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President Biden has told people in Florida affected by two major hurricanes in recent weeks he knows “how devastating it is to lose your home”.

He told reporters his home was struck by lightning “several years ago” and the things he missed most were “my daughter’s drawings… All the family photographs, all the albums, all the things that really matter.

“The fact is that when you lose your wedding ring, the old photos, your children’s and family’s keepsakes, things that can’t be replaced… sometimes, in my own experience, that’s the part that hurts the most,” said the president.

He was in Florida to survey the damage done by Hurricane Milton, a huge storm that swept into the state on Wednesday evening.

It was the second major storm to hit Florida in recent weeks, and the state is suffering millions of dollars of damage.

The president took an aerial tour of affected areas in a helicopter, on his way to the Florida city of St Petersburg.

Marine One takes Joe Biden for a aerial tour of areas devastated by Hurricanes Milton and Helene in recent weeks. Pic: Reuters
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A helicopter takes President Biden for an aerial tour of areas devastated by Hurricanes Milton and Helene in recent weeks. Pic: Reuters

At least 17 people died during Hurricane Milton which came just two weeks after Hurricane Helene killed 236 people across six states, including in Florida.

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People are still struggling to get access to electricity and fuel in some parts of Florida, where flooding continues.

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Florida before and after Hurricane Milton

River waters are continuing to rise around Tampa Bay and some parts of Orlando, according to the National Weather Service’s website, which warned that more flooding is on the way.

President Biden urged Congress to approve additional emergency disaster funding.

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He has been pressing House Speaker Mike Johnson to approve more aid money before the US election on 5 November, but Mr Johnson maintains the issue will be dealt with after the vote.

The aftermath of Hurricane Milton. Pic: NBC
Image:
The aftermath of Hurricane Milton. Pic: NBC

The president used his Florida trip to announce $612m (£468m) in funding for state energy projects to try to improve the region’s electricity grid to make it more resilient.

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The science behind Hurricane Milton

The devastating hurricanes have turned into a political campaigning point for both parties, with less than four weeks to go until the hotly contested US election.

Donald Trump said the Biden administration’s response to Hurricane Helene was lacking while President Biden and Kamala Harris criticised Mr Trump for spreading misinformation.

A property damaged after Hurricane Milton made landfall, in Lakewood Park, near Fort Pierce, in St. Lucie County, Florida, U.S., October 10, 2024.  REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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A property damaged after Hurricane Milton made landfall in St Lucie County, Florida. Pic: Reuters

Meteorologists have reportedly facing death threats after misinformation was spread online about Hurricane Milton.

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Some, including Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, spread lies suggesting meteorologists and those in power could control hurricanes and had created Milton on purpose.

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“Murdering meteorologists won’t stop hurricanes. I can’t believe I just had to type that,” wrote meteorologist Katie Nickolaou on X after someone used her social media page to call for the death of meteorologists.

Donald Trump told his supporters at a rally that the Democrats had stolen disaster relief funds meant for hurricane victims “so they could give it to their illegal immigrants”.

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US election: The elderly couple whose marriage has been tested by Trump

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US election: The elderly couple whose marriage has been tested by Trump

When they made America truly great its backbone was forged in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

The steel for 80% of Manhattan’s skyscrapers, many of the US Navy’s battleships, and even the entire San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, all came from its blast furnaces in the hills north of Philadelphia.

Its mammoth steel plants stretched for almost five miles.

They lie empty and unused, now a huge open-air museum for guided tours led by former plant workers like Don Young.

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The 87-year-old has been married to Barbara for 20 years, but their marriage has been tested in recent months, as have many others in the most divisive presidential election in living memory.

Both Republicans, she is for Donald Trump, he is emphatically not.

Mr Trump, I pointed out, claimed he could make America great again. Did he believe him?

“No, I do not believe him. My wife does,” he said. “I’ve seen the rise of dictators in history.

“As much as I am a studier of the history of industry, I’m also a studier of the history of politics and world politics. And, you know, Mr Trump’s campaign literally, literally mirrors that of Adolf Hitler.”

His wife sees Mr Trump completely differently: “I absolutely do not agree with that. And I’m sorry to hear my husband say this. And I actually believe we have seen what President Trump can do and how our country was when he was in office.”

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Former plant worker Don Young now offers tours of the former steel plants
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Mr Young now offers tours of the former steel plants

Trump ‘is the future for America’, Ms Young says

Their town has recovered from the collapse of Bethlehem Steel. But it’s the state of America that worries Ms Young now.

And it is Mr Trump who can save it, she said.

“He is the future for America,” she said. “I don’t want to see people coming over our border. We’ve had women murdered and raped by illegal immigrants. Who wants their children dead as a result of fentanyl, which comes over the border?”

Trump is ‘going to run America into the ground’

Her husband’s view is diametrically opposed.

“I think he’s going to run America into the ground because he does not observe any of the Democratic norms that his predecessors have,” he said.

“He didn’t observe them when he was in office. And so that’s just a window on what will happen in this coming term.”

Pennsylvania will likely determine presidential election result

Their marriage mirrors the state of play in the place they live in.

Pennsylvania is on a knife edge, say the polls, split right down the middle and the outcome here will likely determine the result on election day in this most important of swing states.

They can agree on one thing. They cannot wait for this election to be over.

Mr Young said their marriage can survive a Trump victory. Ms Young thinks so too.

The closest, nastiest, most divisive presidential election in living memory will be over soon. The bitterness and division that has plagued it less so in this deeply polarised country.

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Looting and violence breaks out after Los Angeles Dodgers win baseball’s World Series

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Looting and violence breaks out after Los Angeles Dodgers win baseball's World Series

The Los Angeles Dodgers have won baseball’s World Series for the second time in five years but the celebrations were marred by looting and violence.

The Dodgers took the title by beating the New York Yankees 4-1 in the best-of-seven final in New York on Wednesday night, US time.

But soon after the match ended and jubilant Dodgers fans spilled on to the streets to celebrate, there were reports of a bus being set on fire, shops being looted and fireworks thrown at police in scenes of “absolute chaos” in downtown LA.

Los Angeles Dodgers players pose for a photo during a ceremony in the small hours of Oct. 31, 2024, after clinching the MLB World Series with a 7-6 win over the New York Yankees in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium in New York. (Kyodo via AP Images) ==Kyodo
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Los Angeles Dodgers players celebrate winning baseball’s World Series. Pic: AP

At around 10.45pm, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said it received reports of “looting at several stores in the area of 8th and Broadway”.

Ordering people to “leave the area immediately” on X, the force reposted a video of looters raiding a Nike store where a door had been removed so thieves could get in.

A Dodgers fan celebrates on the street after the Los Angeles Dodgers' victory over the New York Yankees to win the World Series in Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 30, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Cole     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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A Dodgers fan celebrates in Los Angeles. Pic: Reuters

Several dispersal orders were issued for different locations in the city, including in streets close to the Dodger Stadium in the Elysian Park area.

A bus was set on fire as part of the disorder.

Eyewitness and LA resident Taylor Rosa, 27, told Sky’s US partner network NBC News it was “absolute chaos”, as people “got out of control and started looting and jumping on top of a bus”.

Among the comments on Instagram were “damn embarrassment” and “they act like the Dodgers lost”.

Multiple arrests were made throughout the night in Echo Park and the downtown area, according to the Los Angeles Scanner account on X.

The LAPD later spoke of a “hostile crowd” and that “various projectiles”, including rocks and bottles, were being thrown at officers.

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Meanwhile, two Yankees fans missed the end of the series after they were banned for interfering with play during the fourth match, the New York team’s only win.

They grappled with the Dodgers’s Mookie Betts as he tried to catch a shot by the fence at the Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night.

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As Betts leapt at the wall and caught the ball, one fan grabbed his glove with both hands and wrenched the ball out, as another grabbed Betts’s other hand.

They were thrown out of the game and banned from the next one.

Los Angeles Dodgers players celebrate after clinching the MLB World Series with a 7-6 win over the New York Yankees in Game 5 on Oct. 30, 2024, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (Kyodo via AP Images) ==Kyodo
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The Dodgers beat the Yankees 7-6 in game five. Pic: AP

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani celebrates in the locker room after their win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
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Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani with the trophy. Pic: AP

The last time the Dodgers won the title, in 2020, the season was shortened by the COVID pandemic, which prevented them from staging a victory parade.

This year’s parade is to take place on Friday.

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US election: Elon Musk summoned to court over $1m giveaways to registered voters

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US election: Elon Musk summoned to court over m giveaways to registered voters

Elon Musk has been summoned to an emergency court hearing on Thursday over the $1m prizes he has been awarding registered voters in swing states.

The Tesla and X chief executive has been ordered by a judge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to address a civil case by the city’s top prosecutor to stop Mr Musk and his political action committee, America PAC, from giving the cash away.

The suit accuses Mr Musk of operating an illegal lottery and trying to influence voters in next week’s presidential election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Mr Musk and his PAC are backing Mr Trump, the Republican nominee.

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The controversial billionaire promised to give $1m (£772,000) each day to resgistered voters in swing states who have signed his online free speech and gun rights petition.

The first $1m was awarded to a man named John Dreher during a campaign event in Pennsylvania on 19 October.

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Both Mr Trump and Ms Harris have made repeated visits to the state as they fight for its 19 electoral votes.

Mr Musk is the world’s richest person and is worth $274bn (£210bn), according to Forbes, so the approximate $17m (£13m) he’s vowed to give away is a tiny fraction of his wealth.

The 53-year-old had donated $75m (£58m) to American PAC in the period up to mid-October.

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Documents filed by Philadelphia’s district attorney Larry Krasner also revealed that the lawsuit against Mr Musk had “triggered an avalanche of [social media] posts from Musk’s followers,” many of whom “made antisemitic attacks on Krasner”.

The attorney asked for enhanced security for the hearing, which was originally scheduled for Friday, after users on X had published Mr Krasner’s home address.

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‘Tell him I’ll register, $1 million!’

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America PAC is one of several major political action committees in the US.

Such groups can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money in support of political candidates, on the condition that they do not coordinate with their campaigns or give money to them.

Mr Trump has said he will give Mr Musk a government job if he becomes president again.

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