5 Things to Know for October 7th: Middle East, Hurricane Milton, Presidential Campaign, Frontier Airlines Fear, Pope Francis

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Look up tonight to see the Draconid meteor shower. It’s expected to peak at 11 p.m. ET and is likely to be sparse, with at most about 10 meteors per hour streaking across the sky.

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An emotional day of remembrance has begun in Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7th. Thousands attended a vigil in Tel Aviv and hundreds of family and friends gathered at the Nova music festival site in southern Israel to honor those killed and hostages that day. Many attendees at the memorial cried and comforted one another as they remembered their loved ones’ final moments. The Hamas attacks killed 1,200 people and others are still being held by the militant group. The attack also sparked political unrest thousands of miles away in the United States. Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza killed more than 41,000 people and sparked a humanitarian crisis that served as a catalyst for a widening regional conflict.

Less than two weeks after Helene made landfall, Florida residents are bracing for another severe storm. Milton is expected to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday as a destructive and life-threatening Category 3 hurricane with winds of 120 miles per hour. It is expected to strike between Cedar Key and Naples, including 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 rain, according to the National Hurricane Center. Some of those communities are struggling with the impacts of Helene, which hit Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane, killing at least 232 people in the Southeast.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are stepping up their campaign activities and media appearances this week in the race to Election Day, now less than a month away. Trump told his supporters on Sunday that it could be the “last election” if Democrats stay 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 on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast on Sunday in which she dismissed attacks from Republicans about not having biological children. “It’s not the 1950s anymore,” Harris said in the interview. The Democratic presidential candidate also criticized Trump over abortion rights and for portraying himself as a “protector” of women.

Flames could be seen beneath a Frontier plane as it made a “hard landing” at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on Saturday. Flight 1326 arrived from San Diego and the aircraft 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 that essentially blew out the tires,” 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.

The video shows the moment a Frontier Airlines plane catches fire while landing

Pope Francis has chosen 21 new cardinals, expanding the pool of candidates for his successor. Cardinals are second only to the pope in the church hierarchy, hold senior positions in the Vatican and serve as the pope’s top advisers. Most of them will elect the next pope. Francis, 87, made the surprise announcement on Sunday after commenting on the escalating conflict in the Middle East. The new list includes the Archbishop of Tehran, Dominique Mathieu, a Belgian missionary. The pope’s decision to choose a cardinal in Iran is likely part of his desire to advance dialogue with Islam and peace in the Middle East. Francis also chose a Ukrainian bishop, Mykola Bychok, who will become the youngest cardinal at 44. His selection also includes bishops from Indonesia, Algeria, Japan and Ivory Coast.

In the best new skyscraper in the world
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“Ellen” came out as gay almost 30 years ago. TV wasn’t the same
Without that pivotal moment in 1997, we might never have met Will and Jack from Will & Grace, Cam and Mitch from Modern Family, or the inmates from Orange Is the New Black.

People are really obsessed with baby hippo Moo Deng
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New York Liberty ousts Las Vegas Aces to reach WNBA Finals
The New York Liberty ended the Las Vegas Aces’ quest for a historic three-game sweep, securing a 76-62 win in Game 4 of their semifinal series on Sunday.

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

$1.1 billion
That’s how much the campaigns of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump spent on advertising from the end of July to the end of September. The total amount spent in seven key states – Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina and Nevada – accounted for nearly $930 million of that total.

“Being able to work with your son is, in my opinion, one of the greatest things a father could ever hope for or ask for.”

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

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AND FINALLY…

What you should know about the Nobel Prize

What you should know about the Nobel Prize
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine today for their discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Watch this video to learn more about one of the most coveted awards in the world.