Tracking Hurricane Milton’s destruction. And, why more Black men are backing the GOP

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.

Today’s top stories

Hurricane Milton is plowing across Florida today after making landfall last night near Siesta Key in Sarasota County as a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds. Milton, which weakened to a still-powerful Category 1 hurricane overnight, is now moving through central Florida with high winds, torrential rain, flooding and even tornadoes. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned residents that Florida’s west coast should be prepared for a historic storm surge.

A vehicule is stranded on a water-flooded street after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Brandon, Florida on Oct. 9, 2024.

MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images

• 🎧 Millions of people are without power. Even before making landfall, Milton brought powerful tornadoes — some with deadly impacts, NPR’s Greg Allen tells Up First. The storm made landfall a couple of hours earlier than expected, which DeSantis said was fortunate because it meant the storm came before high tide. Otherwise, the flooding would have been worse. Despite the significant threats today, DeSantis says he is “cautiously optimistic” that there will be less damage than anticipated when the storm was a Category 5. State officials are working with FEMA to streamline debris removal procedures.
• 📷 See photos of the impacts Hurricane Milton has brought as it slams into Florida.
• ➡️ Tampa Bay could experience up to 15 feet of storm surge. Here’s why the 3 million people who live in this region are at particularly high risk of hurricane damage.
• ➡️ Could this hurricane impact the 2024 election? Learn what happened during five recent storms. And, see which swing state counties affected by Hurricane Helene mostly for Trump in 2020.
• ➡️ Keep up with the latest updates on Milton’s path of destruction with NPR’s live blog. Find updates from your local NPR network station here.

For nearly two weeks, the residents of Marjayoun, a town the Lebanon’s border with Israel, have faced the sounds of war. Israel says its ground incursion across the border is “limited.” Since the war began a year ago, Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 2,100 in Lebanon.

• 🎧 “All day, all night, all we hear is the sound of explosions,” NPR’s Eyder Peralta says. Older citizens of the town tell him they fear that if they leave, they may never be able to return. Nabih Lahoud, 71, says he has never experienced a good day in his life.
• ➡️ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently warned that if Lebanese people don’t dissociate themselves from Hezbollah, Lebanon could become like Gaza. These maps and images show what’s left of Gaza, one year after the war began.

Crocs — the comfy, water-resistant shoes — are popular among kids and teens. But some podiatrists are concerned they could cause foot problems. Priya Parthasarathy, a podiatrist in Silver Spring, Md., says she sees issues in young people who wear Crocs daily. These include heel pain, arch pain, and sometimes more hammertoes, which are changes in a toe’s joints that make them point upward. She has warned that the clog-like shoes are not the best for all-day footwear, partly because they aren’t stable. Here is some guidance to know if your kid wears Crocs or their knockoffs.

We, the voters

NPR is visiting six key swing states that will likely decide this year’s historic election. This week, Morning Edition is in Michigan to listen to voters about what matters to them and how that will affect their vote.

Jerry Montgomery, 65, greets customers while getting his hair cut at Dexter Barber Shop on Oct. 5 in Detroit, Mich. Montgomery plans to vote for Kamala Harris in the upcoming election.

Sylvia Jarrus for NPR

hide caption

toggle caption

Sylvia Jarrus for NPR

In the U.S., the majority of Black voters consistently vote Democrat. However, the Democratic party is having difficulty retaining Black voters in Michigan. According to a recent NAACP poll, one in four Black men under 50 support former President Donald Trump over Vice President Harris. In Detroit, NPR’s Leila Fadel spoke to several Black men of various ages who hold different perspectives to understand why they are leaning toward Trump or Harris. Listen to what they say their top concerns are heading into this year’s election.

Today’s Listen

Photo by Gwen King on Unsplash

Gwen King/Unsplash

hide caption

toggle caption

Gwen King/Unsplash

Photo by Gwen King on Unsplash

Gwen King/Unsplash

The number of young people who love and appreciate musical theater is growing, thanks partly to shows like Hamilton and Hadestown. Students who aspire to perform in these shows may seek help from a vocal coach. Amy Menas, a voice coach for child stars and kids with dreams of stardom, established her studio in Wichita in 2012 and has worked with hundreds of students since then. She keeps track of her students by marking their performance locations on a map.

• 🎧 Listen to the students perform theater songs and hear what drives them.

3 things to know before you go

Winner, The Bigger Picture, Wetlands: The Swarm of Life by Shane Gross, Canada. Western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) tadpoles among lily pads in a lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Shane Gross/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

hide caption

toggle caption

Shane Gross/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

1. Winners of the 18 categories in the 2024 Wildlife Photographers of the Year competition at London’s Natural History Museum were announced at a ceremony this week. View the winning photos here.
2. Brown University rejected pro-Palestinian students’ demand to divest from companies doing business with Israel, stating that doing so would go against the principles of academic freedom and free inquiry.
3. Two 2024 breakthrough artists have topped the Billboard charts this week. Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” holds at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet returns to the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.