Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida overnight as a major Category 4 storm, leaving at least 3 people dead and leading to massive power outages. And the Oakland A’s have played their final home game after 57 years. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.
At least 3 dead as Helene barrels through southeastern U.S.
At least three people are dead after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend area as a major Category 4 hurricane late Thursday night, Sept. 26. Helene was downgraded Friday morning to a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm brought the anticipated life-threatening storm surge, strong winds and heavy rains. Meteorologists say just because the storm has weakened significantly, does not make it less dangerous.
Authorities in Pasco County, Florida rescued people trapped by heavy flooding. One person was killed on Interstate 4 near Tampa when a sign fell on their car, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Authorities in Wheeler County, Georgia said two people were killed when an apparent tornado overturned a mobile home. Two others died in Laurens County, according to emergency officials .
As of early Friday morning, more than one million people in Florida were without power , as were hundreds of thousands more in Georgia. Power outages linked to Helene have also been reported in South Carolina and North Carolina.
The National Hurricane Center said tropical storm conditions will be felt throughout the southeast throughout Friday, with strong, damaging winds likely to "penetrate as far inland as the higher terrain of the southern Appalachians."
Trump says he will meet with Zelenskyy to hear 'victory plan'
Former President Donald Trump said he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to hear his "victory plan." That meeting is set to happen at Trump Tower in New York Friday morning.
The decision comes after there was some doubt whether the meeting between the two would occur — after both Trump and Zelenskyy have been critical of each other.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian president met with both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris separately to discuss his plan to defeat Russia. Biden pledged to send billions of dollars more in missiles, drones, weapons, and supplies.
Meanwhile, Harris told Zelenskyy recent calls for Ukraine to give over some of its land to Russia are "dangerous and unacceptable,” referring to recent suggestions by Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. Both have suggested Ukraine should cut a deal quickly to end the war that's been going on for almost three years now.
Trump has stated that if he wins the November election, he will end the Russia-Ukraine war even before he takes office.
Zelenskyy also met with members of Congress Thursday in an effort to shore up American support for the ongoing war.
DOJ expected to announce charges in alleged Iranian hack of Trump campaign
Federal law enforcement officials are expected to announce criminal charges Friday in connection with the recent Trump campaign hack — which has been linked to Iranian efforts to influence the 2024 presidential election.
Investigators said Iran gained access to Trump campaign emails and sent files to various media outlets and the Biden-Harris campaign this summer, before President Biden dropped out of the race and Vice President Harris took over as the Democratic nominee.
Reports said multiple Iranian hackers will be charged. Sources told ABC News the Trump campaign has been informed of the charges.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams to appear in federal court
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is set to make an appearance in federal court Friday. He will be arraigned on charges including bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national.
According to a 57-page indictment unsealed Thursday , Adams accepted illegal campaign donations including those from Turkish nationals in exchange for political favors for about a decade — including backing the construction of a Turkish consulate in New York City .
Adams, a Democrat, has vowed to fight the charges and continue as mayor despite calls from his own party to step down.
He faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
Convicted murderer put to death in country’s second nitrogen gas execution
For only the second time in the country's history, nitrogen gas has been used to execute an inmate. The state of Alabama put to death convicted murderer Alan Eugene Miller Thursday night.
It marked the second time this year the state has employed this controversial method.
Miller was sentenced to death in 2000 for a 1999 shooting that killed three men he had worked with, after he accused them of spreading rumors about him.
The Alabama Department of Corrections said the procedure involved Miller being fitted with a mask and nitrogen gas flowing into his system for about 15 minutes.
According to the Associated Press, Miller’s final words were, “I didn’t do anything to be here."
According to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center, Miller is one of five inmates to be executed in the span of one week in the U.S. This is the first time that has happened since 2003.
Athletics play final game in Oakland before permanent move to Las Vegas
Thursday marked the end of an era in baseball, with the Athletics playing their final home game ever in Oakland.
In front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 47,000 fans at the Oakland Coliseum, the A’s ended their 57-year run in the East Bay with a victory — defeating the Texas Rangers 3-2.
The game had plenty of emotion as well as some interruptions . Somebody threw a smoke bomb onto the field at one point, and a fan ran onto the field and made a dash for it, as well.
In the end, A’s fans soaked up all the memories, staying well past the final out.
The team will now relocate to Sacramento for the next three seasons before moving to their new permanent home in Las Vegas in 2028.
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