Your Morning: Helene devastates Southeast

Weather: Nearly 100 people are dead following Helene’s sweep across the Southeast, inundating Florida’s Big Bend region and trapping thousands of people in Asheville, North Carolina. Recovery efforts are continuing Monday across the Southeast after Helene left widespread destruction in its path. Millions of people remain without power as rescue crews work to reach communities left underwater. The latest >

Trump Florida suspect: Ryan Routh, the man authorities say staked out Trump for 12 hours on his golf course in Florida and admitted his desire to kill the former president in a letter, is expected to be arraigned Monday. Routh was initially charged with two federal firearms offenses for the Sept. 15 incident, where investigators say he aimed a rifle at Trump through the golf course’s shrubbery before the Secret Service shot in Routh’s direction. He now also faces an attempted assassination charge. The latest >

Chemical plant fire: Some people living east of Atlanta evacuated their homes Sunday while others were urged to shelter in place to avoid contaminants from a chemical plant fire that sent a massive plume of smoke into the sky. The blaze has also shut down traffic on Interstate 20 and businesses in the area have been asked to close. The fire started when a sprinkler head malfunctioned at around 5 a.m. Sunday at the BioLab plant in Conyers. The malfunction resulted in water mixing with a water-reactive chemical, producing a plume of chemicals, Rockdale County officials said. Read the latest >

Airstrike hits Beirut: The first apparent Israeli airstrike on central Beirut in almost a year of conflict struck an apartment building Monday. The airstrike came after Israel hit targets across Lebanon, killing dozens of people. Hezbollah has taken blows to its command structure, including the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah’s new acting leader vowed Monday to keep battling Israel and said the group is prepared for a long fight. U.S. President Joe Biden said Sunday he plans to speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that an all-out war in the Middle East must be avoided. The latest >

Grocery prices: While many Americans are feeling the strain of prices at the grocery store, presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have made promises and released proposals aimed at improving the U.S. economy. Here’s a look at some of their most prominent positions, and how experts view the chances of those stands becoming reality >

Gabby Petito: Gabby Petito’s father has made it his mission to help others who are missing or are victims of domestic violence. Gabby Petito’s disappearance sparked a national search and news coverage across the world, in television, newspapers and especially social media. The search ended eight days after her parents reported her missing when her body was found at a Wyoming campsite. The FBI later announced that her fiance, Brian Laundrie, was found dead and left a confession admitting he killed her. “Billions of people (paid attention to her case) … but now we’ve got to get those stories for other people. Everyone deserves the same attention,” Joe Petito said during a special episode of NewsNation’s “Missing.” Watch the full report >

Stuck in space: The two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station since June welcomed their ride home Sunday with the arrival of a SpaceX capsule. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are expected to return next year. NASA switched Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX over safety concerns involving their Boeing Starliner capsule. Read more >

Weight loss drug shortage: Weight loss drugs, including the ones originally invented to treat Type 2 diabetes, have become victims of their own success. But the actual victims may be those who have depended on the expensive medications and now can’t find them. Some people have turned to compound pharmacies to replace drugs in short supply and save money, but some medical professionals have warned of risks associated with that move. Health officials provide tips for dealing with drug shortages >