Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Tropical Storm Ian could become a 'catastrophic' Category 4 hurricane
Tropical Storm Ian was forecast to rapidly gain strength Sunday while racing across the Caribbean toward Cuba and threatening a big hit to Florida's west coast later in the week. Ian was forecast to reach hurricane status Sunday, then roll across western Cuba Monday night and early Tuesday. As Ian approaches Florida, Accuweather said the storm could reach Category 4 status, which means sustained winds between 130 mph and 156 mph. "Significant" wind and storm surge damage is expected across a wide swath of the Atlantic Basin, and the Cuban government upgraded the hurricane watch to a warning. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged residents to load up on food, water, medicine, batteries and fuel. He said it was too soon to determine when or even if Ian will make landfall, but that evacuations may be ordered in the coming days.
Artemis I launch delayed again, this time thanks to Tropical Storm Ian.
Post-hurricane exodus: Will Puerto Ricans leave for mainland US after Fiona?
Fiona makes devastating landfall in Canada
Fiona, now a post-tropical cyclone after a destructive run as a hurricane, washed away homes and has left thousands powerless in Canada after making landfall Saturday. Although Fiona is expected to weaken over the next few days – as tropical storms typically do when they reach cooler waters – the Canadian Hurricane Centre has noted how unprecedented the storm is for eastern Canada. "I’m seeing homes in the ocean," said René J. Roy, a resident of Channel-Port Aux Basques and chief editor at Wreckhouse Press. "I’m seeing rubble floating all over the place. It’s complete and utter destruction." As the storm made landfall in Canada, winds were reaching over 100 mph – the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane. The damage in Canada comes after Fiona devastated Puerto Rico earlier this week.
After Hurricane Fiona, will Puerto Rico ever become a state or an independent nation?
How can I help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Fiona? Mutual aid, nonprofits to support.
Real quick
Look up! Monday will be the closest Jupiter is to Earth in nearly six decades.
Is a beer shortage on tap? Inflation and supply chain pressures on brewers are intensifying.
Report: Radio station pauses Brett Favre appearances amid welfare fraud scandal.
John Cena sets a Guinness World Record. And it may tug at your heartstrings.
Coaches Poll: Georgia holds off Alabama for No, 1; Oklahoma tumbles.
Southwest Airlines gives out ukuleles on a flight: Behind the polarizing promotion.
Cops chased dead ends for 40 years in a California teen's cold case. Then a suspect's relative emerged.
'Idiots:' S. Korea president recorded insulting US lawmakers over global health funding.
'Sham' annexation referendums held in Russian-occupied Ukraine
About 93% of those casting their ballots on the first day of the referendum on the Zaporizhzhia region joining the Russian Federation were in favor, according to a poll released Sunday by the Crimean Republican Institute for Political and Sociological Research, a Russian firm. Ukrainian and U.S. officials have dismissed the voting for "sham referendums," in which residents of the Russian-occupied region were surveyed starting Friday. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Russia is pushing ahead with the referendums in parts of Ukraine it controls because President Vladimir Putin knows he is losing the war and must justify continuing to fight it. Zelenskyy said people who fail to support annexation wouldn't be able to "live a normal human life" and could face retribution – such as having their electricity cut off.
👉 'Catastrophic consequences for Russia' if Putin uses nukes, US official says. Sunday's updates.
Anti-war demonstrations in Russia: Fears of being 'cannon fodder' and a brutal response by police.
In California, Ukraine's national surf team dreams of the Olympics – and the end of war.
Rihanna tapped to headline Super Bowl halftime show
Rihanna better get to "Work" because she has a Super Bowl halftime show to headline. After the star dropped a hint with a photo of a football posted to her Instagram, official Apple Music and NFL Twitter accounts confirmed her appearance at the Apple Music Halftime Show on Sunday afternoon. "It's on," read a tweet from Apple Music. "Rihanna is a once in a generation artist who has been a cultural force throughout her career," said Seth Dudowsky, NFL Head of Music. "We are thrilled to welcome Rihanna to the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show stage." Super Bowl LVII is slated to take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 12, 2023.
Pujols reaches 700 home runs; Judge still chasing 61
One Major League Baseball home run milestone has been reached and another remains a swing of the bat away. St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols on Friday night became just the fourth major leaguer to reach 700 career homers when he hit two at Dodger Stadium. Pujols – the oldest active MLB player at age 42 – joined Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) in one of baseball's most elite hitting clubs. Meanwhile, the Yankees' Aaron Judge remains one short of tying Roger Maris' American League record of 61 home runs in a season. Judge has gone homerless in four straight games, but gets his next chance Sunday night against the Red Sox (7:08 p.m. ET; ESPN).
'It's been a perfect journey': Tennis great Roger Federer retires after teaming with Nadal in last match.
MLB trade deadline's disappointments can make it all right in October.
Exit poll: Italian far-right leader’s alliance leading vote
Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni's electoral alliance appeared to hold a wide lead in Italy's national vote, an exit poll on state television suggested shortly after polls closed Sunday evening. Rai state broadcaster said Meloni's Brothers of Italy in alliance with two right-wing parties appeared headed to take as much as 45% of the vote in both chambers of Parliament, compared to the closest contender, the center-left alliance of former Democratic Party Premier Enrico Letta, which apparently garnered 29.5%. Italians voted Sunday in an election that could move the country's politics sharply toward the right, leaving Meloni well-positioned to become Italy's first far-right premier since the end of World War II. Her party, with neo-fascist roots, would need to form a coalition with her main allies, anti-migrant League leader Matteo Salvini and conservative former Premier Silvio Berlusconi to command a solid majority in Parliament. If Meloni, 45, becomes premier, she will be the first woman in Italy to hold the office.
How protests in Iran over Mahsa Amini's death 'forever moved the debate' over women's rights.
Like this roundup of stories? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here or text messages here!
Contributing: Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Ian, Fiona hits Canada, Ukraine referendum, Albert Pujols home runs. News you missed.