Polo Weakens as Its Moisture Fuels Flooding in the Southwest

Hurricane Polo, which became the third Category 5 hurricane of the Pacific season last week, made landfall late Monday night in Baja California Sur as a strong Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph.

After crossing the Gulf of California, Polo came ashore again just east of Guaymas, Sonora, as a Category 1 hurricane, bringing flooding, power outages and fallen trees before weakening to a tropical storm inland. Before Polo reached Baja, the Santa Elena River in Jalisco overflowed and swept away a family's home in Talpa de Allende, killing both parents and two children. .

In the US, Polo and a jet-stream disturbance are pushing atmospheric moisture near or above record levels for late September across parts of the Southwest. Storms had already caused flash flooding Monday, prompting several water rescues in Bullhead City, Arizona. Flood watches covered about 28 million people early Tuesday, and Maricopa County sheriff's deputies performed several water rescues in and around Phoenix. Forecasters expect the threat to spread into the Plains and Midwest over the week.

 

25 Years After 9/11, Familiar Rituals and Unfinished Business

A quarter-century after hijacked airliners struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, this month's anniversary kept its familiar rituals, with names read aloud and bells tolled.

On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 al Qaeda hijackers seized four commercial jets, killing 2,977 people. More than 9,000 members of the federal World Trade Center Health Program have since died, though the program's death count includes deaths from all causes. This year, organizers added a seventh moment of silence for those lost to 9/11-related illnesses.

The attacks were followed by the 20-year U.S. war in Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, conflicts in which thousands of American service members and far more Afghans and Iraqis were killed. At home, they prompted the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration and passage of the Patriot Act, while reshaping debates over surveillance and the treatment of Muslim Americans.

All four living former presidents attended the Ground Zero ceremony, which has barred speeches by politicians since 2012. President Trump spoke at the Pentagon.

For many families, the milestone underscored unfinished business. The military trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind, and three co-defendants is scheduled to begin June 5, 2028. Terry Strada, whose husband died in the North Tower, drew cheers as she accused administration after administration, including the former presidents seated before her, of protecting Saudi Arabia rather than standing with the families. The kingdom has repeatedly denied involvement in the attacks.

 

Tim Cook Steps Down as Apple CEO

Tim Cook stepped down Monday as CEO of Apple, a position he has held since August 2011, when Steve Jobs stepped down as CEO just months before his death.

Cook, building upon the innovation of the Jobs era, grew Apple’s market capitalization more than tenfold during his tenure.

Cook steps down at a pivotal time for the company as Apple pursues a more cautious, device-integrated AI strategy while competitors race ahead with large-scale generative AI services.

 

Death Toll from Nepal-China Border Floods Rises to 903

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said Monday morning that 903 bodies had been recovered amid the disastrous flooding along the Nepalese-Chinese border, with over four thousand people remaining missing. Chinese authorities reported 16 dead and 546 missing in Gyirong County in the Tibet Autonomous Region as of Saturday evening.

Chinese officials said a glacier on the south slope of Mount Langtang Lirung in Nepal fractured at an elevation of about 5,200 meters, triggering an ice-rock avalanche that scoured the mountainside and developed into a massive debris flow. Chinese scientists said the flow reached Gyirong Port in about six to seven minutes.

A barrier lake formed by the landslide had largely drained by Sunday, Chinese authorities said, but a new landslide farther downstream created another barrier and lake, prompting continued monitoring and safety measures. Nepali scientists have also been examining the chain of events behind the flooding.

Indian, Chinese and South Korean tunnel-rescue specialists were mobilized over the weekend to support the search and rescue effort. Further rain and rising river levels remained a threat in affected areas.

 

English Actor Tim Curry, Known for His Comedic Roles, Dies at 80

Tim Curry, the English actor whose relish for outsize characters made Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Pennywise the Clown fixtures of popular culture, died on Aug. 25 at his home in the Toluca Lake section of Los Angeles. He was 80.

His longtime manager, Marcia Hurwitz, confirmed the death through a publicist with no cause was given, but Curry had previously suffered a debilitating stroke in 2012, limiting his mobility.

Born April 19, 1946, in Grappenhall, Cheshire, he was the son of a Royal Navy chaplain who died when he was 12. He studied English and drama at the University of Birmingham and joined the original London cast of "Hair.” He achieved international fame in the 1975 film ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show,’ which initially flopped in its initial release before becoming a midnight-movie staple. He also appeared in the films "Clue," "Legend" and "Home Alone 2," and played Pennywise the Clown in the 1990 miniseries "It."

Curry later appeared in several children’s entertainment pieces, including as Long John Silver in “Muppet’s Treasure Island” and as Nigel Thornberry in the “The Wild Thornberrys.”

He received three Tony nominations and two Olivier nominations, and won a 1991 Daytime Emmy for voice work. His memoir, "Vagabond," was published last year. Curry never married and had no children.