Bracing for Hurricane Isaias, Livestreamed Execution & Dolly's Growing Impact - Friday, October 09, 2026

Erica Mandy (0:00)

Today is Friday, October 9th. We'll tell you where Hurricane ESAES is expected to make landfall and what conditions people in its path can expect, and how another ice shooting is escalating an already tense fight between New York leaders and President Trump.

Also, why the Pentagon wants the public to watch an execution, and how one of the longest and most difficult Navy deployments in recent memory finally came to an end. Plus, one federal holiday with two ways to commemorate it, which professional basketball player just made MVP history, and how Dolly Parton's gift to children is continuing to grow. Those stories and even more news to know coming up.

Welcome to The NewsWorthy, all the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.

Hurricane Issa ES is closing in on the Gulf Coast, and millions of people could feel its impacts. The first hurricane of the Atlantic season is expected to make landfall late tonight or early tomorrow near the Florida-Alabama border. At this point, it's a category two storm, but forecasters say it could still strengthen. It's expected to bring life-threatening storm surge, with some areas possibly seeing up to seven feet of floodwater above normally dry ground. Heavy rain, damaging winds, and possible tornadoes could also affect parts of Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi, with flooding possible farther inland. Evacuations are underway. Schools and airports are closing, and thousands of National Guard troops are mobilizing to help. FEMA has also started staging some resources. The storm is also disrupting offshore oil and gas production, so there could be potential ripple effects for energy markets. Forecasters expect ESAES to weaken after it moves ashore, but that doesn't mean the danger ends there. Heavy rain and flooding could reach as far north as Tennessee and the Carolinas, and continue through the weekend.

There is new outrage building over another shooting at the hands of immigration officers, this one in New York City. Mayor Zoran Omdani says ICE agents surrounded a car with a man and a five-year-old child inside before opening fire. He believes the child was not physically harmed, but the man was struck and is now in the hospital. The Homeland Security Department says the man was an undocumented immigrant from the Dominican Republic who had a prior grand larceny conviction, along with a history of other arrests. Remember, just last week, ICE ordered officers not to engage in high-speed car chases and to only make vehicle stops if they've completed specific training. But it hasn't explained exactly what led up to this latest shooting. The agency is now blaming what it calls reckless sanctuary policies in Democrat-led areas like New York, saying they force ICE officers to make arrests in unpredictable and dangerous settings. Last night, protesters gathered at the scene and marched in the streets, demanding ICE end all enforcement in their city. There were some clashes with police officers and some protesters were arrested. Several elected officials also expressed their anger. And Mayor Mamdani says he has already spoken with President Trump.

An Arizona congressional candidate is now speaking publicly about being attacked, and she thinks her politics might have had something to do with it. Bernadette Green-Plesentia says it happened at 2 a.m. one morning in August. She had just finished repairing campaign signs and was walking back to her car when she got struck in the back of the head. She says she was knocked unconscious and woke up to find she was being raped. Green-Plesentia says she struggled with shock, embarrassment and anger after the attack. She reported it to law enforcement a couple of weeks later, and the investigation is ongoing. Green-Plesentia says she doesn't know for sure whether the attack was politically motivated, though she remembers one of the men making a comment that she believes referenced her political affiliation. She says she decided to go public after realizing she couldn't tell voters she would advocate for them when she wasn't advocating for herself. Now, Green-Plesentia hopes sharing her story will encourage other survivors to come forward and may help investigators identify the men responsible. She's challenging Republican Congressman Abe Hamadei in the upcoming November election. Hamadei has also called for a thorough investigation, including looking for surveillance footage that could help solve the case.

For the first time in nearly a century, the US is going to hold a public execution. And this one won't just be open to witnesses. The Pentagon says it will be live streamed. The man set to be publicly executed is former Army Major Nadal Hassan, who killed 13 people and hurt 32 others in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. He's scheduled to be executed by firing squad in December at the same Texas military base where the attack happened. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says it will be up to soldiers with rifles to end Hassan's life. And Hegseth wants the public to watch. So everyone understands there are serious consequences to serious crimes. But the decision to broadcast an execution is also raising questions about transparency and ethics, especially since the practice of releasing video of executions is more common with terror groups like ISIS. Technically, Hassan could still challenge his execution in court, but Hegseth says no matter what, he's looking forward to December.