Tropical Storm Helene is fast approaching Florida with the potential to form into the biggest hurricane to hit the U.S. in over a year. And Donald Trump’s campaign says he’s been briefed by U.S. intelligence officials on threats from Iran to assassinate him. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024.
Florida, Southeast U.S. brace for Helene
Evacuations are underway in Florida as Tropical Storm Helene rapidly intensifies as it aims for the state’s Gulf Coast. Hurricane warnings are in place for a large portion of northwest Florida, as well as Mexico’s eastern coast.
The National Hurricane Center’s latest updates have Helene on track to make landfall in the Sunshine State late Thursday, Sept. 26, as a Category 3 hurricane.
Meteorologists say Helene will be extremely large and powerful, impacting the southeast far beyond just Florida. They say torrential rains, potentially life-threatening winds and storm surge, as well as tornado threats will be issues throughout the area.
The last Category 3 hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. was Idalia last year, which also made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region and brought record-breaking storm surge to most of the state’s western coast.
Congress set to pass stopgap government funding bill
The U.S. House and Senate are both on track to pass a stopgap funding bill Wednesday, Sept. 25, that will avert a government shutdown early next week. The measure would keep federal agencies funded at their current levels through Dec. 20.
It also sets aside an additional $231 million to bolster the budget for the Secret Service. That comes as concerns over the agency’s efficacy continue to mount in the wake of two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump.
While the stopgap bill is the brainchild of Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, many in his party still say they will not vote in favor of it, forcing House GOP leadership to rely on Democratic votes for it to pass.
Trump campaign says former president briefed on Iranian assassination threats
The Trump campaign said the former president has been informed by U.S. intelligence officials about threats from Iran to assassinate him.
In a statement Tuesday, Sept. 23, a Trump campaign spokesperson said, “President Trump was briefed earlier today by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence regarding real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States.”
According to the campaign, the officials told Trump these “coordinated attacks” have “heightened in the past few months” and government agencies are working to protect the Republican presidential nominee and the upcoming election.
Trump later posted on Truth Social that there have been “big threats” on his life by Iran — saying while they didn’t work out, Iran will try again.
Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York has not responded to media requests for a statement.
This news comes after two assassination attempts on the former president, one in Butler, Pennsylvania and another at his Florida golf course. There has been no indication of Iranian involvement in either case.
Congress passes bill to boost presidential candidate security
The Senate unanimously passed a House bill that would bolster Secret Service security for presidential candidates, sending the bill to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign. The measure, known as the Enhanced Security Act, cleared the House last week.
The bill would require an equal standard of protection be applied to presidents and all major party candidates.
The bill is not expected to make a difference in the level of protection former President Trump receives, as the Secret Service says he was already under the highest level of protection at the time of both assassination attempts.
Caroline Ellison sentenced to two years over cryptocurrency fraud
Caroline Ellison, a top executive with the former cryptocurrency leader FTX, was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday in connection to a fraud scheme that stole $8 billion from investors and customers.
The judge and prosecutors agreed to give Ellison a lighter sentence after she pleaded guilty and testified against FTX founder and her former boyfriend Sam Bankman-Fried during his trial last November. He was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The judge called Ellison’s cooperation “very, very substantial” but added a prison sentence was necessary because she participated in what could possibly be the “greatest financial fraud ever perpetrated in this country or anywhere else.”
Ellison is to report to prison Nov. 7.
Coca-Cola pulling new flavor off the shelves after 7 months
Soda drinkers may be having flashbacks to the New Coke miss of the 1980s as Coca-Cola is pulling another version of its signature beverage off store shelves just seven months after its debut. Coca-Cola Spiced went on sale in February as the newest entry in Coke’s permanent line-up.
A Coca-Cola spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday, “We’re always looking at what our customers like and adjusting our range of products. As part of this strategy, we’re planning to phase out Coca-Cola Spiced to introduce an exciting new flavor in 2025.”
The company said earlier this year the spiced soda was part of its strategy to innovate and respond to industry trends. It added the flavor was developed in just seven weeks — as opposed to the 12 months plus it typically takes the company to develop a new product.
