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Biden tours Florida’s storm-hit streets as Milton debris piles up
By Trevor Hunnicutt
ST PETE BEACH, Florida (Reuters) -After surveying battered communities and debris-filled streets in Florida, President Joe Biden vowed on Sunday to continue supporting the state’s recovery from Hurricane Milton, the second major storm to pummel the region in recent weeks.
Rising floodwaters, fuel shortages and power outages are hindering cleanup efforts from the storm that made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane and residents struggling to rebuild their lives amid the compounded devastation left by both Milton and the earlier Hurricane Helene.
Residents of hard-hit St. Pete Beach are “heartbroken and exhausted and their expenses are piling up,” Biden said after touring the barrier island’s neighborhoods.
Street corners were filled with debris alongside felled palm trees and homes with busted pastel-painted garage doors as the smell of moldy building materials filled the air. Heaps of mattresses, siding, couches, microwave ovens, pillows and busted-up kitchen cabinets lined the roads, some still covered in large patches of sand, as Biden walked through with emergency responders. One photo album still lay scattered in the street.
“Help,” one resident asked Biden in lettering on one pile of destroyed household goods.
“I know you’re concerned about the debris removal, and it’s obvious why,” the president said, speaking in front of a collapsed beach house lifted from its foundation. “There’s much more to do. We’re doing everything we can.”
Meanwhile, flooding is expected to continue around the Tampa Bay and the Sanford area northeast of Orlando as river waters continue to rise, according to the National Weather Service’s website.
About 75% of Florida’s power is back online, with full restoration expected by Tuesday evening, said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, who traveled with Biden. Five days after the storm hit, about 927,000 customers still do not have power, according to the PowerOutage.us website.
More gasoline distribution sites are also scheduled to open on Sunday, according to the state’s emergency operations center.
Still, recovery is expected to take a long time with the two storms hitting within two weeks of each other.
Biden’s visit offered a bird’s eye view of the destruction as his helicopter thundered along Florida’s western coast from Tampa to St. Petersburg over a landscape of golf courses, waterfront skyscrapers and battered neighborhoods, including the shredded roof of Tampa Bay Rays’ baseball stadium, Tropicana Field.
“It’s still a mess,” Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert told ABC News’ “This Week” program, adding “it’s been heartening to see all of the outpouring of support and help that people have been offering.”
At least 17 deaths have been reported from Milton, far less than the more than 200 people killed by Helene, in part from what officials have said were more people heeding calls to evacuate.
‘A PATH FORWARD’
Climate change has been linked to stronger and faster hurricanes, with the two recent back-to-back storms pummeling Florida raising questions of infrastructure resiliency even as many residents vow to stay put.
While Milton was not as destructive as officials had initially forecast, analysts have estimated insured losses for between $30 billion and $60 billion.
Biden’s administration has approved federal aid to help residents and local governments cover expenses but has said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would need additional funding from the U.S. Congress even though it has enough now to meet immediate storm needs. On Sunday, he also announced $612 million for six new utility projects in affected communities.
Biden, a Democrat, reiterated his call for lawmakers — on recess until after the Nov. 5 election — to return to Washington to approve more FEMA money, telling reporters as he left the state Congress needs to move quickly: “It’s important.”
St. Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila, speaking alongside Biden, echoed the call for help: “We’re concerned about the future of our town… We need continued federal resources, and we need a path forward to ensure that our community and all other communities, all other cities who were devastated just like this town, can emerge stronger than ever before.”
But Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson resisted White House and state lawmakers appeals to approve more disaster assistance, telling NBC News’ “Meet the Press” program: “The states have to go and calculate and assess the need and then they submit that to Congress, and that takes some time.”
Relief efforts have also been hampered by a trail of misinformation, including conspiracy theories about officials controlling the weather. Politics has also infiltrated recovery with just three weeks to go until the presidential election.
A number of local officials greeted or accompanied Biden on his tour, including Florida Republican U.S. Representative Anna Luna. The state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, declined the White House invitation and Biden told reporters that he did not speak with DeSantis. DeSantis’ office was not immediately available for comment.
By Valerie Volcovici and Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump will once again withdraw the United States from the Paris climate deal, the White House said on Monday, removing the world’s biggest historic emitter from global efforts to fight climate change for the second time in a decade.
The decision would place the United States alongside Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries in the world outside the 2015 pact, in which governments agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
The announcement, in a document from the White House, reflects Trump’s skepticism about global warming, which he has called a hoax, and fits in with his broader agenda to unfetter U.S. oil and gas drillers from regulation so they can maximize output.
The United States is already the world’s top producer of oil and thanks to a years-long drilling boom in Texas, New Mexico and elsewhere fueled by fracking technology and strong global prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Trump also withdrew the U.S. from the Paris deal during his first term in office, though the process took years and was immediately reversed by the Biden presidency in 2021. The withdrawal this time around is likely to take less time – as little as a year – because Trump will not be bound by the deal’s initial three-year commitment.
This time could also be more damaging to global climate efforts, said Paul Watkinson, a former climate negotiator and senior policy advisor for France.
The U.S. is currently the world’s second-biggest greenhouse gas emitter behind China and its departure undermines global ambition to slash those emissions.
“It will be harder this time because we are in the thick of implementation, up against real choices,” Watkinson said.
The world is now on pace for global warming of more than 3 C by the end of the century, according to a recent United Nations report, a level scientists warn would trigger cascading impacts like sea level rise, heat waves, and devastating storms.
Nations have already been struggling to make steep cuts to emissions required to lower the projected temperature increase, as wars, political tensions and tight government budgets push climate change down the list of priorities.
Trump’s approach cuts a stark contrast to that of former President Joe Biden, who wanted the United States to lead global climate efforts and sought to encourage a transition away from oil and gas using a combination of subsidies and regulations.
Trump has said he intends to unwind those subsidies and regulations to shore up the nation’s budget and grow the economy, but has insisted he can do that while also ensuring clean air and water in the United States.
Li Shuo, an expert in climate diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said the U.S. withdrawal risks undermining America’s ability to compete with China in key clean energy markets like solar power and electric vehicles.
“China stands to win, and the U.S. risks lagging further behind,” he said.
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CUBI FINAL DEADLINE: ROSEN, A LEADING NATIONAL FIRM, Encourages Customers Bancorp, Inc. Investors to Secure Counsel Before Important January 31 Deadline in Securities Class Action First Filed by the F
New York, New York–(Newsfile Corp. – January 20, 2025) – WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Customers Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: NYSE:) between March 1, 2024 and August 8, 2024, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”), of the January 31, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline in the securities class action first filed by the Firm.
SO WHAT: If you purchased Customers Bancorp securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Customers Bancorp class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=28067 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than January 31, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.
WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action (WA:) Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Customers Bancorp had inadequate anti-money laundering practices; (2) as a result, it was not in compliance with its legal obligations, which subjected it to heightened regulatory risk; and (3) as a result, defendants’ statements about Customers Bancorp’s business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
To join the Customers Bancorp class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=28067 call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.
No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor’s ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook (NASDAQ:): https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/237660
Investing.com — Donald Trump has been inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States. The swearing-in ceremony was conducted by Chief Justice John Roberts. Alongside him, JD Vance took the oath of vice presidency, administered by Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
In his inauguration speech, President Trump promised the beginning of a golden era for America. He is set to initiate a series of executive actions, as per incoming White House officials.
These potentially include the commencement of a process to terminate birthright citizenship and the declaration of a national emergency on the US-Mexico border. It is also anticipated that Trump will grant pardons to some individuals involved in the January 6 riots on his first day in office.
“We will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens,” Trump said during his address. “For this purpose, we are establishing the External Revenue Service to collect all tariffs, duties and revenues.”
The inauguration event was attended by a host of political leaders, former presidents, and influential billionaires. Among the notable guests were Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Country music artist Carrie Underwood was also present, performing the song “America the Beautiful.”
Before the transition of power, former President Joe Biden granted pardons to several individuals. These included Gen. Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and members of Congress who were part of the committee investigating the events of January 6.
Preemptive pardons were also issued for Biden’s siblings, James and Frank, his sister Valerie, and their respective spouses.
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