*** OVERNIGHT STORM UPDATE *** Hurricane Michael and its remnants as a tropical storm mowed through Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, killing at least seven people and leaving massive destruction in its wake. Authorities used helicopters and boats in recovery efforts on Thursday, struggling to reach leveled parts of Florida cut off from ground access. More than 1 million homes and businesses in four states were without electricity and nearly 7,000 people were displaced in shelters. Four hospitals and a dozen nursing facilities had to close in Florida and Georgia. Trump said he will visit Florida soon to survey the devastation and discuss recovery. "The mother of all bombs doesn't do any more damage than this." – Tom Bailey, former mayor of Mexico Beach (see NBC News drone footage of what remains of the town) © Twitter
> The New York Times published a gallery of heart-rending photographs from the storm's path HERE. > Behind every massive natural disaster lurks politics, and just weeks before Florida's Senate race ends between Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D), speculation abounds about a potential boost for either candidate among Sunshine State voters after their appearances during wall-to-wall storm coverage (The Associated Press/Chicago Sun-Times). **** WHITE HOUSE & ADMINISTRATION: Stock futures were pointing up this morning, but the president has been unhappy about the massive sell-off in financial markets this week, rising interest rates and the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decisions. He has not, however, found fault with the administration's tariffs policy, part of a brew of indicators unnerving investors. "I think the Fed is overly aggressive" in raising rates, Trump told The Washington Examiner during an interview. "Other than that, we are doing so well, it's incredible. …The numbers, the corporate earnings, the liquidity, it's incredible. Our country is so strong. We've never been in a position as good as we are now, economically." > White House national economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters on Thursday that the president's repeated public objections to Fed rate hikes intended to stave off inflation are an expression of his personal opinion, not presidential policy directions to the central bank. (Lawmakers, economists, analysts and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell would prefer the president mute such opinions from his bully pulpit.) The S&P 500 index on Thursday fell below a key threshold watched by traders, signaling to some that the bull market has ended. "It can be a sign of more trouble ahead," one trader explained (CNBC). Stocks sold off again on Thursday; investors dumped equities around the globe in part because of fears of rapidly rising interest rates. The financials and energy sectors fell about 3 percent each. Tech shares failed to rebound after posting steep losses, and the erosion took the indexes to their worst two-day decline in eight months (CNBC). Reuters: Call 'em crazy, but Fed likely to keep raising rates. > The heads of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday urged the U.S. and China to de-escalate a dispute over Beijing's technology development strategy, warning of potential lasting damage to the global economy. Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said she would advise Beijing and Washington to cool down, fix aspects of the world trading system that need fixing and "don't break it" (The Associated Press). Hours later, signs emerged suggesting the advice may have resonated in some capitals. > China: Trump will meet with President Xi Jinping in November at the Group of 20 multilateral summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, spokesmen for both countries confirmed on Thursday. On the agenda: Trade tensions (The Wall Street Journal). Department of Justice: The president is mulling potential candidates who could replace Jeff Sessions, on the assumption the attorney general could depart at the end of this year. The names of five candidates are floated (The Wall Street Journal). U.N. ambassador post: The president's favored candidate to succeed Nikki Haley later this year as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Dina Powell, told the White House she wishes to remain at Goldman Sachs (CNN). Missing Saudi journalist: Trump on Thursday said he is opposed to any suggestions to sanction Saudi Arabia by blocking arms sales as a way to try to gain more information about Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who has been missing since Oct. 2 in Instanbul (Reuters). Khashoggi, a staunch critic of the Saudi royal family and a contributing writer to The Washington Post who was in exile in the United States, vanished inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey 10 days ago. "We have investigators over there and we're working with Turkey and frankly we're working with Saudi Arabia. We want to find out what happened. He went in, and it certainly doesn't look like he came out. It certainly doesn't look like he's around." – Trump Turkish government officials have told U.S. officials they have audio and video evidence that Khashoggi was interrogated, tortured, killed and his body dismembered inside the Saudi consulate. It was not immediately clear that U.S. officials have seen the footage or heard the audio evidence themselves (The Washington Post). > Congress & Khashoggi: Top Republican senators say they're hopeful the Trump administration will heed their warnings and act on the Senate's request for the White House to conduct a statutorily required investigation into whether Saudi sanctions are needed in the wake of Khashoggi's disappearance and concerns the journalist was murdered (The Hill). CNN's Nic Robertson/analysis: Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul understanding he'd been threatened in the past – and despite friends fearing it could be a trap. Al-Monitor's Bruce Riedel: What happened to Khashoggi? American pastor in Turkey: NBC News and The Washington Post reported on Thursday that the United States and Turkey reached a secret sanctions-lifting agreement in which some charges against imprisoned U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson would be dropped and he would be released at a court hearing today or soon. The State Department said Thursday night it was unaware of any deal with Turkey for Brunson's release (Reuters). Russia probe: Trump's legal team is preparing answers to written questions provided by special counsel Robert Mueller. The move could be a major development after months of negotiations and signals that the Mueller investigation may be nearing a final phase (CNN). Melania Trump: ABC News will broadcast a special program tonight at 10 p.m. ET about the first lady, drawn from an interview she granted the network during her recent trip to Africa. Celebrity & policy: Rapper Kanye West came to the White House on Thursday for lunch and stayed to be part of a show. Invited to discuss criminal justice reform and violence in Chicago, his hometown, with Trump and White House adviser Jared Kushner, West also heaped elaborate praise on the president, donned a Make America Great Again cap, and hugged Trump across the Resolute desk while cameras caught every move (and word) (The Hill). Trump's quote of the day: "That was quite something." Hours later, after a costume change, West became a social media curiosity while standing atop a table at the Apple store in Washington's Georgetown neighborhood, offering a "keynote" (Page Six). © Getty Images
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