The Headlines - Agony and Relief After Milton, and the Nobel Peace Prize Is Awarded

Episode Date: October 11, 2024

Plus, the W.N.B.A.’s record-breaking season.   Tune in every weekday morning. To get our full audio journalism and storytelling experience, download the New York Times Audio app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Tell us what you think at: [e-mail]. On Today’s Episode:Dire Hurricane Warnings Got Floridians’ Attention, Saving Lives, by Jesus Jiménez, Jennifer Reed and Kate SeligNobel Peace Prize Is Awarded to Japanese Group of Atomic Bomb Survivors, by Megan Specia and Lynsey ChutelIn a Rambling Speech, Trump Offers Gripes and Yet Another Tax Cut, by Michael Gold and Alan RappeportA Stern Obama Tells Black Men to Drop ‘Excuses’ and Support Harris, by Erica L. Green and Katie RogersWNBA Finals Score: Minnesota Lynx Come Back to Beat New York Liberty in OT, by Michael Dominski

From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Friday, October 11th. Here's what we're covering. We have at the state level, we're continuing supporting search and rescue operations, Florida National Guard, Florida law enforcement, and urban search and rescue. Authorities in Florida are working their way through flooded streets and across wind-battered islands to assess the damage from Hurricane Milton, which cut a path of destruction across the state from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. At least 12 deaths have been linked to the storm.

Two and a half million people are currently without power. And many areas took their second hit in just two weeks before they could even clean up the debris from Hurricane Helene. Still, Governor Ron DeSantis said the damage appears to be less than what the state had braced for. I think in some areas, in terms of what was being predicted, some of the worst case scenarios did not come to pass, certainly in terms of some of the storm surge. Some of that is luck based on where the storm came ashore.

But Florida is also more prepared than ever to face what are becoming more frequent and more powerful storms. Before Milton hit, Florida organized the largest evacuation effort in the state's history. That, combined with updated building codes that make newer construction more storm-resistant, seems to have helped stave off the worst. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Peace Prize for 2024 to the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyu. The 2024 Nobel Peace Prize was announced this morning, and the winning group is Nihon Hidankyu,

a group of survivors of the U.S. nuclear attack on Japan during World War II. The committee said it was recognizing the survivors, also called hibakusha, for their work raising awareness with their personal experiences. The hibakusha helps us describe the indescribable, to think the unthinkable, and to grasp the incomprehensible pain and suffering caused by nuclear weapons. The committee's decision upended a lot of the speculation about who might win this year. Many had predicted it would be a party involved in one of multiple ongoing conflicts, whether in the Middle East or Ukraine. The first question the Nobel chairman received after he made the announcement was,

what message does this choice send given those ongoing wars? Our message to world leaders all over the world is that the stories and testimonies of the hibakusha is an important reminder of how unacceptable the use of nuclear weapon is. We should listen to their voices and I hope all leaders take the time to listen to the painful and dramatic stories of the hibakusha that reminds us that these weapons should never be used again ever. Thank you very much it's a great honor to be here. And thank you, John. It's really wonderful to be back in Detroit. In a lengthy and sprawling speech last night, Donald Trump tucked in a new economic proposal,

a call to make car loan interest tax deductible. This will stimulate massive domestic auto production and make car ownership dramatically more affordable for millions and millions of working American families. This is a phenomenal thing. He was making the speech to a room full of business leaders in Detroit, an audience tailor-made for that kind of proposal given Michigan's auto industry. He didn't outline how he'd pay for the plan, and it's the latest example of Trump dangling new and expensive tax credits to groups of voters he sees as key to his election chances next month.

Trump's already called for eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security benefits. According to a recent economic analysis, Trump's economic plans could drastically increase the nation's debt. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan group aimed at lowering deficits, found Trump's plans could add as much as $15 trillion to the nation's debt over a decade, nearly twice as much as plans Kamala Harris has proposed.

The group warned its estimates are subject to uncertainty because both of the candidates' economic proposals have been thin on details. Also on the campaign trail. Hello, Pittsburgh! Are you fired up? Former President Barack Obama held his first rally for Vice President Kamala Harris last night in Pennsylvania, which has become the epicenter of the 2024 campaign. The battleground state is viewed as a must-win by both candidates.

What I cannot understand is why anybody would think that Donald Trump will shake things up in a way that is good for you, Pennsylvania. I don't understand that. Obama's most notable comments of the night, though, came before the rally, when he stopped at a Harris campaign office to visit with volunteers and delivered a message aimed at one group in particular, Black men. We have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all courts Black men. which has been a population that the vice president has struggled to reach, and that her campaign is intent on reaching for her to win in November. Times reporter Erica Green was with Obama during the stop, where he said he felt that some Black men were coming up with excuses not to support Harris.

And he said, quote, I've got a problem with that. On some level, this was a calculated risk. President Obama could very well alienate some of the young Black men in particular that the campaign is trying to court. You know, those who may think that his just as he was when he was running and messaging that a change needs to happen. And finally. You can feel the vibe here at Barclays Center. The fans are excited. The WNBA Finals kicked off last night with the New York Liberty facing the Minnesota Lynx.

Stewart for the tie! Misses the layup! And Minnesota with a miracle game one win! The Lynx won the first of the five-game series with a dramatic overtime finish, despite being 18 points down at one point, tying the record for the largest WNBA Finals comeback ever. The championship series is capping off a year

of unprecedented success for the league, where rookies like Kaitlyn Clark and Angel Reese have had fans glued to their seats as they set records. Attendance at games has been at all-time highs, and the league smashed its viewership numbers. The number of people watching ESPN skyrocketed to 1.2 million per game this year, compared to just 400,000 last year. There's so much new money coming into the league. Sponsors that haven't been in this space before are excited to dive in. And they're about to get a huge influx of money from a new media rights deal that will take effect in 2026.

And these are all good signs for the future. Tanya Ganguly covers the WNBA for The Times. And she says while the league's popularity is booming, the money for the players hasn't kept up. For now, a lot of that money isn't trickling down to the players yet. Owners are handcuffed by rules that the league has in place, salary cap rules and other rules that prevent them from spending more to fill in the gaps when they would like to with their players. At the moment, the team salary cap for the WNBA, so the most they can pay their entire team combined, is $1.4 million. In the NBA, the minimum salary for a single player is $1.1 million. But, Tanya says, the players have leverage. And after the championships, there's a possibility they could demand a new deal. Not only to talk compensation, but also to get some assurances about the increased harassment that's come with bigger audiences.

If they do that, they can negotiate a new deal in which they address their financial security, their physical well-being, as well as their mental health. And that could help the players capitalize on the incredible season that the WNBA has had this year. Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, a Times investigation into how Trump used the government to seek revenge while in office. That's next in the New York Times audio app, or you can listen wherever you get your podcasts.

This show is made by Robert Jemison, Jessica Metzger, Jan Stewart, and me, Tracy Mumford, with help from Isabella Anderson. Original theme by Dan Powell. Special thanks to Larissa Anderson, Jake Lucas, Zoe Murphy, Sean Paik, and Paula Schumann. The headlines will be back on Monday.