Watch Live: Biden briefed on Hurricane Ian at FEMA headquarters
CBSN
Federal Emergency Management Agency officials are briefing President Joe Biden Thursday as Ian, now downgraded to a tropical storm, continues to thrash Florida.
The storm is sending "catastrophic" flooding over the east-central areas of the state, the National Hurricane Center says, accompanied by storm surges and wind gusts that will spread across the southern states. Ian struck Florida's western coast as a Category 4 storm, weakening as it progressed across land.
Earlier Thursday, the president approved a Florida Disaster Declaration, freeing up federal resources for the state. The major disaster declaration makes federal funds to Floridians in the counties of Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas, and Sarasota, and can include assistance for temporary housing and home repairs, as well as things like low-cost loans for uninsured property loss. For the first 100 days, the federal government will cover all eligible assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures.
President Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China's growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families.
It's Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus is suiting up for his annual voyage from the North Pole to households around the world. In keeping with decades of tradition, the North American Aerospace Command, or NORAD, will once again track Santa's journey to deliver gifts to children before Christmas 2024, using an official map that's updated consistently to show where he is right now.
An anti-money laundering law called the Corporate Transparency Act, or CTA, appears to have been given new life after an appeals court on Monday determined its rules can be enforced as the case proceeds. The law requires small business owners to register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, by Jan. 1, or potentially pay fines of up to $10,000.