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Newsletter: Today: Irma Spreads the Misery in the Southeast

Hurricane Irma hit Marco Island, Fla., hard, but damage wasn't as bad as anticipated.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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A large swath of the southeastern U.S. is now dealing with the effects of Irma. The dangers in Florida have not passed, even if the hurricane has. Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

Irma Spreads the Misery in the Southeast

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Flash flooding. Strong winds. Downed power lines. The Southeast is dealing with a dangerous mess as Irma, downgraded to a tropical depression, moves north. In its wake, 6.5 million Floridians and hundreds of thousands of others in Georgia and South Carolina were left without electricity, and officials say it might take weeks to fully be restored. Though the U.S. mainland has seen far fewer storm-related fatalities than those reported in the Caribbean, Florida Gov. Rick Scott warned of river flooding for the next five days — in his estimation, the storm’s most perilous aftermath. Here is the latest.

Israel Alvarado, 25, tries to open a gate blocked by fallen tree branches to retrieve a generator in Bonita Springs.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

More About the Storms

-- Cuba took a direct hit from Hurricane Irma and may have spared Florida from worse damage.

-- Meteorological science has helped reduce the number of hurricane deaths in the U.S. over the years.

-- After Mexico was hit with an earthquake and its own hurricane — and President Trump remained silent — it rescinded its offer to aid the U.S. with Hurricane Harvey’s aftermath.

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U.N. to North Korea: Take Half the Oil

The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a resolution to place new economic sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear testing, but unanimity came at a price. The initial Trump administration plan had included a ban on oil exports to North Korea and a freeze on leader Kim Jong Un’s personal assets abroad, according to an official. But China and Russia made their displeasure known. Instead, oil exports to Pyongyang will be cut in about half, to 2 million barrels annually, and the proposed freeze on Kim’s holdings was dropped.

Villaraigosa’s Long-Shot Bid for Governor

Antonio Villaraigosa, who was the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles in more than 130 years when he took office in 2005, wants to make history again — as California’s first Latino governor since 1875. At this point, the odds are long for the former mayor, and the fundraising reflects that: Villaraigosa is far behind fellow Democrats Gavin Newsom and John Chiang in terms of money. This is the latest in our series of articles about the candidates vying to succeed.

It Was the Best of Teams and the Worst of Teams

With 92 victories in the season, the Dodgers are the best team in baseball. By losing 16 of their last 17 games, they are also the worst team in baseball. On Tuesday, not even playing in the middle of the night helped.How did they go from an unstoppable juggernaut to an outfit resembling the early-season Bad News Bears? And what can they do to get that mojo back before October?

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They Jumped Through Hoops to Get to Saturn’s Rings

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft was launched Oct. 15, 1997, and flew seven years before it reached Saturn, where it spent the next 13 exploring the ringed planet and its many moons. On Friday, it all comes to an end, when Cassini dives into Saturn’s atmosphere. Getting the project off the ground didn’t come easy. Just ask the scientists who fought a number of earthly battles to make it happen.

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- What we learned from Cassini: mission highlights.

-- Hmong farmers head to the mountains … and grow marijuana.

CALIFORNIA

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-- The state is suing the Trump administration over its decision to phase out DACA protections for young immigrants.

-- After a hepatitis outbreak killed 15 people and hospitalized nearly 300, many of them homeless, San Diego has begun sanitary street washing in the downtown area.

-- Caught on video: A UC Berkeley police officer cites a bacon hot dog vendor on campus and seizes cash from his wallet for operating without a permit.

-- Don’t toke and drive: A new law will prohibit smoking or consuming cannabis while driving or riding as a passenger in a vehicle in California.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- “The Mindy Project” is getting ready to take its final bow, and star Mindy Kaling says there are “other things in my life where it felt like it was time.”

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-- Gina Rodriguez’s new series about “Dreamers” hopes to rid America of the term “illegal” when it comes to immigrants.

-- Louis C.K.’s new movie “I Love You, Daddy” touches a third rail in its discussion of intergenerational romance.

-- At the Masters of Musical Whistling International Festival and Competition, they whistle a happy tune.

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

Hey, baby…. On this date in 1944, Barry Eugene Carter was born in Galveston, Texas. You know him as Barry White, the singer whose deep voice oozed sensuality in the 1970s. “What does Barry White do when he relaxes?” he once said. “I play video games. I love my fish. I deal with my dogs. I stay home. I spend time with my children.” He died on July 4, 2003, in Los Angeles.

NATION-WORLD

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-- A federal administrative judge is prohibiting members of the public or the news media from seeing any part of a hearing concerning the Homeland Security Department’s cancellation of a contract for a technology aimed at reliably detecting bioterrorist attacks.

-- Up to 2,000 people who helped clean up after the Sept. 11 attacks are facing a new threat: the possibility of deportation because they are in the U.S. illegally.

-- Fires have consumed hundreds of thousands of acres in Montana, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California and Utah. What makes the blazes so extreme?

-- Moscow is threatening to order an additional 155 American diplomatic personnel removed from missions in Russia.

-- Don’t just sit there! The authors of a new study suggest that people who sit a lot should get up and move around every 30 minutes for their health.

BUSINESS

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-- Apple will unveil its newest iPhone today, and it’s expected to cost as much as a laptop.

-- China plans to eventually ban vehicles powered by traditional fuels, such as gasoline and diesel, and put its power behind electric vehicles.

SPORTS

-- The Chargers first game as an L.A. team ended in defeat in Denver, but they made a dramatic comeback to make things interesting.

-- USC-Texas revisited: A look at the little plays that set up the game-changers in that crazy 2006 game.

OPINION

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-- America is more diverse than ever, but its schools are growing more segregated.

-- Disasters like Harvey and Irma show how lawyers’ stodgy rules kick Americans when they’re down.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- A week in the midst of a heroin epidemic. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

-- What Amazon’s wish list for a second North American headquarters can tell us about urban planning. (Harvard Business Review)

-- Finding one’s true self is a great trope in literature and film, but in real life it’s not that simple. (Aeon)

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ONLY IN CALIFORNIA

If you want to drive the stretch unofficially known as the highest motorable road in California, bring out your calendar, a sense of adventure — and maybe some oxygen, as reporter Charles Fleming found out on a recent motorcycle tour. For starters, the White Mountain Research Center at Barcroft Station opens the road just two days a year. And at 12,000 feet above sea level, the view isn’t the only thing that’s breath-taking.

If you like this newsletter, please share it with friends. Comments or ideas? Email us at headlines@latimes.com.

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