As Hurricane Milton Approaches, Waves of Misinformation Complicate FEMA's Efforts

What's Happening

US News

As Hurricane Milton Approaches, Waves of Misinformation Complicate FEMA's Efforts

What's going on: Hurricane Milton is barreling toward central Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, which hasn’t seen a direct hit from a hurricane in more than a century. The storm comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the state. As the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) works on Helene recovery efforts and Milton preparations, the agency is also trying to combat rampant misinformation. One particularly harmful falsehood, debunked on FEMA’s new fact-checking page, claims the agency is “blockading people in Florida and preventing evacuations.” This rumor could deter people from leaving vulnerable areas, despite state officials warning that doing so is imperative. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump and some GOP lawmakers have been boosting inaccurate claims that FEMA’s response to Helene was biased against Republicans, and that relief funds were diverted to assist undocumented immigrants. Platforms like X and TikTok, where more Americans are getting their news, aren’t helping contain the misinformation.

What it means: Once Milton, now strengthened back to a Category 5 storm, makes landfall — which could happen tonight or early Thursday — it’s likely to have severe and potentially deadly impacts. FEMA warned that false rumors about both hurricanes are putting hundreds of thousands of lives at risk and exacerbating an already dangerous situation. The storm response will require significant resources, including efforts to communicate vital info to people who don’t or can’t evacuate. Plus, all this disinformation is also impacting the morale among first responders, Axios reported, and deterring people from applying for aid and disaster loans that could provide essential post-hurricane assistance. 

Related: Officials Are Getting Hit With Antisemitic Attacks After Helene (WaPo Gift Link)

US News

The US Is Finally Saying Goodbye to Lead Pipes

What's going on: Every lead pipe in the nation needs to be replaced in the next 10 years, according to a new rule from the Biden administration (yes, such a rule didn’t exist already). Despite being banned in 1986, lead pipes continue to deliver water to millions of homes and businesses, in part because it can cost billions of dollars to replace the pipes. Over time, as plumbing corrodes, lead can seep into the water supply, leaving tens of millions of Americans vulnerable to lead contamination. Lead exposure disproportionately harms kids and infants and can cause health problems like irrevocable damage to the brain and nervous system. The administration’s new rule now requires water utilities across the country to replace an estimated 9.2 million lead service lines by 2034 — a move that’ll especially benefit low-income and minority communities where lead pipes are more prevalent.

What it means: Health experts say the rule, which comes a decade after the Flint, Michigan, water crisis, is a game-changer. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates the move will protect as many as 900,000 infants per year from low birth weights and keep kids from losing up to 200,000 IQ points annually. The new plan isn’t perfect, though. The rule places most of the burden on water utility companies to replace the pipes (though many of these companies plan to fight the rule), but it doesn’t require them to pay for the portions of lead lines on private property, including those inside homes. Environmental groups say this omission puts the cost and responsibility on lower-income homeowners who may not be able to afford the necessary replacements.

Related: Does Your Home Have Lead Pipes? Find Out Via These Handy Steps (NYT Gift Link)

Politics

Bob Woodward's Book Reveals New Insights Into Trump and Putin's Friendship

What's going on: Journalist Bob Woodward’s latest book War explores two major foreign policy challenges facing the Biden admin: the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. However, details about the friendship between former President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are dominating headlines. In the book, which comes out next week, Woodward reveals that during the height of the pandemic, Trump sent Putin rare COVID-19 testing machines. You know, as friends do. Putin reportedly responded, “I don’t want you to tell anybody because people will get mad at you, not me.” An unnamed Trump aide also told Woodward that the two leaders remained in contact even after Trump left office, allegedly speaking as many as seven times since 2020, including as recently as earlier this year. Both Trump and the Kremlin have denied the reporting in Woodward’s book, which is based on hundreds of hours of interviews with “firsthand participants.”

Tell me more: Woodward’s book isn’t just about Trump. He offered insight on how President Biden and VP Kamala Harris are steering the country’s foreign policy. Woodward described Harris as a Biden loyalist, but as someone without much influence when it comes to the current administration’s foreign policy — an area in which she has faced criticism. The book also shares that Biden reportedly had a few private outbursts when talking about Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He called Putin the “epitome of evil” and Netanyahu a “bad guy.” The president also reportedly criticized his old boss, saying former President Barack Obama “never took Putin seriously” after Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea.

Related: Putin Trolled the US Election With His “Endorsement” Last Month (CNN)

Well Played

The week's sports news and culture stories, ranked.

Winning: After scoring a touchdown at their international game in London, two Vikings players performed their rendition of the Parent Trap handshake. Twice the fun, double the trouble. Also scoring points? The Minnesota Lynx, which is officially headed to the WNBA Finals. Game 1 against the New York Liberty tips off tomorrow night.

Sweeter than victory: Chiefs rookie Xavier Worthy is proof there’s no expiration date on being a momma’s boy. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks launched their junior reporter program, and we’re not sure who’s more excited for the interview, the kids or Giannis Antetokounmpo. Just look at those little chairs…

Chaotic: Only Céline Dion could make football sound so sensual in her new NFL promo video: “When you touch me like this, when you hold me like that — it kind of fits, no?” Another video to watch: Vanderbilt fans stormed the field after beating Alabama and tore down the goalpost — resulting in a six-figure fine for Vandy. Go Commodores?

Hang it in the Louvre: Coco Gauff made history (again) after she became the first American woman to win the China Open since Serena Williams in 2013.

Amazon Prime Big Deal Days

It’s the second and final day of Amazon Prime Big Deal Days. That means it’s your last chance to peruse thousands of deals across categories, from tech to beauty to kids’ stuff. Not sure where to begin? Check out…

• The overall best deals to shop today

• What our editors are buying ASAP

• Beauty deals you won’t want to miss

Watch Now

Settle This

Airheads is launching a new, limited-edition product for Halloween. Can you guess what it is?

Extra Credit

Watch

PSA: School is back in session. Abbott Elementary has returned for Season 4 — and there’s a lot to anticipate, especially since Season 3 ended with Janine and Gregory (finally) kissing and deciding to pursue a relationship. In addition to all the familiar faces (like Sheryl Lee Ralph and Lisa Ann Walter), fans should also expect to see some new ones, thanks to a recently announced crossover episode with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. So order yourself a celebratory cheesesteak and tune into ABC for the premiere at 9:30 pm ET tonight.

Game Time

Looking for a crossword that’s not impossible to solve? You’re in luck. This one even offers hints when you get stuck. The faster you finish, the better your score — and the more impressed the group chat will be. Go on.