News Wrap: Hurricane Helene's death toll passes 200

In our news wrap Thursday, Hurricane Helene’s death toll has risen to 200, Typhoon Krathon made landfall in southwestern Taiwan, NATO’s new leader made his first official visit to Ukraine, at least 78 people have died after an overcrowded boat capsized in Congo and the nation’s biggest retailers are ramping up their hiring for the holiday season.

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Amna Nawaz: We start the day’s other headlines with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

The death toll from the storm has risen to 200 after officials in North Carolina and Georgia reported new fatalities in their states. President Biden spent a second day touring the destruction. He started in Florida speaking to officials, survivors and first responders before heading to Georgia.

His visit comes as the region cleans up from its third hurricane since the summer of 2023.

Joe Biden, President of the United States: Three in a row, three in a row. You have been through hell. Three in a row. And I want you to know, I see you. I hear you. I agree with you. And I promise you, we have your back.

Amna Nawaz: In Georgia, the state’s National Guard has been brought in to help clean up areas affected by the storm. They have been using chain saws and equipment to clear blocked roads, among other relief efforts.

Over in the Pacific, Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Southwestern Taiwan earlier today, hammering the island with torrential rains and winds up to 100 miles an hour. In the port city of Kaohsiung, roads were flooded and schools and businesses were closed. All domestic flights have been grounded.

The storm is set to weaken to a tropical depression by Friday as it moves slowly north towards the capital of Taipei. In the meantime, authorities say at least nine people have died in a hospital fire in an area that was hit by the typhoon. The source of the blaze is under investigation.

On his first official visit to Ukraine today as NATO’s new leader, Mark Rutte said the country is — quote — “closer to NATO than ever before.” In Kyiv, he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who’s briefed him on Ukraine’s so-called victory plan. Rutte expressed confidence that he can work with whomever wins this year’s U.S. presidential election and offered an ironclad commitment to Ukraine’s defense.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, continued his appeal to use Western-supplied weapons to strike further into Russia.

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary-General: As the new NATO secretary-general, it is my priority and my privilege to take this support forward.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President (through interpreter): We definitely want Ukraine not to be forgotten. But the best option to not forget about Ukraine is to respond with weapons, to give appropriate permission, it seems to me.

(Sirens blaring)

Amna Nawaz: Air raid sirens went off in the Ukrainian capital twice during Rutte’s visit, a reminder of the war that rages on. He arrived just after a Russian strike hit an apartment block in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. Local officials say at least 12 people were injured, including a 3-year-old girl.

A local governor in Congo says at least 78 people have died after an overcrowded boat capsized. Eyewitness video caught the moment that the ship went down in Lake Kivu in the east of the country. Local say the boat was overloaded with passengers and sank while trying to dock just yards away from the port of Kituku.

It’s the latest deadly boat disaster to hit the Central African country. In June, an overloaded boat sank near the capital of Kinshasa, killing 80 passengers.

Back in the U.S., President Biden said today there has been progress on the port worker strike that shut down dockyards from Texas to Maine. But when pressed for details, Mr. Biden said simply that — quote — “We will find out soon.”

Some 45,000 workers from the International Longshoremen’s Association walked off the job earlier this week. They’re seeking a pay raise and a ban on the automation of cranes, gates and loading trucks. There are currently no talks scheduled between the union and port operators.

Some of the nation’s biggest retailers are ramping up their hiring for the holiday season. Amazon said today it will bring on 250,000 employees for the year-end shopping period. That includes full-time, part-time and seasonal workers, and it’s the same amount Amazon hired last year. Bath & Body Works and Target also plan to hire similar numbers to last year, with Target adding 100,000 holiday staff.

But Macy’s, for one, is scaling back. It plans to bring on about 6,000 fewer employees compared to last year.

On Wall Street today, the major markets struggled ahead of Friday’s monthly jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped nearly 200 points by the close. The Nasdaq slipped about six points, so basically flat. The S&P 500 ended slightly lower on the day.

And Caitlin Clark has been named the WNBA’s rookie of the year. The Indiana Fever guard received 66 votes out of the 67 cast by a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Angel Reese of the Chicago sky received the single remaining vote. Clark averaged over 19 points and more than eight assists per game this season. She also set rookie records for points and three-pointers, while leading her team to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.