The Short List

Mon Sep 30 2024

Laura L. Davis | Audience Editor

@lauradavis

Residents across several states grapple with recovery after destruction from deadly Helene. A looming port strike would send shockwaves through the supply chain and possibly raise prices. And is "The Simpsons" ending?

👋Hey, there! Laura Davis here. Let's get you caught up on Monday's news.

But first: A deep-water discovery. 🌊 Maritime historians discovered a steam tug hidden in Lake Michigan since 1895.

Helene's brutal toll

At least 100 people are dead and more than 2 million homes and businesses remained in the dark across the Southeast on Monday, the region under siege from historic flooding driven by Hurricane Helene and its remnants. Hundreds of water rescues have taken place across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia since Helene's landfall last Thursday, officials said.

Devastation in North Carolina: Mud, branches and food from grocery stores flowed through the streets, and houses and bridges crumbled in western North Carolina, which took the brunt of the devastating rains. More than 30 inches was recorded in some areas. President Joe Biden assured communities reeling from the devastation that the "nation has your back" and that help was on the way. 👉See more coverage on Helene's aftermath.

🎥 Watch: Survivors describe Helene's impact.

How you can help: Relief efforts and funds have been created to help victims and survivors – and officials have warned against sending unsolicited donated goods or heading to the disaster zone. Here are some organizations accepting donations.

•	Search for the missing has many turning to social media.
•	A town bands together: Destruction brings struggle, hope.
•	In Asheville, N.C., scope of devastation is 'surreal.'
•	Trump visits Georgia to see damage from Helene.

🌀 Storm tracker: NHC watching Tropical Storm Kirk, 4 other systems.

Helene's swath of destruction brought historic rainfall, flooding and power outages across the southeast, leaving vast swaths of cities like Asheville, N.C., seen here, underwater or damaged by the storm.

Thomas Costello II, USA TODAY Network

📸 See Helene's aftermath: 'Biblical devastation' in Asheville.

Port workers set to strike

An impasse over pay and automation could result in a dockworkers' union strike at ports along the East and Gulf coast, a move that could have far-reaching consequences to businesses and consumers – and could cost the economy $5 billion a day, experts predict.

What's going on now: About 45,000 workers with the International Longshoremen's Association were ready to go on strike starting Tuesday, affecting 36 ports that handle about half of the nation's ocean imports. A shutdown of ports could affect a wide variety of goods from bananas to clothes to cars, create a massive supply chain backlog or even stoke already-rising costs for consumers. 👉 What to know about the potential strike.

International Longshoremen's Association Local 1413 union members picket outside the entrance to the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal in Massachusetts.

PETER PEREIRA/The Standard-Times, PETER PEREIRA/The Standard-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

🎥 Watch: Prices to get even higher!? Why port workers strike matters to you.

Real quick

•	How cancer treatment gave Jimmy Carter an extra nine years.
•	Breyers to pay $8.85M in 'natural vanilla' ice cream dispute.
•	California just banned legacy admissions. More states could follow.
•	Fantasy football Week 5: Drop these 5 players.
•	Judge: 'Baby Reindeer' lawsuit against Netflix can proceed.

Support the Short List and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today.

Swing state voter registrations surge

Recent spikes in voter registrations are shaking up the already contentious 2024 presidential race, with hundreds of thousands of new voters now signed up to cast ballots and help determine who resides in the White House for the next four years.

What to know: In the majority of the seven key battleground states where Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris are particularly close in the polls, the number of registered voters is up compared with the 2020 presidential contest that coincided with the COVID-19 global pandemic. North Carolina, as one example, boasts nearly a half million more registered people in 2024 compared with 2020. 🗳️ Could the surge sway the election? We break it down.

•	Meet 7 swing counties that could decide America's next president.
•	Battle of the everyman: What to watch at Tuesday's Walz-Vance debate.

A Simpsons 'series finale'?

"The Simpsons," America's longest-running animated series, sitcom and scripted prime-time television series, aired its final episode Sunday night. Only it's wasn't quite that at all: Titled "Bart's Birthday" and presented as a "Fox special presentation," the episode kicked off with animated celebrities rolling in for the purported "series finale," hosted by Conan O'Brien. Plenty of viewers were stunned to see the beloved show suddenly coming to a close, but by the end of the episode, it was clear the joke was on them. 📺 Here's how it all played out.

"Bart's Birthday" was presented at the "final episode" of the long-running Fox animated sitcom "The Simpsons" on Sunday.

courtesy of Fox

A break from the news

•	🛍️ What to expect from Amazon's October Prime Day sale.
•	💌 Modern dating is a hot mess. Try our survival guide.

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hi: laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.