National

More than 365,000 customers were without power across the Carolinas on Friday as Hurricane Ian made landfall again after hitting Florida earlier this week, according to PowerOutage.us.

Why it matters: Ian hit South Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane and was expected to bring heavy winds and "life-threatening" storm surge along the North and South Carolina coasts on Friday, the National Hurricane Center warned earlier in the day.

The latest: Ian made landfall near Georgetown, South Carolina, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. 

As of 2:15pm ET, it was moving north at 15 mph and was around 55 miles northeast of Charleston, according to the NHC.

The storm became a post-tropical cyclone Friday as winds dipped below 70 mph.

Most of the outages in South Carolina as of 3pm ET occurred in Charleston, Berkeley, Georgetown, Dorchester and Williamsburg counties, though the outages may spread.

In North Carolina, Chatham and Columbus counties had the most outages Friday afternoon.

Nearly 1.6 million customers were still without power in Florida, down from an approximate 2.7 million on Thursday.

At least 24,926 outages were reported in Virginia.

The big picture: Outages are particularly dangerous as people begin recovery efforts, often leading to indirect hurricane-related deaths days after the storm.

People can overexert themselves while cleaning up the aftermath in excessive heat without air conditioning or be injured by improperly running generators, NHC officials warned Thursday.

Ian makes second official landfall, as Category 1 storm in South Carolina

How you can help Hurricane Ian recovery efforts

Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian triggers over 365K outages across Carolinas

The storm made landfall in South Carolina with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph on Friday.

A police vehicle driving down a flooded street in Charleston, South Carolina, on Sept. 30.

A police vehicle driving down a flooded street in Charleston, S.C., on Sept. 30. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Hurricane Ian

Extreme weather

More than 365,000 customers were without power across the Carolinas on Friday as <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Hurricane Ian" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/30/live-updates-tropical-storm-ian-carolinas-friday" data-vars-content-id="22172298-e08b-47a3-8100-6e305c2debe0" data-vars-headline="Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian triggers over 365K outages across Carolinas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/30/live-updates-tropical-storm-ian-carolinas-friday" target="_self">Hurricane Ian</a> made landfall again after hitting <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Florida earlier this week" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/30/hurricane-ian-florida-death-toll" data-vars-content-id="22172298-e08b-47a3-8100-6e305c2debe0" data-vars-headline="Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian triggers over 365K outages across Carolinas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/30/hurricane-ian-florida-death-toll" target="_self">Florida earlier this week</a>, according <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="to PowerOutage.us" data-vars-click-url="https://poweroutage.us/" data-vars-content-id="22172298-e08b-47a3-8100-6e305c2debe0" data-vars-headline="Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian triggers over 365K outages across Carolinas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://poweroutage.us/" target="_blank">to PowerOutage.us</a>.Why it matters: Ian hit South Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane and was expected to bring heavy winds and &quot;life-threatening&quot; storm surge along the North and South Carolina coasts on Friday, the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="National Hurricane Center warned" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2022/al09/al092022.public_a.032.shtml?" data-vars-content-id="22172298-e08b-47a3-8100-6e305c2debe0" data-vars-headline="Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian triggers over 365K outages across Carolinas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2022/al09/al092022.public_a.032.shtml?" target="_blank">National Hurricane Center warned</a> earlier in the day.

Ominous forecasts about the impact of climate change serve as the backdrop for the world — led by U.S. lawmakers and companies — to debate big action on the problem, which could upend energy systems and our way of life.

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Science

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak requested and received the resignation of the state's Department of Corrections director on Friday over a prison escape earlier this week.

Why it matters: The medium-security prisoner's escape went unnoticed by state corrections officials for four days until he was recaptured at a transit center in Las Vegas on Wednesday based on a tip, according to ABC News.

The inmate, Porfirio Duarte-Herrera, was serving a life sentence for setting off an explosive device outside a Las Vegas Strip resort in 2007 and killing one person. 

Details: Las Vegas police said they received information Wednesday that a person who looked like Duarte-Herrera was in the area before taking the man into custody and confirming his identity, according to ABC.

Sisolak's office ordered Nevada Department of Corrections to investigate how Duarte-Herrera was able to escape on Sept. 23, and how his absence went unnoticed. 

What he's saying: "This morning, my office was informed by the Nevada Department of Corrections that an inmate was reported as missing, " Sisolak said in a statement Wednesday. "My Office later learned that upon further investigation by NDOC the inmate has been missing since early in the weekend."

"This kind of security lapse cannot be permitted and those responsible will be held accountable," Sisolak said, adding that the situation was "unacceptable."

Following the resignation of Department of Corrections Director Charles Daniels on Friday, Sisolak said that William Gittere, the department's deputy director of operations, will serve as its acting director.

Go deeper: Tennessee lawmakers grill prison officials

Nevada governor demands resignation for unnoticed prison escape

The prisoner's escape went unnoticed by Nevada corrections officials for four days.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak in Boulder City in May 2022.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak in Boulder City in May 2022. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Nevada

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak requested" data-vars-click-url="https://twitter.com/GovSisolak/status/1575881592546828296" data-vars-content-id="789ff917-1708-4469-ae0f-a02dec10609d" data-vars-headline="Nevada governor demands resignation for unnoticed prison escape" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://twitter.com/GovSisolak/status/1575881592546828296" target="_blank">Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak requested</a> and received the resignation of the state&#x27;s Department of Corrections director on Friday over a prison escape earlier this week.Why it matters: The medium-security prisoner&#x27;s escape went unnoticed by state corrections officials for four days until he was recaptured at a transit center in Las Vegas on Wednesday based on a tip, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ABC News" data-vars-click-url="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/police-arrest-convicted-vegas-bombmaker-escaped-prison-90684469" data-vars-content-id="789ff917-1708-4469-ae0f-a02dec10609d" data-vars-headline="Nevada governor demands resignation for unnoticed prison escape" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/police-arrest-convicted-vegas-bombmaker-escaped-prison-90684469" target="_blank">ABC News</a>.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

At least 17 people have died in the U.S. after Ian pummeled Florida's western coast as a massive hurricane before heading for heading for the Carolinas Friday, according to AP.

The big picture: Nearly 2 million customers were without power in the southeast U.S. on Friday evening as affected states moved toward recovery efforts to deal with severe damage in the hurricane's aftermath. The storm became a post-tropical cyclone as winds dipped to 70 mph Friday afternoon.

Florida officials said there were "several drowning deaths and other fatalities" from the storm, according to AP.

A 22-year-old woman died when she was ejected in an ATV rollover incident on a washout road, AP reports.

A 71-year-old man died from head injuries when he fell off a roof Wednesday while putting up rain shutters, per AP.

Two people died in a car crash on Thursday afternoon in Putnam County, which was inundated with rain as the storm passed over the state. 

At least two people were confirmed dead on Sanibel, an island in southwest Florida that experienced major surge-related flooding during the storm.

A person in Lake County died on Wednesday after his vehicle hydroplaned, while another person was found dead in the city of Deltona in central Florida, according to AP.

The latest: Ian made landfall Friday as a Category 1 storm in South Carolina, carrying a "life-threatening" storm surge of 4 to 7 feet, Axios' Andrew Freedman writes.

By Friday evening, more than 350,000 customers were left without power across the Carolinas.

The storm had regained hurricane status on Thursday night on its way to a damaging encounter with the Carolinas and a portion of southern Georgia.

What they're saying: The hurricane "is likely to rank among the worst in the nation's history," Biden said Friday at a press briefing. "You have all seen on television homes and property wiped out. It's gonna take months, years to rebuild."

Biden had said Thursday "this could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida's history."

"We absolutely expect to have mortality from this hurricane," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a news briefing Thursday.

DeSantis said there were more than 700 confirmed rescues as of Thursday evening.

Some of the deadliest hurricanes in Florida tracked by the National Hurricane Center during the first half of the 20th century saw between around 350 and 1,800 deaths.

NHC officials warned Thursday night that many hurricane-related deaths occur days after the storm has passed while people are recovering.

These deaths, also called "indirect deaths," primarily arise from excessive heat and over-exertion and carbon monoxide poisoning from running generators indoors.

Ian made landfall Wednesday as an "extremely dangerous" hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour on Florida's southwestern coast  near Cayo Costa, an island to the west of Cape Coral, according to the National Hurricane Center.

It then shifted north-northeast and made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph on mainland Florida just south of the city of Punta Gorda before barreling northeast across the state and weakening into a tropical storm.

In photos: Florida devastated by Hurricane Ian

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

Death toll from Ian rises as storm rips across southeast U.S.

Affected states have focused on recovery efforts.

Boats are piled on top of each other on Sept. 29 after Hurricane Ian hit Fort Myer Beach.

Boats are piled on top of each other on Sept. 29 after Hurricane Ian hit Fort Myer Beach. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

At least 17 people have died in the U.S. after <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Ian" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/29/live-updates-tropical-storm-ian-georgia-carolinas-thursday" data-vars-content-id="b70444ba-a8b3-410f-9756-ccfe450651b5" data-vars-headline="Death toll from Ian rises as storm rips across southeast U.S." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/29/live-updates-tropical-storm-ian-georgia-carolinas-thursday" target="_self">Ian</a> pummeled Florida&#x27;s western coast as a massive hurricane before heading for heading for the Carolinas Friday, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="AP" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-floods-south-carolina-charleston-climate-and-environment-3f551a464ebec05f77d0e5e8b17fa3ed?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01" data-vars-content-id="b70444ba-a8b3-410f-9756-ccfe450651b5" data-vars-headline="Death toll from Ian rises as storm rips across southeast U.S." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-floods-south-carolina-charleston-climate-and-environment-3f551a464ebec05f77d0e5e8b17fa3ed?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01" target="_blank">AP</a>.The big picture: Nearly 2 million customers were <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="without power" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/30/hurricane-ian-north-south-carolina-power-outages" data-vars-content-id="b70444ba-a8b3-410f-9756-ccfe450651b5" data-vars-headline="Death toll from Ian rises as storm rips across southeast U.S." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/30/hurricane-ian-north-south-carolina-power-outages" target="_self">without power</a> in the southeast U.S. on Friday evening as affected states moved toward<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" recovery efforts" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/29/hurricane-ian-damage-images" data-vars-content-id="b70444ba-a8b3-410f-9756-ccfe450651b5" data-vars-headline="Death toll from Ian rises as storm rips across southeast U.S." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/29/hurricane-ian-damage-images" target="_self"> recovery efforts</a> to deal with severe damage in the hurricane&#x27;s aftermath. The storm became a post-tropical cyclone as winds dipped to 70 mph Friday afternoon.

Seven Republican-led states have filed lawsuits against President Biden, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and the Department of Education over the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness plan.

Why it matters: It's the second lawsuit filed against the Department of Education this week as part of attempts to block the plan, which would alleviate some of the debt burden of 43 million Americans but has drawn opposition from Republicans and Democrats in battleground states.

Six states, Nebraska, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina, were the first to allege the Biden administration overstepped its executive powers in going forward with the program.

The states asked a federal court in Missouri to issue a temporary restraining order to pause the program, which was expected to begin in "early October," according to Cardona.

Arizona joined state-led litigation efforts with Attorney General Mark Brnovich filing a lawsuit late Thursday.

Additional lawsuits could be forthcoming.

What they're saying: “President Biden’s unlawful political play puts the self-wrought college-loan debt on the backs of millions of hardworking Americans who are struggling to pay their utility bills and home loans in the midst of Biden’s inflation,” Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said in a statement Thursday.

“President Biden does not have the power to arbitrarily erase the college debt of adults who chose to take out those loans," Rutledge added.

The big picture: The libertarian Pacific Legal Foundation on Tuesday filed a separate lawsuit against the Education Department in a federal court in Indiana.

It alleges that plaintiff Frank Garrison, a public interest attorney and an employee of Pacific Legal Foundation, "will face immediate tax liability from the state of Indiana because of the automatic cancellation of a portion of his debt," as Indiana is one of at least seven states that will tax student loan forgiveness.

"Mr. Garrison and millions of others similarly situated in the six relevant states will receive no additional benefit from the cancellation—just a one-time additional penalty," the lawsuit reads.

Pacific Legal Foundation also asked a court to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the loan cancellation from going into effect.

By the numbers: Under the plan, up to $20,000 in student debt for Pell Grant recipients would be forgiven and up to $10,000 for individual borrowers who make under $125,000 per year.

Approximately 20 million Americans could have their debt completely canceled.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated earlier this week that the plan could cost $400 billion over 30 years.

Go deeper ... CBO: Biden's student loan forgiveness plan could cost $400 billion

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.

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7 GOP states sue Biden over student loan forgiveness plan

It's the second lawsuit filed against the Department of Education this week.

President Biden with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in the White House on August 2022.

President Biden with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in the White House on August 2022. Photo: Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Biden administration

Seven Republican-led states have filed lawsuits against President Biden, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and the Department of Education over the Biden administration&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="student loan forgiveness" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/24/student-loan-forgiveness-debt-cancel-biden" data-vars-content-id="d9b82472-1c2e-46f1-bcd2-db4f6a26d058" data-vars-headline="7 GOP states sue Biden over student loan forgiveness plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/24/student-loan-forgiveness-debt-cancel-biden" target="_self">student loan forgiveness</a> plan.Why it matters: It&#x27;s the second lawsuit filed against the Department of Education this week as part of attempts to block the plan, which would alleviate some of the debt burden of 43 million Americans but has drawn opposition from <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Republicans" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/20/biden-student-loan-forgiveness-legal-challenges" data-vars-content-id="d9b82472-1c2e-46f1-bcd2-db4f6a26d058" data-vars-headline="7 GOP states sue Biden over student loan forgiveness plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/20/biden-student-loan-forgiveness-legal-challenges" target="_self">Republicans</a> and Democrats in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="battleground states" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/25/democrats-student-loan-backlash" data-vars-content-id="d9b82472-1c2e-46f1-bcd2-db4f6a26d058" data-vars-headline="7 GOP states sue Biden over student loan forgiveness plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/25/democrats-student-loan-backlash" target="_self">battleground states</a>.

A federal judge on Thursday denied an Indiana lawyer's request to pause the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness plan as part of a lawsuit filed against the Department of Education earlier this week.

Why it matters: The Education Department currently faces multiple lawsuits over the forgiveness plan, with seven Republican-led states filing suits on Thursday.

The plan would alleviate some of the debt burdens of 43 million Americans but has drawn opposition from Republicans and Democrats in battleground states.

What they're saying: District Judge Richard Young denied plaintiff Frank Garrison's request for the court to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the loan cancellation from going into effect because he could not be irreparably harmed by the plan.

"[T]he court, in view of the fact the Department of Education exempted Plaintiff from receiving debt relief, finds Plaintiff cannot be irreparably harmed as is required for preliminary relief," the judge wrote in the ruling.

The big picture: The libertarian Pacific Legal Foundation on Tuesday sued the Education Department in a federal court in Indiana, arguing that Garrison, a public interest attorney and an employee of Pacific Legal Foundation, "will face immediate tax liability from the state of Indiana because of the automatic cancellation of a portion of his debt."

 Indiana is one of at least seven states that plan to tax student loan forgiveness.

 "Mr. Garrison and millions of others similarly situated in the six relevant states will receive no additional benefit from the cancellation — just a one-time additional penalty," the lawsuit reads.

 The Department of Justice argued in a legal filing on Wednesday that Garrison could not be harmed by the student debt relief program or potential taxes paid on it because the Education Department will give those eligible for the relief the ability to opt-out.

Go deeper: 7 GOP states sue Biden over student loan forgiveness plan

Judge denies motion to pause Biden student debt relief plan

The Education Department currently faces multiple lawsuits over the forgiveness plan.

President Biden with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in the White House in August 2022.

President Biden with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in the White House in August. Photo: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Student debt

A federal judge on Thursday <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="denied an Indiana lawyer&#x27;s request" data-vars-click-url="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.insd.203163/gov.uscourts.insd.203163.16.0.pdf" data-vars-content-id="e019c11e-868f-42ac-9218-b3c3d8df7ad2" data-vars-headline="Judge denies motion to pause Biden student debt relief plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.insd.203163/gov.uscourts.insd.203163.16.0.pdf" target="_blank">denied an Indiana lawyer&#x27;s request</a> to pause the Biden administration&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="student loan forgiveness" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/24/student-loan-forgiveness-debt-cancel-biden" data-vars-content-id="e019c11e-868f-42ac-9218-b3c3d8df7ad2" data-vars-headline="Judge denies motion to pause Biden student debt relief plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/24/student-loan-forgiveness-debt-cancel-biden" target="_self">student loan forgiveness</a> plan as part of a lawsuit filed against the Department of Education earlier this week.Why it matters: The Education Department currently <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="faces multiple lawsuits" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/29/gop-states-sue-biden-student-loan-plan" data-vars-content-id="e019c11e-868f-42ac-9218-b3c3d8df7ad2" data-vars-headline="Judge denies motion to pause Biden student debt relief plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/29/gop-states-sue-biden-student-loan-plan" target="_self">faces multiple lawsuits</a> over the forgiveness plan, with seven Republican-led states filing suits on Thursday.

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Death toll from Ian rises as storm rips across southeast U.S.

Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian triggers over 365K outages across Carolinas

Nevada governor demands resignation for unnoticed prison escape

Judge denies motion to pause Biden student debt relief plan

7 GOP states sue Biden over student loan forgiveness plan