In Michigan, Harris doesn’t get hoped-for firefighters endorsement amid shifting labor loyalties
REDFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — The International Association of Firefighters has declined to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, meaning her trip to Michigan on Friday came without the national group’s official backing. Harris and Donald Trump are trying to get the upper hand with working-class voters in the closing weeks of the presidential campaign. Harris visited a firehouse outside Detroit. Organized labor has been a bedrock of Democratic support, but Trump is eager to make inroads with unions in the election and visited Michigan on Thursday. He appeared Friday in Georgia with Gov. Brian Kemp and near a military base in North Carolina.
Biden talks election, economy and Middle East in surprise news briefing
WASHINGTON (AP) — After 1,080 days as president, Joe Biden on Friday decided to pop in and take questions in the White House briefing room for the first time. He strode in with a grin after a strong monthly jobs report and the temporary settlement of a strike by ports workers. The president has been less available than his recent predecessors to questions from the White House press corps. That made his surprise appearance welcome to the gathered reporters who waited as his press secretary’s daily briefing was moved up 15 minutes, then delayed for more than 50 minutes. Biden proceeded to answer questions about the 2024 presidential election, the latest jobs numbers and the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Trump and Georgia Gov. Kemp use hurricane recovery to make first 2024 appearance together
EVANS, Ga. (AP) — After making up privately, former President Donald Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp used the aftermath of Hurricane Helene to put their detente on public display with a month to go before Election Day. Trump is the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. Kemp is a popular second-term governor. They appeared together Friday afternoon outside Augusta, Georgia, to tout recovery efforts after Helene made landfall in Florida and wrought widespread damage as it moved inland through Georgia and other states. The appearance was the latest turn in their contentious relationship that traces back to Kemp refusing to help Trump overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
Israeli airstrikes rock southern suburbs of Beirut and cut off a key crossing into Syria
BEIRUT (AP) — Israel has carried out a series of punishing airstrikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Strikes have also cut off the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria for tens of thousands of people fleeing Israeli bombardment. The overnight blasts in Beirut’s southern suburbs sent huge plumes of smoke and flames into the night sky and shook buildings kilometers away in the Lebanese capital. Thursday’s strike along the Lebanon-Syria border, about 50 kilometers or 30 miles east of Beirut, led to the closure of the road near the busy Masnaa Border Crossing. Israel said it had targeted the crossing because it was being used by Hezbollah to transport military equipment across the border.
When will the power return? Weary Carolinas residents long for relief after Helene’s fury
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Nearly 700,000 homes and businesses in the U.S. Southeast are still without power more than a week after Hurricane Helene blew through the region. Most of the outages are in the Carolinas and Georgia. At least 220 people died in the storm, and crews are still trying to reach people who haven’t been accounted for in some hard-to-reach places. Duke Energy said Friday that it hopes to have the lights back on for many of its customers in the Carolinas by the end of the weekend. But it warns that people in places with catastrophic damage should be prepared to wait weeks or longer. The storm also caused severe damage to many city water systems.
A week after Helene hit, thousands still without water struggle to find enough
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Helene severely damaged drinking water utilities in the Southeast. Western North Carolina was especially hard hit. Flooding tore through the city of Asheville’s water system, destroying so much infrastructure that officials said repairs could take weeks. The Environmental Protection Agency said that, as of Thursday, about 136,000 people in the Southeast were served by a nonoperational water provider and more than 1.8 million were living under a boil water advisory. Officials in North Carolina are facing a difficult rebuilding task made harder by the steep, narrow valleys of the Blue Ridge Mountains that during a more typical October would attract throngs of fall tourists.
A French judge in a shocking rape case allows the public to see some of the video evidence
PARIS (AP) — A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her has decided to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes. Friday’s decision by Judge Roger Arata to allow journalists and members of the public attending the trial to see the recordings marks a stunning reversal in the case that has shaken France. Journalists following the case and lawyers of Gisèle Pelicot — who was allegedly raped over the course of a decade — argued that the videos were crucial to the full understanding of the extraordinary trial.
US adds a robust 254,000 jobs and unemployment dips to 4.1% in sign of still-sturdy labor market
WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers added a surprisingly strong 254,000 jobs in September, easing concerns about a weakening labor market and suggesting that the pace of hiring is still solid enough to support a growing economy. Last month’s gain was far more than economists had expected, and it was up sharply from the 159,000 jobs that were added in August. And after rising for most of 2024, the unemployment rate dropped for a second straight month, from 4.2% in August to 4.1% in September. The latest figures suggest that many companies are still confident enough to fill jobs despite the continued pressure of high interest rates.
Judge denies an order sought by a Black student who was punished over his hair
HOUSTON (AP) — A federal judge has denied a request by a Black high school student in Texas for a court order that the student’s lawyers say would have allowed him to return to his high school without fear of having his previous punishment over his hairstyle resume. Darryl George had sought the order to reenroll at his Houston-area high school in the Barbers Hill school district after leaving at the start of his senior year in August because district officials were set to continue punishing him for not cutting his hair. In a ruling issued Friday, a federal judge denied George’s request, saying the student and his lawyers had waited too long to ask for the order.
The Nobel Prizes will be announced against a backdrop of wars, famine and artificial intelligence
STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Wars, a refugee crisis, famine, and artificial intelligence could all be recognized with Nobel Prizes. Civil grassroot groups, and international organizations with missions to mitigate violence in the Middle East could be under consideration for the peace prize. But it’s also possible that no peace prize will be awarded at all given the growing violence in the world. The Nobel committee has withheld the prize 19 times in its history. The announcements begin Monday with the physiology or medicine prize, followed on subsequent days by the physics, chemistry, literature and peace awards. The economics award will be announced Oct. 14.