5 things to know for Oct. 7: Middle East, Hurricane Milton, Presidential race, Frontier Airlines scare, Pope Francis

By CNN Newsource

Published October 7, 2024 3:42 am

By Alexandra Banner, CNN

(CNN) — Look up tonight for a chance to see the Draconid meteor shower. It’s expected to peak at 11 p.m. ET and will likely be on the sparse side, with about 10 meteors at most streaking across the sky per hour.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

1. Middle East

An emotional day of commemoration has begun in Israel to mark the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terror attacks. Thousands attended a vigil in Tel Aviv and hundreds of family members and friends gathered at the site of the Nova music festival in southern Israel to honor those killed and taken hostage that day. Many attendees at the memorials cried and comforted each other while recalling their loved ones’ final moments. The Hamas attacks killed 1,200 people and others are still held by the militant group. The assault also unleashed political disturbances thousands of miles away in the US. Israel’s ensuing war in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 people and triggered a humanitarian crisis, serving as a catalyst for a widening regional conflict.

2. Hurricane Milton

Less than two weeks after Helene made landfall, Florida residents are bracing for another major storm. Milton is expected to hit the Gulf Coast of Florida as a destructive and life-threatening Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday with 120 mph winds. It is forecast to strike between Cedar Key and Naples, which includes the Tampa area. And with very low vertical wind shear and incredibly warm sea-surface temperatures, Milton will be able to gain strength over the next few days. Parts of the state could see more than 15 inches of rainfall, according to the National Hurricane Center. Some of the same communities are dealing with the effects of Helene — which hit Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane and killed at least 232 people across the Southeast.

3. Presidential race

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are ramping up campaign trail and media appearances this week in the race to Election Day, now less than a month away. Trump on Sunday told his supporters that it could be the “last election” if Democrats remain in the White House. Billionaire Elon Musk made similar claims at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. Harris made headlines with a sit-down interview released Sunday on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast where she dismissed attacks from Republicans over not having biological children. “It’s not the 1950s anymore,” Harris said in the interview. The Democratic presidential nominee also blasted Trump over abortion rights and for casting himself as a “protector” of women.

4. Frontier Airlines scare

Flames were visible underneath a Frontier flight as it made a “hard landing” at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on Saturday. Flight 1326 was arriving from San Diego and the plane was “in the process of landing” when smoke was reported in the cockpit and the pilots declared an emergency. The plane then “experienced a hard landing where basically tires blew,” airport officials told CNN. Firefighters responded immediately and 190 passengers and seven crew members were safely transported to the gate area, officials added. The National Transportation Safety Board and the airline are investigating the incident.

5. Pope Francis

Pope Francis has selected 21 new cardinals in a move that broadens the pool of who will choose his successor. Cardinals are second only to the pope in the church hierarchy, hold senior positions in the Vatican and act as the pope’s main advisers. Most of them will elect the next pontiff. Francis, 87, made the surprise announcement Sunday after commenting on the spiraling conflict in the Middle East. Among the new list is the Archbishop of Tehran Dominique Mathieu, a Belgian missionary, with the pope’s decision to choose a cardinal in Iran likely part of his desire to push for dialogue with Islam and peace in the Middle East. Francis also chose a Ukrainian bishop, Mykola Bychok, who at 44 will become the youngest cardinal. His selections also include bishops from Indonesia, Algeria, Japan and the Ivory Coast.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Inside the world’s best new skyscraper
A Singaporean high-rise named the best new tall building in the world features a lagoon-like swimming pool and a series of soaring sky terraces.

‘Ellen’ came out as gay nearly 30 years ago. TV hasn’t been the same
Without this pivotal moment in 1997, we may have never met Will and Jack of “Will & Grace,” Cam and Mitch of “Modern Family” or the inmates of “Orange Is the New Black.”

People are truly obsessed with baby hippo Moo Deng
New Yorker Molly Swindall fell in love with baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng online, so she decided to fly from New York to Thailand to see her in person. Read why the little hippo is receiving a ton of compliments.

New York Liberty oust Las Vegas Aces to advance to WNBA Finals
The New York Liberty ended the Las Vegas Aces’ quest for a historic three-peat, securing a 76-62 win in Game 4 of their semifinal series on Sunday.

Madonna remembers her brother Christopher Ciccone
Pop icon Madonna is mourning the loss of her younger brother. “There will never be anyone like him,” she said in a moving tribute.

TODAY’S NUMBER

$1.1 billion
That’s how much the campaigns of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have spent on ads from late July through the end of September. The combined amount spent in seven key states — Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina and Nevada — has accounted for nearly $930 million of that sum.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“To be able to work with your son, I think it’s one of the greatest things that a father could ever hope for or wish for.”

– Lebron James, after playing alongside his son Bronny James during the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason game on Sunday against the Phoenix Suns. The historic moment made Lebron, 39, and Bronny, 20, the first father/son duo to play together on an NBA team.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY …

What you should know about the Nobel Prize
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine today for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Watch this video to learn about one of the world’s most sought-after accolades.

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