Florida begins Milton recovery and Obama stumps for Harris: Morning Rundown

Florida communities grapple with destruction after Hurricane Milton. One person died and 23 were rescued after an elevator malfunction inside a tourist mine. And Barack Obama talks about “real strength” at a rally for Kamala Harris.

Here’s what to know today.

Florida embarks on road to recovery after Milton

At least 16 people have been confirmed dead in Florida after tornadoes touched down and Hurricane Milton slammed into the state this week, leaving a trail of damage and devastation. Millions of customers are still without electricity.

Rescue efforts were underway in several parts of the state, including Clearwater, where first responders saved 500 people from a flooded apartment complex. The Clearwater Police Department said they saw chest- and neck-deep waters in some places and several submerged vehicles. And video shows the Coast Guard rescuing a man seen clinging to a freezer 30 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Meanwhile, residents are taking stock of the damage to homes and businesses. Milton was the fifth hurricane to hit Florida’s barrier islands in two years, but steadfast residents say living there is worth the risk. “These things punch you in the gut, but you just pick yourself up,” Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers said, adding that some residents have rebuilt their homes four times in recent years.

In Sarasota, the city in the eye of the storm, residents expressed relief that they largely escaped the storm surges that inundated other cities.

However, signs of a return to relative normalcy are emerging. Tampa International Airport is expected to reopen today, as well as Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando.

Follow our live blog for the latest updates.  

More Hurricane Milton coverage: 

• Milton dumped so much rain over the Tampa Bay area that it qualified as a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event. 
• A woman who went into labor as Milton made its way to Florida recalled the memorable birth of her first child, from the perilous drive to the hospital to an unplanned C-section.
• A viral post on X featuring an AI-generated image spawned a bizarre meme trend of fake images of hurricane survivors.
• A TikTok-famous Florida resident dubbed “Lieutenant Dan” survived the storm after turning down offers of assistance to shelter on his boat.
• The IRS said it’s rushing to process around $10 billion in delayed Covid claims from small business owners in the Southeast who are now affected by the brutal hurricane season.

1 dead, 23 rescued after Colorado tourist mine malfunction

Colorado officials are investigating what caused an equipment malfunction at a tourist mine that left one person dead and a dozen people trapped deep underground for about six hours on Thursday. A total of 23 people were rescued in the incident in the Mollie Kathleen Mine in Teller County, about 100 miles south of Denver, sheriff’s officials said.

After a problem was reported with the elevator, 11 people, including two children, were rescued. The remaining 12 people stuck 1,000 feet underground had water and blankets and communicated with responders before they made it back to the surface. Here’s what else we know.

Fisher-Price infant swing recall doesn’t go far enough, safety commissioner says

A commissioner for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission criticized a Fisher-Price recall on its Snuga Swings, which have been linked to the deaths of five infants over a 10-year period. 

Yesterday, Fisher-Price asked consumers to immediately remove two recalled parts of the swing — a headrest and an insert from the seat pad that supports an infant’s body — saying that the components can increase the risk of suffocation. Consumers who follow through would be eligible for a $25 refund, the company said. The recall applies to 2.1 million Snuga Swings sold from October 2010 to January 2024. 

In a strongly worded statement, Richard Trumka Jr. of the CPSC called for Fisher-Price to recall the entire product and reimburse customers for the full cost of the product, around $160. “My advice: get your $25 refund and then throw this product away,” he said. Read the full story here. 

Obama jabs Trump in speech about ‘real strength’

Former President Barack Obama directly appealed to American men at a Pittsburgh rally to campaign for Vice President Harris, characterizing Trump as someone who doesn’t represent “real strength.” 

“I’m sorry, gentlemen, I’ve noticed this especially with some men who seem to think some of Trump’s behavior — the bullying and the putting people down — is a sign of strength,” he said to a crowd in Pittsburgh. “And I am here to tell you: That is not what real strength is. It never has been.” 

Instead, Obama said Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz represent the values a president should have.

The former president’s direct message to men hits at a wide gender gap when it comes to who supports which candidate. Surveys suggest Harris is winning women by large margins while struggling with men. 

Read more about Obama’s speech.

More election coverage: 

➡️ Harris is in the midst of a media blitz that has included conversations with Howard Stern on his radio show, Joy Behar of “The View” and Stephen Colbert, with whom she shared a beer. There’s nothing random about the places she’s been showing up.

➡️ At a Univision town hall, Harris sidestepped a question about how she would handle the border differently than President Joe Biden.

➡️ The unprecedented destruction of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, one of the biggest swing states, upended campaign plans for both parties.

➡️ Trump said in an address in Detroit that the U.S. has allowed “big companies” to “come in and raid and rape our country.” 

➡️ Trump’s ongoing relationship with Russian Vladimir Putin has stoked criticism, but Putin is not the only foreign leader Trump has kept in touch with since leaving the White House. 

➡️ At least four cities and a county are still waiting to be reimbursed for costs associated with Trump campaign events since 2016.

➡️ A New York state ballot measure has become a culture war fight, with proponents of expanding the Equal Rights Amendment arguing it’ll codify rights to reproductive care. Opponents fear an ulterior motive.

➡️ Abortion and party ties were at the forefront of the first and only Maryland Senate debate between Democrat Angela Alsobrooks and Republican and former Gov. Larry Hogan.

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Read All About It 

• The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of atomic bomb survivors working to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons
• Social Security recipients are set to receive a 2.5% COLA increase starting in 2025. 
• Two people died and more than two dozen employees were treated after a chemical leak at a Houston-area industrial plant.
• “The Apprentice,” a dramatization of the early years of Donald Trump, paints a scathing portrait of the former president. The movie’s director insists it’s not a “hit job.” Trump’s campaign says it’s “garbage.”
• Ethel Kennedy, the matriarch of the famous family and widow of Robert F. Kennedy, has died at the age of 96. 

Staff Pick: Hurricane conspiracies keep churning

Hurricanes Helene and Milton have passed. Their damage is widespread, measurable in lives lost and property destroyed. But misinformation and conspiracy theories about the storms and the federal government’s response continue to spread online, and then in the real world, where the damage is less easily measured. Bruna Horvath’s reporting brings into focus the danger and stakes of spreading outlandish hurricane rumors. — Richie Duchon, deputy director of platforms

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Sometimes you just don’t feel like cooking. NBC Select editors tried a few popular prepared-meal delivery services and spoke to nutritionists and chefs. Here are their favorites. Plus, virus season is here, so consider restocking your supply of N95 and KN95 masks.

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