What to Know
- President Donald Trump is preparing to preside over his first 9/11 commemoration in office, a solemn and nonpartisan occasion
- A weakened Hurricane Irma zeroed in on the Tampa Bay region after hammering much of Florida with winds, floodwaters and power outages
- Miss North Dakota, a 23-year-old who said Trump was wrong to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord, was named Miss America 2018
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Trump, First Lady Commemorating Sept. 11 in White House
President Trump is preparing to preside over his first 9/11 commemoration in office, a solemn and nonpartisan occasion in which he will be joined by first lady Melania Trump. The Trumps plan to observe a moment of silence at the White House in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 people who were killed when hijackers flew commercial airplanes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The morning remembrance is scheduled for about the time the first plane struck one of the Twin Towers on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Trump and his wife also are to pay their respects at a Pentagon ceremony led by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The observances come as Trump grapples with the death and destruction caused by two hurricanes in three weeks. Vice President Mike Pence is to represent the administration at an observance at the 9/11 memorial in Shanksville.
Hurricane Irma, Massive But Weakened, Lashes Florida
A massive but weakened Hurricane Irma zeroed in on the Tampa Bay region after hammering much of Florida with roof-ripping winds, gushing floodwaters and widespread power outages. Irma continued its slog north along Florida's western coast having blazed a path of unknown destruction. With communication cut to some of the Florida Keys, where Irma made landfall, and rough conditions persisting across the peninsula, many held their breath for what daylight might reveal. The monster storm measured more than 400 miles wide, and its winds of up to 130 mph sucked the ocean water out of bays, swamped much of downtown Miami and toppled at least three constructions cranes — two over downtown Miami and one in Fort Lauderdale. More than 3.3 million homes and businesses across the state lost power, and utility officials said it will take weeks to restore electricity to everyone. Continued weakening was forecast and the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Irma was expected to become a tropical storm over northern Florida or southern Georgia later in the day. Before crashing into Florida, Hurricane Irma set all sorts of records for brute strength as it flattened Caribbean islands and swamped the Florida Keys.
8 Dead, Including Suspected Gunman, in Shooting in Home
At least eight people are dead, including the suspect, after a shooting at a home in Plano, Texas, authorities said. Officer David Tilley said police were called to a home on the 1700 block of West Spring Creek Parkway, less then 20 miles northeast of Dallas, on a report of shots fired. Tilley said when police arrived, the first officer to enter the home was involved in a confrontation with the suspected shooter. The officer opened fire and killed the suspect. Officers then found other people inside the home suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Seven of those people were deceased; two survivors were taken to a nearby hospital. None of the victims have been identified, and any relation to the suspected shooter is unknown, Tilley said. Police said an investigation is ongoing. Authorities are trying to determine the suspect's motive, as well as why the officer initially opened fire on the suspect.
Aftershocks Slow Relief Work in Quake-Damaged Mexican Town; Nationwide Death Toll Rises to 90
Life for many has moved outdoors in the quake-shocked city of Juchitan, where a third of the homes are reported uninhabitable and repeated aftershocks have scared people away from many structures still standing. The city was littered with rubble from the magnitude 8.1 earthquake, which killed at least 90 people across southern Mexico — at least three dozen of them in Juchitan itself. Officials in Oaxaca and Chiapas states said thousands of houses and hundreds of schools had been damaged or destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of people were reported to be without water service. Many people continued to sleep outside, fearful of more collapses, as strong aftershocks continued to rattle the town, including a magnitude 5.2 jolt.
Miss North Dakota Cara Mund is New Miss America
Miss North Dakota, a 23-year-old who said President Trump was wrong to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord, was named Miss America 2018 in Atlantic City. Cara Mund topped a field of 51 contestants to win the crowd in the New Jersey seaside resort, where most of the 97 Miss Americas have been selected. In one of her onstage interviews, Mund said Trump, a Republican, was wrong to withdraw the U.S. from the climate accord aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. In an interview with The Associated Press before preliminary competition began, Mund, who lives in Bismarck, North Dakota, said her goal is to be the first woman elected governor of her state. She said she wants to see more women elected to all levels of government. She is the first contestant from her state to win the Miss America crown.
Kristen Bell Saves “Frozen” Co-Star's Family From Hurricane Irma
Now that's friendship. Josh Gad revealed his "Frozen" co-star Kristen Bell "literally saved" his entire family on Florida's east coast from Hurricane Irma by getting them a hotel room further inland. The actor, who voices Olaf the snowman, was raised in Hollywood, Florida, near Miami. The actress is in Florida to film her new comedy "Like Father" and has been hunkering down at a Walt Disney World resort. "They don't make them like this girl. Thank you Kristin. You are truly an angel sent from above. And thank you @ewablueeyes for bother her when I asked you not to!!!!" Gad added.