Vast Paris crowd cheers Pope Leo in largest event of France tour

By Joshua McElwee and Elizabeth Pineau

PARIS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Crowds stretched the length of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris on Saturday, as Pope Leo urged Catholics to find happiness in faith, not material things, at the biggest event of his visit to France, an ‌outdoor Mass with an estimated 800,000 people.

Chants of "Leo, Leo" and "Long live the Pope" echoed down the roughly 2 km (1.2 miles) tree-lined boulevard, from ‌the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe, as people pressed against security barriers for a glimpse of Leo as he arrived in an open-top popemobile.

The vehicle paused frequently as people ​waved white and yellow Vatican flags and Leo blessed people with disabilities, children and babies passed forward by volunteers.

Attendees included Brigitte Macron, the French president's wife, far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who is leading in the polls ahead of next year's presidential election, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Bernard Arnault, the billionaire chairman of French luxury group LVMH.

Cheers rang out in the crowd as Leo thanked God in his sermon for the chance to visit France on a whirlwind four-day, three-city tour, during which ‌he is seeking to repair the Church's standing after abuse ⁠scandals caused nationwide shock.

The pope told Catholics that only their faith would provide true happiness.

"Only God can fill the emptiness within us," said the pope.

Benoit Dedieu-Anglade, 67, said after the Mass that he had been impressed by the speech.

"We must not ⁠give in to the easy path or distractions — and I was moved by how he expressed this in such clear, lucid French," he said.

PRAISE FOR POPE'S PEACE MESSAGE

Attendees began assembling before sunrise to hear the pontiff speak at the mid-afternoon Mass.

The pope, who has forcefully decried the direction of global leadership in recent months, warned in a speech on ​Friday ​at the Paris headquarters of the UN culture and education body, UNESCO, that the UN ​and other multilateral groups were in crisis.

He also repeated his frequent ‌appeal for the world to reconsider the development of artificial intelligence, telling French leaders that AI could create a future where "a paradise of machines" takes control of the Earth.

He has also frequently spoken out for peace, including in remarks with French leaders at the Elysee on Friday, with his comments criticising the Iran war earlier this year drawing a rebuke from US President Donald Trump.

Pierre-Marie Estienne, 36, was in the crowd for Leo's Mass in central Paris with his wife and their four young children.

"We live in an era of great materialism," he said before Leo arrived. "There is a lot of evil around us, so we need a message of ‌hope and love."

POPE VISITS NEWLY BAPTISED CATHOLICS

France, a secular nation where the separation of church ​and state is enshrined in a 1905 law, has witnessed a steady decline in affiliation to ​the Catholic Church since World War Two, mirroring a trend in other ​traditionally Catholic countries.

Although the French Bishops' Conference points to an increase in baptisms of adults, including a record 21,000 last Easter, ‌a report published by the official statistics agency, INSEE, showed that ​only 25% of French 18-to-49-year-olds identified as ​Catholic, compared with 43% a decade earlier.

In a visit on Saturday with newly baptised Catholics at the Catholic University of Paris before the Mass, Leo urged the French church not to be "naively optimistic" about the recent increase in adherents.

"We must recognise, welcome and protect the small flame that ​the Holy Spirit has kindled in the darkness of the ‌night, the tiny seed that strives to grow even amid the thorns," he said.

Leo heads later on Saturday to Lourdes, home to ​a Catholic shrine. He will meet seven French victims of abuse by clergy there on Sunday.

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee and Elizabeth Pineau; additional ​reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Alex Richardson, Timothy Heritage and Gareth Jones)

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Trump's approval rating reaches an all-time low ahead of the midterm elections

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's three-day visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping was filled with pomp and circumstance: a red-carpet arrival, a tour of the National Archives and a state dinner of yellow squash velouté and sesame crusted sea bass.

But the hearty welcome left a bad taste in the mouth of the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“Quite frankly, had the White House asked me for advice, I would have suggested the president not invite Xi Jinping to Washington for such a lavish welcome here in the United States of America based on all of the troubling issues we have with President Xi and the Chinese Communist Party,” Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker said on the Senate floor Sept. 22.

Wicker, one of a growing number of Republicans who have publicly disagreed with the president, may also strike a chord with voters who have told pollsters that the cost of living will be their top priority in the upcoming elections. Lopsided majorities have disapproved of Trump’s handling of foreign affairs and the economy.

Trump has pledged to campaign heavily during the month before the Nov. 3 midterm elections in about three-dozen competitive races, including traditional Republican territory in Alaska and Texas. "In some cases, you can be losing by a lot and we'll bring you over the line," Trump told Republicans at a Rose Garden dinner Sept. 2.

But since Labor Day, the traditional start of the campaign season, Trump has focused on foreign affairs. He traveled to Ireland on Sept. 12 and 13 for a meeting with the prime minister and a golf tournament. And he spoke at the United Nations on Sept. 22, threatening to “annihilate” Iran and predicting the failure of Cuba’s government.

Meanwhile, high gas prices and record-high diesel costs spurred some Republican candidates to distance themselves from Trump by calling for an end to the war on Iran or removing references to Trump’s endorsement from campaign websites.

John Pitney Jr., a politics professor at Claremont McKenna College in California, said involvement in foreign affairs isn’t a problem by itself for Trump because people expect presidents to manage foreign policy. But Trump’s problem is what he says about foreign affairs, Pitney said.

“In May, he said he was focused on Iran and didn't care ‘even a little bit’ about the war's economic impact,” Pitney told USA TODAY. “That hurts. The war itself hurts. People get a reminder of the cost every time they drive past a gas station.”

Trump's hosting of China's Xi Jinping draws criticism from key Senate Republican

Trump said he had "a very good meeting" with Xi on Sept. 24 without elaborating. Key topics of conversation were about technology, security and artificial intelligence.

“As the leaders of our two nations, President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure, and we've never gotten along better,” Trump said.

"A lot of very positive things happened," Trump said Sept. 25 while hosting Xi for tea in the White House's Red Room, adding that farmers would be happy without elaborating. "Great things for both countries. It’s been just very, very productive."

But Wicker said he hoped Trump would put the pressure on Xi over multiple issues “while the servers are switching from chardonnay to cabernet at the fancy state dinner.” Wicker said Trump should press Xi on whether China provided Iran with satellite imagery that led to the deaths of American troops, harassment of Filipino fishermen and the status of Taiwan.

Asked about Wicker's comments, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters it is vital for the leaders of the world’s two largest economies and militaries to meet.

“The idea that we would not interact with them at the highest levels is irresponsible,” Rubio said at the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 23. “It's outrageous."

Trump has argued that any hardship to the economy is worth the price of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He predicted oil prices would fall sharply as soon as the war ends. Trump told reporters Sept. 25 while touring the National Archives with Xi that they had discussed the war with Iran.

"I think we're going to do great," Trump said.

Voters disapprove of Trump's handling of economy, foreign affairs: polls

Trump's approval rating fell to ​32% – the lowest of his political career – as his fellow Republicans soured on his handling of the cost of living amid the unpopular Iran ‌war, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,277 adults nationwide released Sept. 21.

Just ​17% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, which the poll found was the top issue Americans say will determine how they vote in November. Some 82% of poll respondents – including nine in ​ten Democrats and three-quarters of Republicans – said the ​conflict would likely go on for ⁠an "extended period of time."

The cost of groceries, gas and healthcare rank as top pain points for rural voters, according to an Associated Press poll, in partnership with KFF.

Nearly seven in 10 rural voters supported Trump in the 2024 election. But about two-thirds of rural voters were “very” or “somewhat” worried about being able to afford gas or healthcare, compared to about one-third who were not, according to the survey of more than 2,000 registered voters surveyed over two weeks in late August.

About 60% of voters were concerned about the cost of groceries or monthly utilities, compared to 40% who weren’t, the poll found.

About two-thirds of registered voters disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy and the war with Iran, according to a Quinnipiac University poll that surveyed 970 registered voters Sept. 3 to 6.

About 60% of respondents disapproved of Trump’s handling of Russia’s war with Ukraine, trade with Canada and foreign policy.

“While neither (party) gets high marks generally, the Democrats are judged more empathetic when it comes to the concerns of voters," Tim Malloy, a Quinnipiac University polling analyst.

Trump touts investment in US and lower crime rate

Trump gave significant attention to domestic issues during his speech Sept. 22 to the United Nations General Assembly. He promoted investment in the United States, a lower crime rate and heightened border security. He has argued that eliminating taxes on overtime, tips and Social Security benefits, and negotiating lower prices for prescription drugs, should make for a winning ticket in November.

"America is rising. Our nation is growing. Our power is expanding," Trump said. "Our country is doing better than ever before, and our future is very, very bright."

But foreign affairs dominated the speech and headlines focused on his threat to “annihilate” Iran, his prediction that Cuba’s government "will fall" and that the “spoils” of Venezuelan oil from removing that country's president “belong to the victor.”

"While others have ignored threats, I have confronted them,” Trump said. “While others have promised strength, I have used it to make America the most powerful country in the world."

Some GOP candidates distance themselves from Trump over Iran

Some fellow Republicans have lost patience with the war that began Feb. 28. Four Senate Republicans −Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, North Carolina's Thom Tillis, Kentucky's Rand Paul and Maine's Susan Collins −supported a resolution Sept. 24 to end the war, although the measure failed.

Trump initially said the war would last weeks. After six months, he predicted it would end soon after the Nov. 3 midterm elections for Congress.

Fuel prices are up significantly because of Iran’s threat to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Higher costs for diesel fuel ripple through the economy because of the higher cost of transportation.

Gas prices averaged $4.49 on Sept. 25, compared to $2.87 in late January, according to AAA. Diesel fuel averaged $6.50 per gallon on Sept. 25, after breaking $6 on Sept. 11 for the first time ever.

Trump has said higher fuel costs are “a small price to pay” for preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

But former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Michigan, who is campaigning to succeed Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, said on social media Sept. 21 and in a television ad that the Iran war needs to end.

“The war with Iran needs to end and end quickly,” Rogers said in the ad, which features his first name in red and last name in blue.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, who is campaigning to succeed GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, said on social media Sept. 21 that Iowans shouldn’t have to foot the bill for the Iran war with higher grocery prices. But she also voted four times against resolutions to end the war immediately.

“Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran,” Hinson said.

Both candidates supported suspending the gas tax and diesel exports.

Fed raises interest rates days after Trump trip to Ireland

Another setback to Trump’s domestic priorities came days after he returned from a trip to Ireland, when the Federal Reserve Bank raised interest rates Sept. 16 for the first time since July 2023.

Trump traveled to Ireland on Sept. 12 and 13 to meet Taoiseach Micheal Martin and attend the Irish Open golf tournament at his resort in Doonbeg. He advocated Irish reunification and ended tariffs on Irish whiskey, which he’d imposed.

Trump had earlier appointed a new chair, Kevin Warsh, to the Federal Reserve Bank’s board and demanded lower interest rates. But the board voted Sept. 16 to raise rates for the first time since 2023.

Rep. Jason Smith, R-Missouri, who heads the Ways and Means Committee, which oversees taxes, echoed Trump in arguing that “interest rates should be coming down, not going up.”

“American workers, families, and small businesses have waited long enough for relief from high borrowing costs that make it harder to buy a home, start a business, or get ahead,”  Smith said in a statement Sept. 16.

But the Fed typically raises rates to tame inflation by making borrowing more expensive, which can lead to less demand and eventually lower prices. The Labor Department's Consumer Price Index, a key measure of underlying inflation, posted its largest increase in four months on Sept. 11. Mortgage rates surpassed 7% for the first time in a year, making it harder to buy houses.

Trump told reporters in Ireland on Sept. 13 that the country "should be paying the lowest interest rate in the world," no matter what the Federal Reserve's data indicates about inflation and the economy.

“I know more about formulas than anybody, and with the best credit in the world, we make other countries rich," Trump said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rising prices, plunging ratings, lingering war: Trump's dinner plate is full

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Hurricane Nolo expected to bring heavy rain as it skirts Hawaii's Big Island

NAALEHU, Hawaii — Hurricane Nolo is forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane in the Pacific Ocean over the weekend, unleashing intense rain, the possibility of life-threatening flash flooding, and dangerous surf for Hawaii’s Big Island.

Nolo was a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph early Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said, as its outer rainbands hit Big Island. Hurricane conditions are possible on the island, especially in areas with steep terrain, the weather service warned.

The storm was moving north-northwest at 10 mph on Saturday morning, but was expected to turn northeast and head toward Baja California Sur on Monday.

This marks the third hurricane in less than two months to whip past Hawaii (following Lala and Lowell). The active Pacific hurricane season is likely due to a record-setting El Niño — a natural climate pattern characterized by a rise in sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific, and spawns more intense and frequent cyclones there.

Tess Kala, a South Point resident who grew up in the area, said the back-to-back storms are a shock to locals.

“Honestly, this is the first like, whoa, what happened? We had a lot of family and friends that have lived here all their lives through generations and never experienced this before,” she said.

The storm could bring life-threatening catastrophic flooding and mudslides, especially in areas with steep terrain across the eastern and southern portions of the islands. (Gregory Bull / AP)

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Friday that President Donald Trump approved the state’s request for an emergency declaration for Nolo to provide federal assistance for emergency protective measures across the state.

Mark Peters, a resident of Naalehu in the southern Big Island for seven years, said that the damage from the recent hurricanes has not been forgotten.

“It hurts me when I see friends and neighbors and people of this community that I know, and I just see it in their eyes, I hear it in their voices. We’ve been through a lot down here, and we still got a lot to go,” Peters said.

“We’re just getting started with our recovery. But to have yet another big storm hit us, and potentially even bigger than the last one, it’s difficult,” he said.

While he praised his community for its resilience, he said the people are still in need of basics like food and water, and many are in the process of reconstruction.

“We’re talking years. This is going to be a long recovery,” Peters said Friday.

He recalled driving through Waiohinu in the aftermath of Hurricane Lala and his “eyes getting wide open with all the damage, and the cars and houses moved and not where they’re supposed to be, and Waiohinu Park having buildings in the baseball field.”

Nolo will unleash bands of intense showers and thunderstorms onto the Big Island of Hawaii on Friday night, and periods of heavy rain will continue across Maui County over the weekend. (Eugene Garcia / AP)

Kala, the South Point resident, is preparing for Nolo by “moving everything away from the houses, tying things down, making sure that everything is hosed up and taped up as best as we possibly can.”

Nolo will bring periods of heavy rain that will continue across Big Island and Maui over the weekend, and could trigger life-threatening catastrophic flooding and mudslides, especially in steep terrain across eastern and southern portions of both Big Island and Maui, the hurricane center said.

Nolo is forecast to dump 8 to 12 inches of rain in eastern and southern parts of Big Island, with maximum amounts up to 16 inches. Western portions of Big Island could see one to three inches of rain with maximum amounts of six inches. Meanwhile, Maui could see four to six inches, with maximum amounts of eight inches, the National Hurricane Center said.

The rest of Hawaii will experience lesser rainfall totals but isolated flooding is possible.

Nolo could also bring large and damaging waves along portions of Big Island’s coastline into the weekend.

Nolo is then forecast to make a turn to the west on Saturday as it strengthens into a major hurricane. (NOAA / via Reuters)

A hurricane watch and tropical storm warning are in effect for Hawaii County and a tropical storm watch is in effect for Maui County. A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within 24-36 hours. A wind advisory has been issued for the rest of the state.

Tropical storm force winds will reach the Big Island on Friday afternoon, with hurricane force winds possible by late evening.

A high surf advisory is in effect for south and east facing shores of Big Island and east facing shores of Maui and Molokai. A high surf advisory was also issued for east facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, and Oahu beginning Friday evening.

Nolo could also spawn tornadoes and large waterspouts over and near Big Island and to the right of the track of the tropical cyclone.

Marlene Lenthang reported from Los Angeles and Ryan Chandler and Shanshan Dong from Naalehu.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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Allies back Saudis as Houthi attacks threaten key oil route

By Timour Azhari and Hatem Maher

RIYADH/CAIRO, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani military chiefs are to discuss help for Saudi Arabia as it faces attacks by Yemen's Houthis, while Iraq further curtailed Iranian flights on Friday in line with US pressure, and an Iranian official threatened retaliation.

The Houthis have launched strikes on the Saudi-backed government in ‌Yemen and repeatedly fired into Saudi Arabia, disrupting oil flows from the world's largest energy exporter, as part of a wider Middle East war that began with US and Israeli ‌strikes on Iran on February 28.

The military escalation continued this week despite a push during the UN General Assembly in New York to revive diplomacy to end the conflict, which quickly spread to Lebanon and the Gulf in March before escalating ​in Yemen in recent weeks.

With talks stalled and during a lull in direct fire by the US and Iran, Washington had shifted tactics to extend the reach of its financial sanctions by targeting companies from third countries that do business with Iranian firms through "secondary sanctions".

Iranian airlines were barred from neighbouring countries including the United Arab Emirates and Oman on Thursday in response to new US sanctions, the first big impact of the shift.

On Friday, the three other Iraqi airports that operate flights to and from Iran joined Baghdad airport in suspending them, sources and state media said.

A flight ban, if sustained, could deepen Iran's isolation and worsen an economic crisis ‌in the country, which is already facing a US blockade of its ⁠seaports.

Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, accused regional countries of "alignment with America" for blocking flights.

"If Iran does not have the possibility to fly and receive airport services, then no country in the region will have this possibility either," he said in a social media post.

OIL EXPORTS SQUEEZED

The war, which US President ⁠Donald Trump launched alongside Israel, has killed thousands of people and disrupted global trade and energy supplies, adding to inflationary pressures.

While the fighting between the US and Iran has been stop-start, Iranian allies have mobilised, with Hezbollah confronting Israel in Lebanon and the Houthis advancing in Yemen, prompting a new humanitarian crisis.

Iran and its allies have significantly squeezed oil exports from Saudi Arabia, a US ally. The Houthis have disrupted ship traffic at the mouth of the ​Red ​Sea while Iran has effectively limited tanker traffic at the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for 20% of the ​world's oil exports before the war.

On Thursday, the Houthis said they had fired ‌dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi targets, while authorities in Saudi Arabia said they had intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Houthi fighters.

Later, Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti, the kingdom's top religious authority, called on soldiers to be ready to lay down their lives to fight the Houthis until the group is ousted from power.

Amid the fighting, the Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish foreign ministers met within the framework of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed in August. They condemned attacks targeting Mecca and other civilian sites, while affirming Saudi Arabia's right to defend itself.

"The ministers also discussed arrangements for holding an urgent meeting of the chiefs of staff of the three countries to discuss ways to support Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, which stipulates that an attack against any one of the parties constitutes an attack against all parties," ‌a Saudi statement said.

Turkey's defence ministry said Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu would travel to Saudi Arabia ​on Friday to meet his Saudi and Pakistani counterparts.

Ankara has previously said it could help meet Riyadh's military needs, especially on ​technical issues, but officials have said any support at this stage would be largely bilateral and in ​the spirit of their alliance, since the joint defence agreement has not yet been ratified by Turkey's parliament.

SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY IN NEW YORK

In New York, Iran’s Foreign ‌Minister Abbas Araqchi told reporters on Thursday that Tehran had conveyed a proposal ​to the US via intermediaries under which the Strait ​of Hormuz would be reopened if Tehran’s conditions were met.

Under Iran’s proposal, hostilities would end on all fronts, including Lebanon, within seven days. The US would lift its blockade on Iranian ports, release Iran’s frozen funds and waive its oil sanctions, he said.

"The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened on the last day," Araqchi said, adding that talks with the US on other issues, ​including Iran’s nuclear issue, would then start.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters ‌on Wednesday that Tehran was reviewing Washington's response to its peace proposals.

Oil prices fell on Friday as markets weighed the possibility of a truce, despite the number of ships ​recorded transiting the Strait of Hormuz dropping to nine on Thursday, half the 10-day average.

(Reporting by Timour Azhari in Riyadh, Hatem Maher in Cairo, Kanishka Singh in Washington, Tuvan ​Gumrukcu in Ankara; Writing by Daniel Trotta and Aidan Lewis; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Stephen Coates, and)

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Powerful Hurricane Polo drenches Mexico's coast as Nolo takes aim at Hawaii

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Residents along Mexico’s west coast stacked sandbags to fortify beachfront shops and evacuated their homes, while Hawaii’s Big Island and Maui braced for potentially catastrophic flooding, as separate hurricanes swirled in the Pacific on Thursday.

Nolo became a hurricane in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday night and was expected to strengthen while turning toward the Big Island, the National Hurricane Center said. Forecasters warned that the Big Island could see rainfall totals of 15 to 30 inches (38 to 76 centimeters), with higher amounts possible through Saturday. The island of Maui also could be hit with life-threatening floods, the hurricane center said.

Meanwhile, heavy rains from powerful Hurricane Polo could cause torrential flooding and landslides in Mexico, according to the U.S. hurricane center. In the port city of Lázaro Cárdenas, seawater already swept through homes Thursday and left wooden planks and furniture strewn on the streets.

Polo has fluctuated between Category 4 and 5, both major-hurricane strength. It was expected to regain Category 5 status on Friday, then gradually weaken Friday night and Saturday, the hurricane center said.

After skirting Mexico's coast, Polo was expected to move farther out to sea Thursday night and Friday before hooking back toward land to the north on Saturday.

The series of powerful storms comes as the weather phenomenon El Niño prompts major environmental shifts across the world, fueling drought in some areas and flooding in others. El Niño traditionally dampens the Atlantic hurricane season, while it tends to rev up tropical cyclone activity in the Pacific with moist air and little wind shear.

Hawaii has been battered this year by major flooding in the spring, an earthquake and two other hurricanes since mid-August.

“In my 20 years of experience here, I’ve never seen three hurricane watches for the islands in the same year,” said John Bravender of the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

Polo could trigger flooding and mudslides in Mexico

Mexican authorities were opening shelters and clearing people from beaches, while coastal residents tried to protect businesses from getting swept away. People in high-risk areas were being evacuated, though authorities didn’t immediately say how many.

Much of the worry from locals comes from hurricanes in past years that devastated cities along the Pacific coast. Hurricane Otis in 2023 unexpectedly plunged Acapulco into turmoil for weeks.

“So many people said it wouldn’t happen and then it did. After that, you’re left on edge,” said Gonzalo Ramírez, a bartender in the city.

Polo posed the biggest threat to Guerrero and Michoacán, neighboring states in southwest Mexico that share a long coastline scattered with small ports, tourist towns and fishing villages. Much of the area is marked by poverty, and residents routinely complain they are left to fend for themselves during natural disasters.

Mexican authorities have deployed 15,000 security personnel across the coast and suspended schools.

In Lázaro Cárdenas, a port city in Michoacán that was hit with high surf, locals and government officials were clearing out piles of wooden planks from a number of destroyed ramadas and shoveling thick mud coating much of the town.

Alicia Contreras said the walls and roof of her restaurant had been severely damaged by 15-foot (4.5-meter) waves. As officers and family helped pick through the damaged house, Contreras worried how she would economically recover.

“This is huge because we have no other source of income. Now we’re just surviving,” Contreras said.

Nolo could flood parts of Hawaii still recovering from other storms

While the Big Island is expected to bear the brunt of Nolo, its full path remains uncertain, according to Bravender, the weather service's warning coordination meteorologist in Hawaii.

Most concerning, he said Thursday, is that the heaviest rain is likely to fall over the same southeastern region of the Big Island hit in August by Hurricane Lala and where grounds are still wet from additional precipitation.

“There are several communities that were isolated, flooded, roads that were washed out,” he said. “It’s that same area that is most under threat,” Bravender said.

Hawaii officials told residents to put together emergency kits and the governor issued an emergency proclamation, activating more than 230 Hawaii National Guard members. Schools were closed for the rest of the week.

Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary utility, said crews that had been helping restore power in Kauai after this month’s Hurricane Lowell would return to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island in preparation for the coming storm.

Odalys and Fay are not near land

A third storm in the Pacific, Hurricane Odalys, was centered far from land, roughly 1,110 miles (1,785 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.

In the northern Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Fay re-formed early Thursday, the U.S. hurricane center said. It was nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) west-southwest of the Azores.

Tropical Storm Gonzalo formed in the Atlantic Ocean late Thursday, about 190 miles (306 kilometers) southeast of the Cape Verde islands off the coast of West Africa. The U.S. hurricane center said that if it stays on its current track, the storm will pass near or over portions of the islands Friday.

___

Aoun Angueira reported from San Diego. Associated Press journalists John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Jeriel Vargas Ambriz in Lázaro Cárdena, Mexico, contributed to this report.

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Trump's state dinner for Xi features sea bass and a long list of tech titans

WASHINGTON (AP) — A tech-heavy guest list, the fashion choices of those on it, who sat where and what was on the menu marked the softer — often and glitzier — details of diplomacy as Donald Trump threw a Thursday night state dinner honoring China’s leader Xi Jinping.

The event featured a cavalcade of billionaires, Washington powerbrokers, business leaders and the type of festivities that most excite Trump, who has a reputation for reveling in hosting parties.

“President Xi and I both understand we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure, and we’ve never gotten along better,” Trump said during his toast, adding that “together, we can continue to build a relationship that promotes prosperity and security for future generations.”

Trump has done his best to impress Xi during China's leader's during Xi's three-day visit to Washington, and praised their close personal relationship — even as he has decried top Democratic candidates as “communists” ahead of the November midterm elections.

Xi and Trump discussed tensions over Taiwan, trade and artificial intelligence during business hours — even as an ongoing First Amendment fight over press access at the White House has unfolded. But Trump publicly chose to focus on showing Xi his White House updates on Thursday afternoon, including letting him tour his Marine One presidential helicopter and a new helipad he built for it — before attention quickly turned to the flashy details of the swanky meal.

Xi noted in his own toast that “President Trump has pledged to make America great again” and that “China is committed to achieving great national rejuvenation.”

“These two goals are both ambitious and can surely be mutually reinforcing,” Xi said.

Trump wore a tuxedo, and her office said first lady Melania Trump opted for a tuxedo-style outfit: a white Saint Laurent cotton poplin blouse, a black silk cummerbund and black brocade pants — both from Dolce & Gabbana — with a peony motif.

Xi chose a black suit and his wife, Peng Liyuan, wore a red gown. The East Room, where the dinner was held, featured low lighting and place settings with elegant red and gold decor.

Those in attendance included OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who signed autographs upon arriving at the White House. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang opted for a tuxedo over his trademark black leather jacket. Bernard Arnault, the CEO of French luxury goods company LVMH, walked through black security fencing to enter the event.

Trump says he can't help but talk up the ballroom being built

The president toasted his strong relationship with Xi and the bond between the U.S. and China, but then added, “If I could go off script just for a second, I just want to say I had to do it,” as those assembled laughed.

“I’d like to invite everyone in the room to visit through that beautiful curtain in the back,” Trump said, referring to the construction site of his White House ballroom on the South Lawn, which he said, “you've heard so much about.”

Trump said the project was a year from completion, and said he thought attendees “will see something that I think you will really love.”

The president said that after the dinner attendees could go see the worksite and be “the first people to step foot” on it.

“We’ll do that. Maybe after we’ve finished with the entertainment tonight,” Trump said, asking, “Anybody wants to walk into a construction site that’s nice and sparkling, it’s our honor to have you do so.”

Trump has called the ballroom he’s building the “Great Hall of the United States,” and suggested it could rival the Great Hall of the People, where he dined during a state visit to Beijing in May.

The president also presented Xi with an eagle statue that he said was designed “in personal collaboration with Melania and myself.” Xi did not present Trump a public gift in return during the dinner.

Guests dined on squash and sea bass

The first lady helped craft the evening's menu, which was served on the red china from Ronald Reagan’s presidency. It featured a first course of yellow squash velouté with wild mushrooms, fresh herbs, crispy pancetta and drizzled scallion oil.

After that, guests got sesame-crusted sea bass with braised baby bok choy, roasted garden eggplant and a sauce verte. Dessert was vanilla crémeux with sour cherry confit and walnut frangipane, as well as ice cream with honey from the White House.

Trump has sought to one-up Xi after Beijing

The dinner came after the president took the unusual step of personally greeting Xi and his wife on Wednesday as they arrived at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. Normally, presidents wait for their state visit guests to arrive at the White House itself before offering a formal welcome.

Thursday's dinner was packed with technology industry titans like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI President and co-founder Greg Brockman, and Dell Technologies chairman and CEO Michael Dell.

During his own visit to Beijing in May, Xi hosted Trump for a state dinner that unfolded beneath grand chandeliers in the Great Hall of the People. That event also included many tech luminaries, such as Tim Cook, formerly Apple's CEO, and Musk.

It was all a stark departure from 2015, when then-President Barack Obama was preparing to host Xi for a state visit and Trump — in the midst of his first presidential run — criticized all the hubbub.

“Just take them to McDonald’s and go back to the negotiating table,” Trump said then, during a rally in South Carolina. He later conceded on Fox News Channel that Xi might at least be worthy of getting “probably a double-size Big Mac.”

This article originally appeared on Associated Press at https://ift.tt/V2jEvxM

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Hawaii braces for up to 35 inches of rain as Tropical Storm Nolo approaches

Hawaii's Big Island was under a hurricane watch late Wednesday night after Tropical Storm Nolo formed in the Pacific Ocean earlier in the day, the National Hurricane Center said.

Nolo is expected to become a hurricane by Thursday night and could become a major hurricane by the weekend, the center said. A storm is considered a major hurricane when it reaches Category 3 or higher on the hurricane scale, meaning it has maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph. 

Maps show Tropical Storm Nolo's path

Storm Nolo had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph as of late Wednesday night local time. Its core was some 460 miles south-southeast of Honolulu and 285 miles south of South Point, which is on the Big Island.

Nolo was crawling north at 2 mph, but a "general north to north-northeast motion is expected through Friday, followed by a sharp westward turn by Saturday in the vicinity of the Big Island," the Miami-based hurricane center said.

Nolo is expected to approach the Big Island on Friday and Saturday.  

The storm is expected to bring around 15 to 20 inches of rain to the Big Island, with up to 35 inches possible in some areas. The heavy rain could trigger "catastrophic life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain," the hurricane center warned.

Maui could see 5 to 10 inches of rain, with totals of up to 20 inches in some areas. Maui could also see life-threatening flooding and mudslides. The rest of the islands were forecast to get about 1 to 3 inches with 6 inches at most and could see isolated flooding.

Nolo formed as another storm, Hurricane Polo, continued to swirl in the Pacific, off Mexico's southwestern coast. 

The latest storms add to an unsually active season in the Pacific. Earlier this month, Hurricane Lowell brought damaging winds and heavy rain to the western Hawaiian islands of Kauai and Niihau, bringing down trees, damaging roads and knocking out power for thousands.

Last month, Hurricane Lala washed away about 100 homes, triggered landslides and caused widespread power outages as it brushed past Hawaii.

This article originally appeared on CBS News at https://ift.tt/iOtHvqS

from yahoo.com/news Top Stories https://ift.tt/iOtHvqS