern and that the world has failed to hold Israel accountable. The US argument against Israel is that if a deal is reached with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah will stop firing rockets. But Israel does not believe that and sees this as a fight with Iranian allies.

The Sudanese army has launched a major offensive against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum in a bid to reclaim the capital. The RSF has controlled the capital for more than a year. Millions have been displaced since the war began, marking the world’s worst displacement and hunger crisis.

• 🎧 The surprise attack is a battle not seen in the capital region since Maysays NPR’s Emmanuel Akinwotu. The army has entered the capital a few kilometers. While it is unclear how this will end, Akinwotu says it is “a bold attempt to shift the balance of power.” At the UN, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the president of Sudan’s transitional government, said the army was committed to peace but would never negotiate with the RSF.

The federal prison at Lewisburg in Pennsylvania has failed to take necessary steps to reduce suicide risk among inmates, according to the latest assessment of the medium-security men’s facility. A report from the Bureau of Prisons watchdog shows that inmates with mental illness in Lewisburg were placed in solitary confinement longer than recommended by BOP policy, usually with another inmate with mental illness. This puts them at greater risk of abuse and even death. Here we take a closer look at the other problems plaguing the location.

We, the voters

A Martinez walks with canvassers in Nevada.

Jacob Kepler/NPR

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Jacob Kepler/NPR

This essay was written by A Martinez, Morning edition And Up first host

Pessimism, skepticism and exhaustion are the three things I will remember from voters about my trip to Nevada.

When I went door to door with people, I asked people how they felt about the outcome of the elections. Before they answered, I noticed rolling their eyes, shaking their heads, sighing, or other non-verbal ways of expressing how tired they are… before I told them they just wanted it to be over already.

I thought tipped employees might be optimistic, considering that both presidential candidates promised during the campaign in Las Vegas that their tips would no longer be taxed if elected. No. There was a feeling that nothing is free and many wondered how the government would make up for lost tax revenue from their tips.

An hour and a half west of Las Vegas, I visited the town of Pahrump in rural and conservative Nye County. I spoke to many Trump supporters who were convinced that even if Trump wins, Congress would somehow prevent him from fulfilling his campaign promises.

My final question to everyone I spoke to was this: Where do you hope we are as a country? the day after the election? Almost every answer contained the word “united”… just as it is in the name: United States of America.

Weekend choices

His three daughters. (L-R) Natasha Lyonne as Rachel, Elizabeth Olsen as Christina and Carrie Coon as Katie in His Three Daughters. Cr. Sam Levy/Netflix © 2024.

Sam Levy/Netflix

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Sam Levy/Netflix

Look what NPR is watching, reading and listening this weekend to:

🍿Movies: Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon and Natasha Lyonne portray sisters who are at odds but must come together in their dying father’s apartment in the new Netflix film His three daughters.

📺TV: Police detective Lois Tryon teams up with a nun who is also a journalist to solve a series of gruesome crimes that could have been fabricated to taunt her. Big question. Here are some other shows premiering this week.

📚 Books: Sally Rooney’s fourth novel Intermezzo is a story about learning to accept loss. It follows two Irish brothers, 32-year-old Peter Koubek and 22-year-old Ivan, as they navigate their difficult relationships with each other and the women in the aftermath of their father’s death.

🎵 Music: Keith Garret will release his jazz album The Old Country: More from the Deer Head Inn on Nov. 8, recorded with a trio in 1992. Before that, he offers NPR network station WRTI the world premiere of his swinging first single, “Straight, No Chaser.”

🎮 Games: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is the first in the main game series to feature Princess Zelda. NPR’s James Perkins Mastromarino explains how it compares to the rest of the series.

❓Quiz: This week’s news ranges from a zoo saying it will pack up its pandas to a mayor being indicted. Do you have what it takes to achieve this?

3 things you need to know before you go

FILE – Hoda Kotb appears on NBC’s “Today” show at Rockefeller Plaza on Thursday, May 19, 2022, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

Charles Sykes/Invisie/AP

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Charles Sykes/Invisie/AP

1. Hoda Kotb, NBC’s longtime cohost Today showannounced yesterday that she is leaving the program.
2. States that passed anti-transgender laws targeting minors saw this a 72% increase in suicide attempts by transgender and gender-nonconforming teens in subsequent years, according to a new study from The Trevor Project. If you or someone you know is considering suicide or in crisis, call or text 9-8-8 to reach the phone number Suicide and crisis lifeline.
3. Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins retracted comments yesterday about Haitian immigrants in a now-deleted social media post. He has been criticized for amplifying the false claims.

This newsletter has been edited by Suzanne Nuijen.