Death Toll Rises As Rescuers Respond To Hurricane Helene Devastation
Plus, Israel assassinates longtime Hezbollah leader; SNL's 50th Season Premieres
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Good morning everyone!
SNL is back, premiering just in time to give us some levity in the run up to the presidential election. The show debuted its 50th season, with Maya Rudolph’s highly anticipated return as Vice President Kamala Harris and Jim Gaffigan as her running mate, Tim Walz.
For the rest of the cast: Andy Samberg is Douglas Emhoff, Dana Carvey is President Joe Biden, James Austin Johnson is playing former President Donald Trump, and Bowen Yang is taking on JD Vance.
Have a good one!
Mosheh & Jill
PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!
📌 DEATH TOLL NEARS 100 AFTER HELENE’S CATASTROPHIC TRAIL OF DEVASTATION
Nearly 100 people are dead across Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and the Carolinas and more than 2 million are still without power — in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The storm is one of the most expansive and damaging hurricanes on record to ever hit the US Southeast.
600 MILES OF DESTRUCTION
The storm’s damage now stretches across at least 10 states. It triggered the highest number of flood emergency declarations the National Weather Service has issued on a single day - with 23 on Friday alone. The storm’s path of destruction and record flooding stretched more than 600 miles.
Florida: When Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida (where the peninsula curves into the panhandle) Thursday night, it was a Category 4 storm. The 140mph winds made it the strongest hurricane on record to ever hit the area. Images shared on social media show a massive storm surge, which at its highest reached 15 feet above ground level, swallowing small communities in Florida like Steinhatchee and Cedar Key.
Western North Carolina has been cut off from the rest of the state, with no roads open into or out of the city, and electricity/cell towers either scarce or out of service. In the historic Asheville, NC - one of the hardest hit towns - it could be days before water is restored. A number of towns in the mountains are unreachable after mudslides. A local reporter described it as apocalyptic.
Boone, NC, also in western North Carolina, recorded it’s worst flooding since at least 1940
Tennessee: Helicopters were called in Friday night to rescue dozens who were surrounded by floodwaters and stranded on roofs.
RECOVERY EFFORTS UNDERWAY
For a sense of how widespread the damage is, the White House approved emergency federal aid for Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Alabama. FEMA says more than 1,200 rescuers have been deployed. Officials fear the death toll is likely to rise even higher as flood waters recede. Thus far, the highest toll out of one state is 25 in South Carolina, including two firefighters, who were killed when a tree fell on their truck.
HOW TO HELP
Damage estimates range from $95 billion to $110 billion — making Helene one of the costliest storms to hit the United States in modern history.
For anyone looking to help victims of Hurricane Helene, you can find organizations accepting donations here.
📌 ISRAEL KILLS HEZBOLLAH’S LEADER HASSAN NASRALLAH, ALONG WITH NEARLY ENTIRE MILITARY COMMAND OF TERROR GROUP
Hezbollah confirmed this weekend that a targeted IDF airstrike killed Hassan Nasrallah - the leader of the terror group Hezbollah. It was a stunning development as the Israeli military has wiped out the group’s entire chain of command in just over a week
SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STRIKE
Nasrallah - along with four other top commanders of the terror group - were killed in a massive Israeli airstrike on the terror group’s underground HQ in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut. His death now leaves a void of leadership for the largest and richest terror group in the Middle East. The Israeli strike is a major game-changer in a war that will turn one next week.
More than 20 additional terrorists were also killed in the strike.
It was one of the biggest blasts to hit Beirut since Hezbollah began firing on Israel on October 8th, 2023, the day after Hamas’ massacre, in solidarity with the Palestinian terror group which is also sponsored by Iran.
Israeli PM Netanyahu said Saturday night that Israel had no choice but to target Nasrallah, and vowed to continue targeting the group until they stop firing on Israel.
The US has designated Hezbollah a terror organization since 1997. President Biden called Nasrallah’s death a “measure of justice” for the victims of Hezbollah, and said Nasrallah and Hezbollah were responsible for “killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror.”
Who is Nasrallah?
One of the most influential terror leaders in the Middle East.
Led Hezbollah for 30 years, playing a key role in building it into a major military force and influential political party in Lebanon
Helped train fighters from Hamas, as well as terror groups in Iraq and Yemen
Helped obtain advanced missiles and rockets from Iran to use against Israel
Had not been seen in public for years over fears of being assassinated by Israel
Hezbollah’s threat:
Estimated 50K fighters
Arsenal of rockets, missiles, and drones is estimated at 150K+
Receives hundreds of millions of dollars per year from Iran
Hezbollah has a long history of U.S. terror attacks. Until al Qaeda attacked the US on 9/11, Hezbollah was the terror group responsible for killing the most Americans—including several hundred Americans/US troops in bombings in the 1980s and 90s. These are some of the most notable:
April 1983: Suicide truck bombings of U.S. embassy in Beirut
October 1983: U.S. Marine Barracks bombing in Beirut
June 1985: Hijacking of Trans World Airlines Flight 847
June 1996: Khobar Towers attack
CIVILIAN TOLL
Hezbollah’s HQ was located directly underneath residential buildings and close to a United Nations-run school. Lebanon says 11 people were killed, with more expected to be buried under the rubble. The shock waves shook houses as far as 18 miles north, creating craters and collapsed buildings.
IRAN VOWS REVENGE
Israel’s strike against Nasrallah has shocked Hezbollah, and its primary sponsor Iran.
Iran’s Supreme Leader said Nasrallah’s death “will not go unavenged,” though he has made clear that it is on Hezbollah to lead that revenge. Iran has still not executed its threat to avenge the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh inside Iran in July. Iran’s Supreme Leader is now in hiding with extra security.
Iranian leaders appear concerned that any counter attack may be met with a devastating response by Israel against targets inside Iran. They are also still worried about how deep Israeli intelligence has embedded into Iranian and Hezbollah leadership, given the recent successful attacks.
On Sunday, fighting continued in the Middle East. Israel hit Yemen in response to the Houthi’s recent ballistic missile strikes. It also followed the Houthi’s attempt to attack PM Netanyahu as he landed in Israel.
Next steps: There are reports that Israel could be preparing to invade Lebanon as it braces for Hezbollah’s response to Friday’s strike that took out its top brass. U.S. plans to get Israel and Lebanon to agree to a ceasefire now look unlikely.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 A new trend has emerged in American politics: The very youngest voters — 18-to-24-year-olds — say they're more conservative than the cohort that's just older (AXIOS)
📌 Iranian hackers indicted Friday allegedly sought to impersonate Ginni Thomas as they targeted Trump campaign (CNN)
📌 Indicted NYC Mayor adopts familiar defense: He was targeted for his politics (NBC4)
📌 Gov Gavin Newsom vetoes bill that would have required speeding alerts in all new cars (ABC7)
📌 Maps with voter registration options and deadlines for 2024 election (CBS)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 China, at UN, warns against 'expansion of the battlefield' in the Ukraine war (ABC)
📌 US troops will leave some longstanding bases in Iraq with task force to fight ISIS set to end by 2026 (DEFENSE NEWS)
📌 German diplomat: The West should spend less time fretting about Russian President Vladimir Putin's red lines and set its own (POLITICO)
📌 Sudan’s civil war rages: “Don’t kill my child. Kill me instead.” (NYT)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 SpaceX launches half empty spaceship on rescue mission so it can bring 2 NASA astronauts home next year (AP)
📌 New survey: 1 in 3 Gen Z men turn to social media for health advice (CNBC)
📌 NTSB issues 'urgent' safety alert on Boeing 737 rudder system (FOX BUSINESS)
📌 Touchscreens are over. Even Apple is bringing back buttons. (WSJ)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Donna Kelce says son Travis ‘can’t clean’ and ‘can’t cook’ but hints he might be ‘getting some help’ from Taylor Swift (PEOPLE)
📌 Chicago White Sox make history after losing 121st game this season, the most in baseball history (NBC)
📌 Sorry, Harvard. Everyone wants to go to college in the south now. (WSJ)
📌 Secrets of the ultimate celebrity photographer (NYT)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: SEPTEMBER 30
1954: The world’s first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, was commissioned, allowing it to be submerged for weeks-to-months.
1955: American actor James Dean, a symbol of the confused, restless, and idealistic youth of the 1950s, died in an automobile crash as he drove to a car rally in Salinas, California.
1960: ‘The Flintstones,’ network television’s first animated prime-time series, debuted on ABC.
1995: Mariah Carey makes history when she began an eight-week run atop the Billboard Hot 100 with “Fantasy,” becoming the first female act to debut at the chart’s No.1 spot.