Hurricane Helene: Harris to travel to Georgia to survey storm impact – US politics live

Summary

Here are some of the latest images coming through the newswires of Hurricane Helene:

Biden on USMX and ILA negotiations: ‘Now is not the time for ocean carriers to refuse to negotiate a fair wage’

The federal government has delivered more than 2.6 million ready-to-eat meals and more than 1 million liters of water, homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.

“At its peak, there were 5.1 million customers without power … we’ve reduced that number of customers without power by 3.8 million people,” he added.

In response to a question about communities on the ground that have been badly affected by Hurricane Helene and feel that the government is not doing enough, Mayorkas said: “We are there, and we will continue to be there, and we will reach the most difficult to access locations. We are relentless in our efforts to ensure the safety and security of all.”

More than 100 people have been killed by Hurricane Helene across multiple states in recent days.

Homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is giving an update on Hurricane Helene.

During the White House press briefing, Mayorkas said, “Hurricane Helene is of a historic magnitude, this many states hit this hard, the wind field of the hurricane stretched 350 miles from its center.”

He added, “We are in different phases of a post hurricane environment, depending on the state and the location within the state. In some areas, we are still in search and recovery, search and rescue operations. And others, we are in the response and recovery phase.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has made federal assistance available to Georgia residents in 30 additional counties to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene.

In a news release issued on Tuesday, Fema said:

Individuals in Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Chatham, Clinch, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Lincoln, McDuffie, Montgomery, Screven, Telfair, Treutlen, Ware, Washington and Wheeler counties may be eligible for grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help them recover from the effects of the disaster.

According to Fema, in addition to housing expenses, survivors may be eligible for other serious disaster-related needs such as replacement of damaged personal property and expenses for transportation, childcare, moving and storage.

Republicans in Nevada are dismissing an effigy of a nude Donald Trump as “deplorable”.

The Guardian’s Edward Helmore reports:

A 43ft (13 meters) effigy of an entirely nude Donald Trump on the interstate from Las Vegas to Reno, Nevada, has been dismissed as “deplorable” and “pornographic” by Republicans in the state.

In a statement, the Nevada Republican party said it “strongly condemns” the effigy of the former president, which hangs from a crane, weighs 6,000lbs, is made from foam and rebar, is titled Crooked and Obscene and is expected to be brought to other cities as part of a nationwide tour.

“While families drive through Las Vegas, they are forced to view this offensive marionette, designed intentionally for shock value rather than meaningful dialogue,” said the party’s statement, invoking the name of a city that was essentially founded to capitalize on gambling and sex.

The artists behind the graphic effigy – who want to remain anonymous – told the Wrap that Trump’s nudity was “intentional, serving as a bold statement on transparency, vulnerability and the public personas of political figures”.

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Harris to travel to Georgia on Wednesday

The justice department has launched its first federal investigation of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

On Monday, assistant attorney general Kristen Clarke announced the opening of the investigation under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act.

Under the act, the federal government is able to investigate civil and violent crimes committed before 1970.

“We acknowledge descendants of the survivors, and the victims continue to bear the trauma of this act of racial terrorism,” Clarke said, the Associated Press reports, referring to the tragedy in 1921 where white supremacists killed around hundreds of residents in Oklahoma while destroying around 1,250 homes and businesses.

The event is largely considered one of the most horrific incidents of racial violence in the history of the US.

Joe Biden has urged port operators to increase wages after 45,000 workers went on strike.

The Guardian’s Michael Sainato reports:

Biden has urged port operators to give workers a “meaningful increase” in pay after tens of thousands went on strike, prompting some of the busiest ports in the US to brace for crippling disruption.

About 45,000 port workers represented by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) began walking off the job after their contracts expired at midnight, with 36 ports along the east and Gulf coasts affected. They typically handle about half of the nation’s ocean shipping.

Talks over a new contract between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have broken down, and the union dismissed a last-ditch offer from operators hours before the strike was due to began.

Hours after the strike began, the White House issued a robust statement calling on USMX to negotiate a “fair” contract that reflects “the substantial contribution” of ports workers to America’s economy.

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