Quick Hits:

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted in late September on charges of federal bribery and wire fraud. For years, there have been discussions of his corruption. Adams appeared in court just days after allegedly receiving $100,000 worth of bribes, including luxury travel benefits and “illegal campaign contributions” from Turkish foreign affairs officials in exchange for politically motivated favors.

These allegations date back a decade, including during his Brooklyn borough presidency. Adams has pleaded not guilty. Sabrina Carpenter’s music video for “Feather” was also set in Brooklyn, filmed in the historic Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church. Carpenter was given permission by Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, who later apologized for allowing her to do so. This stirred up a lot of controversy, and the  Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, finding it so sinful, chose to “restore the church's ‘sanctity’ with a Mass.”

Now, with the indictment of Eric Adams, people, including Carpenter herself, are making connections between the music video and his case. Gigantiello is being referenced in the indictment, as the church was subpoenaed due to his business transactions with Adams’ office, primarily his chief of staff, Frank Carone. It can be assumed that this subpoena revealed more evidence regarding Adams’ case. Carpenter has joked about her role in this ordeal, saying "Should we talk about how I got the mayor indicted?" at her sold-out Madison Square Garden show of her Short N’ Sweet Tour. She again clarified that she had permission from Gigantiello, and finished it off by saying, “Jesus was a Carpenter.”

Hurricane Helene made landfall on September 26 as a category 4 storm. It tore through the Gulf Coast of Florida, north through Georgia, and absolutely devastated much of Appalachia. The most severe damage occurred in western North Carolina, where water and power are still out, as well as spotty cell phone reception. Helene is the second deadliest hurricane to strike the mainland United States since Hurricane Katrina. So far, Helene has killed 230 people. 

When Helene first made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend, it set records for its storm surge. Authorities warned residents that it was “unsurvivable” as the hurricane progressed the storm surge picked up multiple mobile homes. Some residents who live on islands off the coast say that their islands and homes are gone. 

Other than Florida and North Carolina, communities as far north as Cincinnati were affected. In Tennessee there have been 13 deaths caused by the storm, and helicopters rescued several families stranded on top of a hospital building. The White House sent emergency help to Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama before Helene made landfall. Once the storm hit, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said that more than 1,270 rescuers were deployed to assist in rescues and cleanup. 

The state with the highest death toll so far is North Carolina. The inland state was not expecting such high levels of flooding and power outages. The largest city affected was Asheville, where thousands of people are struggling to find water and whose power is still out. Floods tore through the city’s water system, destroying so much infrastructure that repairs could take weeks.  Additionally, the fact that much of western North Carolina is surrounded by the Blue Hills has made transporting aid to Asheville and surrounding areas extremely difficult. Ultimately, Hurricane Helene devastated millions of people and the aftermath of this hurricane will be felt for years to come.