Extra, Extra
Helene’s Trail of Destruction: North Carolina was hit especially hard by Helene. WaPo (Gift Article): ‘Completely and entirely erased’: How Helene swallowed one mountain town. “Just down the hill, and in every direction, lay almost indescribable scenes of destruction and suffering. Cars sat high in tree limbs by the Swannanoa River. Homes had been tossed and mangled, then deposited far from their foundations — sometimes upside down, sometimes torn in half — wherever the river left them. A thick layer of mud covered the town, leaving many roads impassible and many homes and businesses buried, like some modern-day Pompeii.” Helene death toll rises to 120 as millions remain without power. “Many people drowned after not heeding evacuation orders; others were killed in their homes and cars by falling trees and road signs. At least two Georgians were killed when a tornado picked up their car. Deaths were also reported in Florida, South Carolina and Virginia.” Here’s the latest on the devastation from NBC.
+ A Guide to Sanewashing: “If you watched the speech, or even snippets of it, you saw something quite different — an absolutely ugly and brutal attack on Kamala Harris, full of lies and racist misogyny.” Margaret Sullivan: The three phases of normalizing Trump’s attack on Harris in Wisconsin. (These are the same three phases we’ve seen play out for years.) Or as TNR puts it: Oops, They Did It Again: The Mainstream Media Buries Trump’s Outrage. A few outtakes of what you won’t see in today’s sanewashed headlines: “These people are animals … I will liberate Wisconsin from this mass migrant invasion of murderers, rapists, hoodlums, drug dealers, thugs, and vicious gang members. We’re going to liberate our country … You gotta get these people back where they came from. You have no choice. You’re gonna lose your culture … They will walk into your kitchen, they’ll cut your throat.” (Today, the NYT editorial board endorsed Kamala, calling her The Only Patriotic Choice for President. They should notify their news desk.)
+ Right Here, Right Now: “A far-right party founded by former Nazis won the most votes in Austria’s election Sunday, in a result that could reshape Europe’s political landscape and help tilt the balance of power between Russia and the West … Austria joins a long list of countries across Europe where the far-right now wields considerable power after making gains this summer in Germany, France and the Netherlands.”
+ ‘Deer in the Headlines: “Netflix has failed in its attempt to persuade a judge to throw out a defamation lawsuit brought by the woman who inspired the stalker character in hit series Baby Reindeer.” Netflix fails to get Baby Reindeer lawsuit dropped. (Why do I have the feeling this is all going to lead to another season of Baby Reindeer?)
+ Ports in a Storm: “The strike could hit 36 ports that handle about one-half of U.S. ocean imports. That could affect availability of a range of goods from bananas to clothing to cars shipped via container, while creating weeks-long backlogs at ports. It could also stoke shipping cost increases that may be passed on to voters already frustrated with housing and food inflation, according to logistics experts.” A port strike could cost the economy $5 billion per day.
+ A Star is (Air)Born: “The story goes that Kristofferson was so desperate to get his songs into the hands of Johnny Cash that he landed a helicopter on Cash’s lawn. In the version Cash used to tell, Kristofferson emerged with a tape in one hand and a beer in the other. ‘It’s a great story, and a story that good needs to be believed, even if it’s not true,’ quips musician Rodney Crowell, who became Cash’s son-in-law when he married Rosanne Cash. ‘But, you know, according to John, that literally happened.'” Kris Kristofferson, musical rebel and movie star, has died at age 88. And John Ashton, recognizable from his roles in Beverly Hills Cop and Midnight Run, died at 76.
