National News at a Glance

As Winds Come, Towns in Hurricane Florence’s Path Fear Floods

Hurricane Florence began its slow-motion collision with the Carolina coasts Thursday, with beach towns cowering under the first bands of lashing rain. Storm surge and winds were expected to reach 100 mph by sometime Friday. At the same time, residents and emergency personnel throughout inland North and South Carolina were working under the assumption that the Category 2 storm’s pounding of the coastline could go many rounds and last for many days. If, as expected, Florence dawdles over the region, the storm could drop rainfall of 20, 30 or even 40 inches in some areas.

Rejecting Puerto Rican Death Toll, Trump Accuses Democrats of Inflating It

President Donald Trump on Thursday falsely accused Democrats of inflating the death toll from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year, rejecting that government’s assessment that the storm had claimed nearly 3,000 lives. Trump said that the toll was only six to 18 dead after his visit following the storm but that was at a time when the estimate of fatalities was changing. It rose to 34 after the president left the island. Trump on Thursday said Democrats padded the death toll by including, for example, a person who died of old age “in order to make me look as bad as possible.”

Pope Orders Investigation of West Virginia Bishop Over Sex Allegations

Pope Francis has ordered an investigation into allegations that West Virginia’s bishop, Michael Bransfield, sexually harassed adults, and has accepted the bishop’s immediate resignation. The pope has assigned the Archbishop of Baltimore, William Lori, to handle the investigation and to take temporary charge of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, the church’s only diocese in West Virginia. The diocese is a small one, with about 75,000 Catholics. In an announcement posted on the diocese’s website, Lori said he would meet with clergy and lay leaders Thursday and Friday, and that he had opened a hotline for tips.

Gunman Identified in California Shootings That Left Six Dead

The Kern County Sheriff’s Department identified the gunman who killed five before killing himself Wednesday night in Bakersfield, California. Javier Casarez, 54, drove his wife to a trucking business, where he confronted another man, quickly killing him and then his wife. A third man was killed near the trucking company, and then Casarez, the authorities say, drove to a nearby home and killed two more people, Laura Garcia, 31, and her father Eliseo Cazares, 57. Casarez then turned his gun on himself. It all lasted about a half-hour, and when it was over, six bodies, including Casarez’s, lay at multiple crime scenes.

Trump Administration Agrees to New Asylum Interviews for Up to 1,000 Migrants

Acknowledging that the separation of migrant families along the southwest border may have compromised their right to seek asylum, the federal government has agreed to allow a second chance for up to 1,000 migrants who had been facing deportation. In a settlement announced Thursday, lawyers for the government said that parents whose children were taken from them under the administration’s “zero-tolerance” border enforcement policy will again be able to make a case for asylum. They can also remain in the United States while their children pursue their own asylum cases.

Fiery Explosions Erupt at Dozens of Homes in Massachusetts

A series of fiery explosions erupted at dozens of homes in northern Massachusetts on Thursday evening, injuring at least six people, forcing neighborhoods in three towns to be evacuated and power to be shut down for tens of thousands of residents. Episodes were reported across a “wide swath of dozens of blocks across Lawrence and North Andover,” according to the Massachusetts State Police, and evacuations were underway in “neighborhoods where there are gas odors.” They added that it was too early to speculate about a cause. There were no immediate reports from the police on casualties.

Protesters Have Their Day at California Climate Talks

They erected a mini oil rig, locked arms through oil drums and sat down in the street. “Keep it in the ground,” their banners read. “No more fossil fuels,” they chanted. A long line of protesters gathered in front of the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco and included mayors, ministers, environmentalists and corporate executives. The message of the protesters, who were mostly peaceful, was mainly directed at California Gov. Jerry Brown, calling on him to stop oil drilling in the state and protect residents who live close to oil facilities.

U.S., Russia Respond to Space Station Leak Rumors

Amid rumors in Russia that a NASA astronaut deliberately drilled a hole in a Russian spacecraft docked to the International Space Station, the space agencies of the countries released a joint statement, saying a leak last month was being investigated and that they would refrain from further comment. The leak, which was about the size of a dime, was detected Aug. 29. It posed no threat to the crew aboard the station, and Russian astronauts patched it with tape. Officials suggested that a micrometeorite had pierced the spacecraft. But last week, Dmitry Rogozin, general director of the space agency Roscomos, raised the possibility of sabotage.