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* Tiger Woods in danger of missing the cut after rough start at British Open
Tiger Woods is at risk of missing the cut at his third straight major this year after a rough first round at The Open Championship on Thursday.

* Russia sentences journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison on espionage charges
A Russian court sentenced Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison on Friday on charges of espionage.

* Van Jones says 'Democrats dodged a bullet' after Trump's RNC speech
CNN commentator Van Jones said that Democrats "dodged a bullet" on Thursday, panning former President Trump's acceptance speech as a rambling mess.

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* CNN's Jake Tapper calls out MSNBC for skipping RNC: 'We're here live as opposed to some other networks'
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* Biden should step aside and resign, undecided voters tells ABC
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* Trump assassination attempt shows to Putin and Xi the West on Biden’s watch is vulnerable, unfocused
Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi have noted glaring gaps in America’s security, especially following the attempted assassination against President Trump, which they will likely take advantage of.

* Former Secret Service agent questions why Trump was allowed on stage amid threat concerns: 'Why not delay?'
Retired Secret Service agent Mike Matranga called operations at Trump's Pennsylvania rally a "catastrophic failure" as details emerge on what was known and when.

* Meet the American who cooked up frozen foods, adventurer and innovator Clarence Birdseye
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* Abner Haynes, ex-Chiefs star running back, dead at 86
Former Kansas City Chiefs star running back Abner Haynes, who spent most of his career in the organization, has died, the team said Thursday. He was 86.

DeSantis launches Operation Blue Ridge

By Special

Published 3 weeks ago

Last updated 3 weeks ago

Deploys Response and Recovery Assistance to North Carolina & Tennessee

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida is rapidly deploying recovery assistance to North Carolina and Tennessee to help with Hurricane Helene's impacts in Operation Blue Ridge. T

his multi-state agency response will include the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Florida State Guard, Florida National Guard, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and a Florida Law Enforcement Coordination Task Force, and a Law Enforcement Strike Team.

Additionally, today Governor Ron DeSantis is launching Operation Blue Ridge to assist Floridians seeking rescue in Western North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Tennessee Valley. These individuals can fill out our assistance form at FloridaDisaster.org/OperationBlueRidge.

This mission will begin with the following assets and personnel:

Florida Division of Emergency Management

One All-Hazards Incident Management Team
One Communication Unit Strike Team
One Telecommunications Emergency Response Task Force
Ten Truck Loads of Water (which equates to 42, 550 gallons of water)
Over 100 Starlinks

Florida State Guard

Two Special Missions Search and Rescue Teams
- 8 search and rescue soldiers
- 1 aerial assessment pilot

Florida National Guard

Two National Guard Response Teams
- 8 National Guard soldiers
Equipment
- 2 CH-47 Chinooks and crew

Florida Department of Law Enforcement

One Law Enforcement Coordination Taskforce
- 7 FDLE agents and analysts
One Law Enforcement Strike Team
- 7 FDLE agents and officers

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement

22-man team
- 2 Captains
- 2 Team Leaders
- 12 Officers/Investigators
- 1 LE PIO
- 1 Mechanic
Equipment
- 1 SOG trailer
- 4 High-water vehicles (buggy/high-water UTV)
- 3 Airboats
- 3 Shallow Draft vessels
- 18 4x4 trucks
Aviation
- Fixed-wing aircraft
- 1 pilot
- 1 tactical flight officer

Florida Department of Transportation The Florida Department of Transportation has made the following resources available to support the immediate inspection and assessment of transportation infrastructure maintained by NCDOT and TDOT:

Emergency Cut and Toss Strike Teams
Infrastructure Damage Assessment Teams
Bridge Inspection Team (including structures impacted by flood waters)
Temporary Bridge Materials
Hydraulic Modeling Professional
Project & Contract Management Teams
Public Information Officer & Emergency Communications Technology

Florida stands ready to continue assisting our neighbors as they begin to recover from Hurricane Helene's effects. Under Governor Ron DeSantis’ leadership, Florida’s strong disaster preparation and efficient response efforts have made it possible to provide much-needed assistance to other states. Follow FDEM on X, Instagram, and Facebook for updates and visit FloridaDisaster.org/Updates for information relating to Hurricane Helene.

Business notes

* Returning to growth: Tesla returned to profit and revenue growth in the third quarter, riding a rising trend for electric vehicles (EVs) worldwide and a turnaround in its energy business. Its stock closed up nearly 22 percent.

* Manufacturing Down for 4th Straight Month: The U.S. manufacturing industry was stuck in contraction for the fourth consecutive month in October as the goods-producing sector signaled “a deterioration in business conditions,” a new S&P Global report finds. The S&P Global Flash U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI)—an indicator of the manufacturing or service sectors’ prevailing direction of economic trends—rose to 47.8 this month, up from 47.3 in September.

* McDonald’s E. Coli Outbreak Worsens as Number of Confirmed Infections Rises to 75 Across 13 States

* Global Demand for Nuclear Energy Fuels Rise in Australian Uranium Exports

-- The Epoch Times

World View

* Russia sentences journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison on espionage charges
A Russian court sentenced Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison on Friday on charges of espionage.

* Deadly explosion in Tel Aviv leaves one dead, more wounded
A deadly drone attack in Tel Aviv Thursday has left one person dead and four more injured. Military officials are investigating the origin of the drone.

* Large explosion rocks Tel Aviv in middle of the night
A large explosion in Tel Aviv has left builds near the U.S. embassy damaged. It's not yet clear what the cause of the blast was.

* South Korea's top court issues landmark ruling recognizing some rights for same-sex couples
South Korea's Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples are eligible to receive the same health insurance benefits as heterosexual couples in a landmark verdict.

* Biden's $230 million Gaza pier quietly shuts down, US senator labels project 'national embarrassment'
President Biden promised the Gaza humanitarian pier as a means of increasing assistance into the area, but months later the military has announced that it will cease operation.

* WATCH: Helicopter rescues plane from snowy mountain after emergency landing
A Piper PA-18, a small plane, that had to make an emergency landing on a snowy mountain in Argentina was rescued by specialized personnel and a helicopter.

* ISIS threat rising in Syria, Iraq as US military warns terror attacks could double in 2024
ISIS attacks across Iraq and Syria are ramping up as the terrorist organization looks to boost its capabilities even as the U.S. and its allies continue to employ 'Defeat ISIS Missions'.

* European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen makes final bid for second term before vote
Ursula von der Leyen is running for a second five-year term as president of the European Union's executive commission. She is popular, but her re-election is not a foregone conclusion.

* Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich seen at second Russia hearing on bogus espionage charges
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich appeared in court on Thursday to resume his trial on espionage charges, charges his employer the U.S. government and his employer say are bogus.

* Bus crash in popular tourist spot kills 25 in mountain region, investigation ongoing
Authorities and officials in Peru have lamented the significant human factor in several bus crashes throughout the Andes, mostly tourism buses that speed along narrow roads.

* Zelenskyy says Ukraine can't win war unless US lifts limits on striking military targets in Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine cannot win the war with Russia unless restrictions are lifted on the use of U.S. weapons to attack targets inside Russia.

* Border fire between Israel, Hezbollah continues as delegates prepare to mediate ceasefire with Hamas
An Israeli soldier was killed in combat with Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah as fighting continues at Israel's northern border, the Israeli military said.

DeSantis launches Operation Blue Ridge

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