The second Republican primary debate nears as the field of eligible candidates grows smaller. And some residents in Hawaii are returning home more than a month after the deadly wildfires. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.
7 presidential hopefuls set to take stage for 2nd GOP primary debate
The field is set for the second GOP presidential primary debate as seven candidates are expected to take the stage, down one from the first debate. The debate is hosted by Fox Business Network and Univision and will take place tomorrow night at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson did not reach the polling threshold required to qualify.
Here is who has qualified:
- Doug Burgum, North Dakota governor
- Chris Christie, former New Jersey governor
- Ron DeSantis, Florida governor
- Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor/former UN ambassador
- Mike Pence, former Vice President
- Vivek Ramaswamy, tech entrepreneur
- Tim Scott, South Carolina senator
While former President Donald Trump is still the party’s leading nominee, he will once again skip out on debate night, holding another counterprogramming event. This time he plans on speaking with current and former union workers in Detroit as the United Auto Workers strike nears the two-week mark.
The debate begins at 9 p.m. ET.
President Biden to join autoworkers in Michigan; Ford halts plant construction
President Joe Biden will be in Michigan on Tuesday, Sept. 26 to stand with striking autoworkers. As the UAW begins its second week of a workers’ strike against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, Ford is announcing a pause on construction of a new $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Marshall, Michigan until it is confident the factory can be run competitively.
The new facility was first announced in February and is expected to employ an extra 2,500 workers. UAW union president Shawn Fain said Ford’s announced pause on construction is a threat by the company to cut jobs.
Among the issues between the two sides, workers are asking for a 36% raise over four years.
Lahaina residents return home more than one month after wildfires
Some residents in Maui can finally return to their properties in Lahaina after the town was destroyed in the deadly wildfires last month. Authorities opened part of the area on Monday, Sept. 25, nearly seven weeks since Hawaiian residents had to evacuate as the fast-moving flames tore through their communities.
With the unknown reality of the condition of their homes sinking in, Darryl Oliveira the interim administrator for the Maui Emergency Management Agency, said he wanted to make sure residents had space and privacy to reflect.
“I think initially, you know, people are who haven’t been in here since the fire are taken aback by the amount and extent of the destruction. Talking to one property owner, he’s like ‘Darryl, there’s no wood. nothing is here from our home,’” Oliveira said.
At least 97 people died in the wildfires and more than 2,000 homes were destroyed. Officials predict it will take at least a decade to rebuild.
Cuba describes embassy attack as act of terrorism
A man allegedly threw two Molotov cocktails at Cuba’s embassy in Washington, D.C. on Sunday. Both Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla and President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez have denounced the attack as terrorism. U.S. officials have not announced a motive, but did condemn the attack.
Cuba’s president was in attendance at last week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York. Cubans held protests outside the building over his presence in the U.S.
According to a law enforcement source who spoke with CBS News, the two devices thrown at the embassy likely did not explode at all.
8 injured as JetBlue flight experiences ‘sudden severe turbulence’
Seven passengers and one crew member aboard a JetBlue flight had to be taken to the hospital after the plane experienced what the airline called sudden severe turbulence on Monday.
Officials say the flight from Ecuador to Fort Lauderdale suffered turbulence as it neared Florida. After landing safely, the eight people were taken to a hospital to be treated and evaluated.
The severity of their injuries and their conditions have not been released. The National Transportation Safety Board says it has opened an investigation. The airline has taken the plane out of service for inspection.
This incident follows several others this year where passengers were injured during turbulent flights with the latest occurring last month when eleven people on a Delta flight were taken to the hospital.
Creator of nutrition facts label dies at 76
Graphic designer Burkey Belser died on Monday at the age of 76. While you may not be familiar with his name — you see his work every day in your grocery store, pantries, and refrigerators.
Belser was the creator of the nutrition facts label seen on the packaging of nearly every food we purchase. The label was created in 1994 after the passage of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act.
The Food and Drug Administration reached out to Belser after seeing his other famous work: the black and yellow “Energy Guide Label” found on appliances. Belser was once described by The Washing Post as “the Steve Jobs of information design.”
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