Friday, August 27 top news
Today is Friday, August 27th. Here are top stories for today.
Tropical Storm Ida is increasing in strength in the Caribbean Sea. This weekend, Ida is forecast to turn into a major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. People along the northern U.S. Gulf Coast in Louisiana to the Mississippi-Alabama state line should make hurricane preparations. Mandatory evacuations in Southern Louisiana and parts of New Orleans are happening now.
A storm surge watch is also on for the next 48 hours from the Texas-Louisiana state line to the Alabama-Florida state line.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 and blocked the CDC freeze on evictions. The court previously ruled that the administration couldn’t extend the ban past July 31 without direct congressional authorization. The CDC eviction freeze set in September 2020 has been extended several times.
Roughly 3.5 million people across the U.S. say they face eviction in the next two months. The freeze’s purpose is to protect tenants who are unable to pay rent while waiting for roughly $46 billion emergency rental aid to be distributed. But only around $5 billion has been handed out by the state governments.
After a three-day virtual hearing a judge announced Friday school districts in Florida may set mask mandates. At least 10 Florida school boards voted to defy DeSantis and required masks with no parental opt-out. The judge ruled that Gov. DeSantis overstepped his authority when banning the mask requirements.
Also the judge noted that individual rights are limited by their impact on the rights of others. For example, adults have the right to drink alcohol but not to drive drunk. Giving parents the unlimited right to send their kids to school without a mask would impact the rights of other parents who want their children to be safe.
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The Department of Education announced on Thursday that it would forgive federal loans for students who attended ITT Technical Institute (ITT Tech). About 115,000 borrowers will see $1.1 billion in debt wiped out.
This is the latest step by the Biden administration to remove debt for students who are victims of for-profit college fraud. The administration said it faces a backlog of more than 200,000 complaints from borrowers. On Aug. 19, the administration also forgave $5.8 billion for borrowers who have permanent, serious disabilities.
Last June the Surfside Condo in Miami partially collapsed resulting in 98 deaths. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a new video showing evidence of extreme corrosion and overcrowded concrete support.
An engineering researcher for the AP reviewed the video and noted how powdery and white the concrete in the columns appeared in the video. Should be able to see various materials mixed in the concrete, but instead it appears the same all over — a likely indication of saltwater damage. A NIST team will continue to investigate the collapse.
That’s all the top stories for today. Alex will be back next week -- see you later and stay with the light!
https://weather.com/safety/hurricane/news/2021-08-27-tropical-storm-hurricane-ida-forecast-gulf
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/569662-supreme-court-blocks-bidens-eviction-moratorium
https://www.axios.com/surfside-condo-corrosion-video-nist-140ae06d-a7f6-478e-9fcc-be3e2fad8eff.html