Florida begins Milton recovery and Obama backs Harris: Morning Rundown

Florida communities grapple with devastation after Hurricane Milton. One person died and 23 were rescued after an elevator malfunctioned at a tourist mine. And Barack Obama speaks of “true strength” at a rally for Kamala Harris.

This is what you should know today.

Florida heads to recovery after Milton

At least 16 people have been confirmed dead in Florida after tornadoes struck this week and Hurricane Milton ripped through the state, leaving a trail of damage and devastation. Millions of customers are still without power.

Rescue efforts were underway in several parts of the state, including Clearwater, where first responders were stationed 500 people rescued from a flooded apartment complex. Clearwater police said they saw chest- and neck-deep water in some places and several submerged vehicles. And the 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 take 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 back up,” said Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers, adding that some residents have remodeled their homes four times in the last few years.

In Sarasota, the city in the eye of the storm, The residents were relieved that they largely escaped the storm surges that inundated other cities.

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

Follow our live blog for the latest updates.

More coverage of Hurricane Milton:

• Milton dropped so much rain on the Tampa Bay area that it It is a precipitation event that occurs once in 1,000 years.
• A woman who went into labor as Milton traveled to Florida remembered the memorable birth of her first childfrom a dangerous trip to the hospital to an unplanned cesarean section.
• A viral post on X with an AI-generated image spawned a bizarre meme trend of fake images of hurricane survivors.
• A TikTok-famous Florida resident nicknamed “Lieutenant Dan” survived the storm after turning down offers to stay on his boat.
• The IRS said it was are rushing to process around $10 billion in late Covid claims from small business owners in the Southeast who are now reeling from the brutal hurricane season.

1 dead, 23 rescued after tourist mine malfunctions in Colorado

Colorado officials are investigating what led to 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 at the Mollie Kathleen Mine in Teller County, about 100 miles south of Denver, sheriff's officials said.

After a problem with the elevator was reported, 11 people, including two children, were rescued. The remaining 12 people, stuck 300 meters underground, had water and blankets and communicated with emergency responders before resurfacing. Here's what else we know.

The recall of a Fisher-Price children's swing does not go far enough, says the safety representative

A commissioner at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission criticized a Fisher-Price recall of its Snuga Swings that has been linked to the deaths of five toddlers over a 10-year period.

Yesterday, Fisher-Price told consumers to immediately remove two recalled swing parts – a headrest and a seat cushion insert that supports an infant's body – saying the components could increase the risk of suffocation. Consumers who comply 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, the CPSC's Richard Trumka Jr. called on Fisher-Price to recall the entire product and refund customers the full price of the product, about $160. “My advice: get your $25 back and then throw the product away,” he said. Read the full story here.

Obama taunts Trump in speech about 'real strength'

Former President Barack Obama made a direct appeal to American men to support Vice President Harris at a rally in Pittsburgh, calling Trump someone who did not embody “real strength.”

“I'm sorry, gentlemen, this has struck me particularly among some men who see some of Trump's behavior – the bullying and belittling of people – as a sign of strength,” he told a crowd in Pittsburgh. “And I’m here to tell you: That’s not true strength. This has never happened before.”

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 highlights a wide gender divide when it comes to who supports which candidate. Polls suggest Harris is winning women by wide margins while he is struggling with men.

Read more about Obama's speech.

More election coverage:

➡️ Harris is in the middle of a media frenzy that has included conversations with Howard Stern on his radio show, The View's Joy Behar and Stephen Colbert, with whom she shared a beer. There is nothing random about the places where she appeared.

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

➡️ The unprecedented destruction caused by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, one of the largest swing states, The campaign plans of both parties were turned upside down.

➡️ Trump said in a speech in Detroit that the US had allowed “big companies” to “come in and invade and rape our country.”

➡️ Trump's ongoing relationship with Russia's Vladimir Putin has drawn criticism, but Putin is not the only foreign leader Trump has kept in touch with since I left the White House.

➡️ At least four cities and one district still waiting for the refund for costs related to Trump campaign events since 2016.

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

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

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read all about it

• The Nobel Peace Prize went to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of atomic bomb survivors We are working to achieve a world without nuclear weapons
• Social Security recipients should receive a COLA increase of 2.5% from 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 Donald Trump’s early years, paints a devastating portrait of the former president. The film'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, died at the age of 96.

Personnel selection: Hurricane conspiracies continue to simmer

Hurricanes Helene and Milton are over. Their damage is widespread and can be measured 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 into the real world, where the damage is less easy to measure. Bruna Horvath's reporting brings the danger and stakes into focus spreading strange 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 out some popular prepared meal delivery services and spoke with nutritionists and chefs. Here are her favorites. Plus, virus season is here, so consider restocking your supplies N95 and KN95 masks.

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