Tuesday, October 8, 2024

October 8, 2024

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Massive Category 5 hurricane headed toward Tampa . . . Hurricane Milton has the potential to become one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida, which includes the Tampa area, as millions of residents continue to prepare for life-threatening impacts and evacuate the coast and other low-lying areas ahead of the monster storm's arrival on Wednesday. On Monday, Hurricane Milton underwent rapid intensification and strengthened from a Category 1 hurricane to a near-record breaking Category 5 hurricane with winds of 180 mph. Milton has since weakened to a Category 4 hurricane as the storm skirts the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and is expected to remain an "extremely dangerous hurricane" through landfall along Florida's west coast. Fox Weather

Tampa mayor warns residents who won't leave: "You're gonna die"

Politics

Hurricane Milton may be October surprise in presidential battle . . . The intensification of Hurricane Milton into a Category 5 storm headed straight for Florida will pose a serious test for the Biden-Harris administration, which has already been stretched by the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. The stakes are high for Harris, who has a higher favorability rating than former President Trump but trails Trump, the former commander-in-chief, on the trait of "leadership" in some battleground states. The Hill

If Trump is able to paint Harris and Biden as incompetent with respect to such an important matter while also tying in FEMA's focus on DEI, "disaster relief" could describe what her campaign will need.

Video shows FEMA prioritizing equity over helping greatest number of people . . . As FEMA fends off allegations about its disaster relief funding, a 2023 webinar hosted by the agency has resurfaced depicting panelists discussing the need to reshape FEMA's policies to emphasize "equity" over those that benefit the greatest number of people. Maggie Jarry of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, noted that there is a shift underway in "emergency management from utilitarian principles where everything is designed for the greatest good, for the greatest amount of people, to disaster equity." Fox News

Harris dodges 60 Minutes' Bil Whitaker's questions on the border crisis . . . Whitaker pressed the vice president. 'What I was asking was, was it a mistake to kind of allow that flood to happen in the first place?' he interrupted. 'I think-- the policies that we have been proposing are about fixing a problem, not promoting a problem, okay?' Harris started. Again Whitaker cut her off: 'But the numbers did quadruple under your –' The two spoke over each other as Whitaker tried to ask her if she should have acted sooner. Daily Mail

Harris blames Congress for not passing legislation, which begs the question, how was Trump able to do it?

Trump calls US election 'most important day in the history of Israel' . . . Donald Trump, speaking at an event commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, said Monday that it is another event — his own election or defeat in November — that will mark "the most important day in the history of Israel." "If you want to know the truth, I believe that. I think you believe that, too," Trump said to applause, casting a 2024 win by Harris as an existential threat to Israel. "If we don't win this election there is a tremendous consequence for everything." Politico

Harris to propose new Medicare home care benefit for seniors . . . Kamala Harris during a Tuesday appearance on "The View" is expected to announce a new policy aimed at helping families care for aging seniors. The vice president will propose establishing a home care benefit through Medicare focused on helping families afford the cost of caring for seniors at home instead of in nursing facilities, according to a senior campaign official granted anonymity to share details of the proposal. Politico

Democrats trot out porn stars to help them in battleground states . . . The Artist United for Change PAC, which raises through Act Blue, launched a pro-porn ad campaign throughout several battleground states Monday in response to a conservative organization calling for a total ban on pornography. The $100,000 "hands off my porn" campaign will run on porn sites in all the crucial swing states: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. Nearly 20 states across the U.S., including Georgia and North Carolina, have passed laws requiring age verification to access online porn sites such as Pornhub. Daily Caller

WATCH: Karine Jean-Pierre storms out after Doocy questions Lebanon funding during hurricane season

Culture

CBS to host "struggle session" headed by DEI doctor after reporter pushes back on Palestinian activist . . . CBS will deploy Donald Grant, a self-styled "'mental health expert, DEI strategist and trauma trainer,'" after they declared that an interview between correspondent Tony Dokoupil and author Ta-Nehisi Coates did "not meet editorial standards for impartiality," Puck's Dylan Byers reported. Jan Crawford, the network's chief legal correspondent, reportedly criticized the decision, noting that Dokoupil was simply pushing back on Coates, a vocal backer of Palestine who describes Israel as a practitioner of apartheid in his new book. "I don't even understand how Tony's interview failed to meet our editorial standards," Crawford said, according to Byers. Daily Caller

These are the people who just hosted the vice presidential debate.

International

Concern grows that Iran will go nuclear . . . Israel has shown Iran's two most important deterrents against an attack—its ballistic missiles and allied militia Hezbollah—are less powerful than previously thought. Now attention is turning to whether Iran will accelerate its nuclear program to deter its biggest regional foe. For months, Iranian officials have said that Tehran has accumulated most of the knowledge needed to build a weapon and that it might reconsider Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's two-decade-old pledge not to procure weapons of mass destruction. Wall Street Journal

US and Israeli leaders need to make a fundamental decision about whether they want to live in a world in which Iran has nuclear weapons.

Money

Costco gold bars selling out as bullion prices rise . . . The gold rush that started last year at Costco locations across the U.S. is continuing as bars keep selling at a time when bullion prices are soaring, according to a Bloomberg survey. Costco's website shows 1-ounce gold bars were available for purchase for $2,689.99 before tax, but are now sold out, leading to members rushing to stores. Costco's prices undercut traditional precious metal dealers and offer rewards for members, Bloomberg reports. Fox Business

You should also know

Special ops vets form 'Redneck Air Force' to ferry aid into NC mountains after feds come up short . . . Hundreds of special operations personnel in North Carolina have formed their own homegrown rescue and supply operation in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene after they grew tired of waiting for the federal government to get its act together. The Post found an all-volunteer operation being run out of a Harley-Davidson dealership with ruthless efficiency and military precision. "Who's FEMA?" ex-Green Beret Adam Smith derisively said. New York Post

Cissy Houston, Grammy winner and Whitney Houston's mother, dies at 91 . . . Cissy Houston, a Grammy Award winner who built a successful career as a backup vocalist and gospel singer before helping launch her daughter, Whitney Houston, to even greater fame, died Oct. 7 at her home in New Jersey. She was 91. She had Alzheimer's disease, her daughter-in-law Pat Houston told the Associated Press. Ms. Houston began singing in early childhood at her church and in an ensemble formed with several of her siblings. Washington Post

Consumers asked to throw away millions of eggs as FDA upgrades recall status . . . Officials are continuing to warn consumers about an ongoing egg recall that has now been upgraded to Class I, meaning that the eggs may cause "serious adverse health consequences or death." Milo's Poultry Farms LLC, which is based in Bonduel, Wisconsin, has been recalling its eggs since September, when officials tied the eggs to a salmonella outbreak. The recall pertains to all eggs branded "Milo's Poultry Farms" and "Tony's Fresh Market" with all expiration dates. Fox Business

Guilty Pleasures

Passengers horrified after airline plays explicit movie on every screen: 'Super uncomfortable' . . . Travelers were floored when an airline played a sexually-explicit movie on every passenger's screen during an international flight – with no way to turn it off. The incident took place on a Qantas flight from Sydney to Japan's Haneda Airport last week. News.au reported that the film was "Daddio," a film starring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn. Fox Business

In a surprising twist, ticket sales for Qantas flights quadrupled in less than two hours.

Help CTTN reach more people by forwarding it to your family and friends! Click below to write your message and share the signup link by email.