The aftermath of Hurricane Helene 

Record-breaking storm Hurricane Helene was the strongest hurricane to strike Florida’s Big Bend region, according to CNN.

CNN reports 115 people were reported dead across six states, including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. The death toll continues to rise. 

There are 2.1 million people without power across South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation reported road closures throughout the Carolinas—300 in North Carolina and 150 in South Carolina. Due to the road closures, the delivery of water supplies to communities without water or power have been delayed. 

SpaceX Crew Dragon arrives at the International Space Station

A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft docked at the International Space Station yesterday at 5:30 p.m. EDT with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, according to CBS.

SpaceX is suspending Falcon 9 launches after the crew’s upper stage misfired Saturday. 

The second stage “experienced an off-normal deorbit burn. As a result, the second stage safely landed in the ocean, but outside of the targeted area,” SpaceX wrote in a post on X. 

The mishap did not affect Nague and Gorbunov’s arrival at the space station. They joined the two Starliner astronauts—commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and pilot Sunita Williams—who have been at the International Space Station since early June.

Nague, Gorbonuov, Wilmore and Williams will replace Crew 8 commander Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin. They will return to Earth in February 2025.

California governor vetoes AI safety bill

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes a bill to regulate AI because he said it “does not take into account whether an AI system is deployed in high risk environments, involves critical decision-making or the use of sensitive data,” according to BBC.

The bill, proposed by Sen. Scott Wiener, would have required the most advanced AI models to undergo safety testing. 

It proposed that developers needed to include a “kill switch” in their technology, which would shut off AI systems if they became a threat. 

Since the world’s largest AI companies, such as ChatGPT and OpenAI, reside in California, the bill would have a major impact on the industry—nationally and globally. 

Hamas leader in Lebanon killed in an airstrike 

Israeli officials said that Hamas commander Fateh Sherif was killed in an airstrike Monday at the al-Bass refugee camp in Tyre, Lebanon, according to Fox News.

Sherif was a United Nations Relief and Works Agency employee on administrative leave due to his alleged political activities, a UNRWA spokesperson said.

He was the principal of a UNRWA-run school in al-Bass and the head of the teachers’ union.

“Sherif was responsible for coordinating Hamas’ terror activities in Lebanon with Hezbollah operatives. He was also responsible for Hamas’ efforts in Lebanon to recruit operatives and acquire weapons,” the Israel Defense Force and Israeli Security Agency said.