Hurricane Frances left a large impact on the state of Florida and those who live there. Seventeen counties within the state may be eligible for federal aid money in order to rebuild after the destruction. Over 2.5 million residents lost power during the storm and utility companies are currently working or restoring power to those homes. Florida and the rest of the southeastern U.S. will be keeping a watchful eye on the next hurricane brewing near by, Ivan, according to CNN.
Kerry being pressured by fellow democrats
Sen. John Kerry has been feeling pressure from his fellow democrats to spice up his campaign. Other leaders in the party feel that his campaign is lacking liveliness and that he should spend the majority of his time challenging President Bush on domestic issues such as national security. Over the Labor Day weekend, Mr. Kerry began taking some of the advice and attacked the president on the state of the economy. Optimistic democrats feel that President Bush is riding the success of the recently ended GOP convention, according to the New York Times.
Russia mourns loss of hundreds
Over 300 children and adults were killed during a hostage standoff in the small town of Beslan, Russia. The townspeople were allowed to view the wreckage on Sunday, September 5th. The classrooms were turned into execution chambers. The only remnants of the building were pierced with hundreds of bullet holes and the walls that did remain were splattered with blood stains, according to the Washington Post.
CBS to be given largest fine to date
The Federal Communication Commission will soon vote on the amount of money CBS will be fined for the Janet Jackson incident that occurred at the 2004 Super Bowl in January. According to the Washington Post the fine could be $550,000, which would be the largest fine on record for indecency on television. The vote is expected to be unanimous and could come as early as this week, according to Reuterss.
Soldier death toll rises to 1,000
The most recent deaths of six American soldiers in Iraq brought the total of U.S. soldiers to 1,000. Seven hundred soldiers were killed during active combat and over six hundred were killed after the war was declared officially over, according to CNN.
Ban on assault weapons expires
The current ban on assault weapons will expire on Monday, Sept. 13th. Gun manufacturers are ready to start selling their new weapons as soon as Tuesday, Sept. 14th. The law was signed by former President Bill Clinton and will expire because of a “sunset clause” that was part of the law. President Bush supports the ban, but Congress has tried unsuccessfully several times to extend the ban, according to MSNBC.
Capariati wins, Serena goes home
Jennifer Capariati won a quarterfinal match in the U.S. Open after defeating Serena Williams. There was controversy surrounding some of the points that were distributed by the judge’s. Serena argued over a line call during the tense tennis match. The loss will send Serena and her sister home without any Grand Slam titles for the year, according to MSNBC sports.
