Macron’s office dismisses viral video showing apparent shove from wife Brigitte

Macron's office dismisses viral video showing apparent shove from wife Brigitte

Macron's office dismisses viral video showing apparent shove from wife Brigitte French PresidentEmmanuel Macron's office moved swiftly on Monday to defuse attention around a viral video showing his wife Brigitte pushing his face away as they deplaned in Vietnam for the first leg of a Southeast Asia tour. The short clip shows the aircraft door opening withMacronappearing in the doorway. Seconds later, both of Brigitte Macron's hands reach from the side and presses against the president's face in what looks like a sudden shove. Macron appears momentarily surprised but quickly regains his composure and waves to the press outside. As the couple descend the steps, Macron offers Brigitte his arm, which she does not take, opting instead to hold the railing. The Élysée initially denied the incident on the plane, before later moving to downplay its significance. It was a "moment of togetherness," according to an Élysée source. "It was a moment when the president and his wife were unwinding one last time before the trip began, playfully teasing each other," the source told CNN Monday. "No more was needed to feed the mills of the conspiracy theorists," the source added, saying pro-Russian trolls were quick to spin the moment into controversy. Macron has been at the forefront of efforts to agree a coordinated European response to defending Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The incident in Hanoi comes as Macron faces another swirl of online disinformation. Earlier this month the Élysée dismissed as "fake news" a viral claim - amplified by Kremlin officials - that the French president was using cocaine aboard a train to Kyiv alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The rumor, traced back to pro-Russian accounts, falsely claimed a crumpled tissue Macron picked up was a cocaine bag. The Élysée posted arebuttalonline with the caption: "This is a tissue. For blowing your nose… When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation makes a simple tissue look like drugs." The Kremlin's foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova fueled the claim, suggesting the scene was part of a wider European dysfunction. French officials condemned the campaign as part of ongoing efforts by Moscow to weaken Western unity on Ukraine and manipulate peace discussions through false narratives and social media manipulation. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byRoger Fisher

in

May 26, 2025

Macron’s office dismisses viral video showing apparent shove from wife Brigitte

Macron's office dismisses viral video showing apparent shove from wife Brigitte Macron's office dismisses viral video showing appare...

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How 7 people allegedly helped New Orleans’ escaped inmates, both before and after the brazen breakout

How 7 people allegedly helped New Orleans' escaped inmates, both before and after the brazen breakout

As authorities in Louisiana continue their hunt for five of the 10 inmates who broke out of a New Orleans jail this month, seven people have been charged with helping the escapees, both from inside jail and once they were at large. Officials said from the beginning the escape was strategically planned and the fugitives had help. The growing number of arrests provides new insight into just how elaborate and far-reaching the planned jailbreak may have been. "As I promised when we initiated our investigation, we will hold absolutely everyone who contributed any role to the prison break in New Orleans accountable," Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a Sunday statement, announcing the latestalleged accomplicein the escape. Investigators continue to comb through communications from the jail, including phone recordings, and believe that other incarcerated inmates or employeescould face additional chargesfor their role in assisting in the May 16 escape and a possible initial cover-up in the hours following the jailbreak, a source with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN this weekend. As of Sunday evening, authorities have arrested and charged seven people who allegedly helped the 10 inmates before and in the hours after their escape. Here's what we know so far. Trevon Williams, 23, is accused of helping with the escape. He was already being held in a New Orleans jail on unrelated charges when investigators learned of his alleged involvement, according to Murrill. Williams faces 10 counts of principal to simple escape, but officials have not detailed how they believe he was involved in the jailbreak. Sterling Williams, 33, a maintenance worker at the jail, was arrested on suspicion of helping the escapees by turning off the water to the cell where they disconnected the plumbing to escape, according to Murrill. Williams said inmate Antoine Massey – one of the escapees still at large – threatened to shank him if he didn't turn off the water, according to an affidavit. Williams' attorney said he's "fully convinced" of his client's innocence. Emmitt Weber, 28, is the most recent arrest in the jailbreak investigation. He faces a charge of accessory after the fact of simple escape, the New Orleans Police Department announced in a news release Friday. Connie Weeden, 59, is accused ofsending cash via a cell phone appto escapee Jermaine Donald. Weeden was arrested in Slidell, roughly 30 miles northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana State Police said. She faces one felony count of accessory after the fact, which carries the possibility of a fine up to $500 and up to five years of prison. Corvanntay Baptiste, 38, was allegedly in contact with escapee Corey Boyd through social media and by phone. She also helped get him food while he was in hiding, according toLouisiana State Police. Baptiste has been charged with one count of accessory after the fact. Cortnie Harris, 32, is accused of being in contact with one of the escapees who remains missing. She also helped transport two missing fugitives to "multiple locations in New Orleans," according toLouisiana State Police. Harris is charged with one count of accessory after the fact. Casey Smith, 30, is accused ofhelping at least two escapeesin the hours following the jailbreak, according to New Orleans police. Officers located Smith at a residence in the Third District, where police claim she admitted to her role in aiding the fugitives' transport, along with Cortnie Harris. Smith was booked with accessory after the fact to simple escape. The public defender's office has been appointed to represent the suspects while they are in custody, according to Orleans Parish court records. CNN reached out to the public defender's office for comment. The exception is Weeden, who was arrested in St. Tammany Parish. CNN is working to identify an attorney for her. The inmates who've been captured are Kendell Myles, Robert Moody, Dkenan Dennis, Gary Price and Corey Boyd, while the inmates still at-large are Jermaine Donald, Derrick Groves, Antoine Massey, Leo Tate and Lenton Vanburen. Investigators believe other inmates provided materials used during the escape and helped to conceal it after it happened,a source with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN. The 10 inmates escaped througha hole in the wall behind a toiletin a handicapped cell they'd broken into. Other inmates are believed to have placed the toilet back on the wall after the jailbreak to conceal the hole, according to the source. The escapees used electric hair trimmers with multiple clipper blades to help cut their way through the cell walls, the source said. The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office has not responded to CNN's questions about whether inmates are allowed to have access to electric hair trimmers and barber equipment. In addition, other inmates in the jail are also believed to have provided towels to the escapees that were used to help them scale the barbed wire fence surrounding the Orleans Parish Jail, the source said. Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said last Thursday the director of the New Orleans Police Department Crime Lab visited the jail to begin a formal forensic processing of the scene, which he said was not requested by the sheriff's office. The sweeping investigation into the jailbreak includes probes into the Orleans Justice Center where the inmates were held and into the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office that oversaw it. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry issued an executive order last Wednesday "mandating an immediate and aggressive response across multiple state agencies" in response to the escape. The Orleans Justice Center is also undergoing an audit by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. The last audit was more than a decade ago. Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who oversees the Orleans Justice Center, has come under increasing scrutiny. She was grilled during a tense city council meeting last week about whether the jail's persistent problems stem from inadequate funding or poor management. Hutson told the council she takes "full accountability" for the "failure" but also pointed to the alleged involvement of jail staff. "There were procedural failures. And missed notifications. But there were also intentional wrongdoings. This was a coordinated effort aided by individuals inside our own agency who made the choice to break the law. One arrest has been made, and we are continuing to pursue everyone involved and that investigation is active and ongoing," the sheriff said. Hours after the city council meeting, the sheriff announced she was suspending her reelection campaign, telling the public ina statement, "I cannot spend a moment putting politics over your needs." CNN's Ryan Young, Jason Morris, Matt Rehbein, Rebekah Riess, Holly Yan, Hanna Park, Michelle Krupa and Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byRoger Fisher

in

May 26, 2025

How 7 people allegedly helped New Orleans’ escaped inmates, both before and after the brazen breakout

How 7 people allegedly helped New Orleans' escaped inmates, both before and after the brazen breakout As authorities in Louisiana contin...

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'Cracking heads': Trump, DOJ moves signal end of reforms after George Floyd movement

'Cracking heads': Trump, DOJ moves signal end of reforms after George Floyd movement

WhenGeorge Floydwas killed by a Minneapolis police officer five blocks from her home, Nichole Subola visited the site of his death again and again, trying to wrap her mind around it. Police reform seemed within reach as she watched the global impact of the protests. The floral arrangements, drawings and signs filled the streets in a place that came to be known as"George Floyd Square." Five years later, Subola, 59, isn't sure if local police will follow through on their commitment now that the Trump administration isabandoning federal consent decreesin cities that promised real change in training and hiring practices. "There's a consensus here that the police need to do better, but it's so hard to erase what happened viscerally," she said. "There's just no trust in the police, not for me and my community, and other parts of the city, there just isn't. I don't think it was there to begin with." Millions poured into the country's streets demanding systemic change in the wake of Floyd's murder on Memorial Day − coupled with the fatal shooting ofBreonna Taylorby Louisville police two months prior. Many believed America was turning a corner in terms of police accountability. Even Trump, who rarely criticized police action, called Floyd's death a "very sad event" in aMay 27, 2020 tweet. "Justice will be served," he said. Much of that was snatched away in the years that followed, most notably in 2021 when Congress failed to passsweeping reform packagedubbed theGeorge Floyd Justice in Policing Act. During Biden's presidency, federal investigators started a dozen "pattern or practice" probes into police departments across the nation, including Phoenix, Trenton and Memphis. None yielded any court-binding consent decrees, however, and then came the largest setback of all: Donald Trump returning to the White House. The president's team has now swung the pendulum in the opposite direction from five years ago, even attempting to rescind findings of constitutional violations in the cities where Floyd and Taylor lost their lives. Experts and voters on both sides of the debate say the U.S. Justice Department's decision on May 21 establishes a new political order for the country's ongoing police accountability debate, including the possibility of pardoning officers convicted by federal prosecutors during the Biden years. Among Trump's allies in the law enforcement ranks, there are cheers among those who argue consent decrees micromanage departments and were overused by the previous administration. Police reforms are better handled by local elected leaders and residents, who know their public safety needs better than Washington, said Jason Johnson, president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, which supports officers who are prosecuted or fired for actions while in the line of duty. "It should be a patchwork," he said. "Law enforcement is local, so the police in Minneapolis should conduct themselves in the way the citizens of Minneapolis want." But those on the other side of the fence assert the president is giving police officers a green light to do as they please. Jim Mulvaney, an adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, who previously served as deputy commissioner of New York state's human rights division, points out Trump oftenencouraged law enforcement to be rougheron certain suspects during the campaign. "He signaled back then that hard-handed law enforcement was what he wanted," he said. "Not obeying the Constitution, but cracking heads." Pulling back from those consent decrees coincides with a larger sea change at the Justice Department, which hasreportedly lost 70% of its civil rights division lawyerssince January. Administration officials have also shifted the division's focus toward enforcing the president's executive orders, such as combating antisemitism in higher education, ending alleged radical indoctrination in public schools and defending women's rights from "gender ideology extremism" in athletics and other areas. Up until the DOJ's announcement this month, Mulvaney said there has been a long-held presumption that the federal government would keep local law enforcement in check. "They've now been told, don't worry about it. And I think that that's only going to encourage bad behavior and at a very high cost," he said. Many activists and voters who spoke with USA TODAY echoed those concerns, but emphasized they aren't giving up on racial equality or seeking changes to law enforcement. Instead of lobbying Congress or engaging in large acts of civil disobedience, different forms of resistance are being spotlighted. "The solutions have never come from the system; they always came from people in the community. So I think this could be an opportunity to build more of that energy if we use it properly," said Rodney Salomon, 37, of Neptune Township, N.J., co-founder of KYDS, Konscious Youth Development & Service, a nonprofit that focuses on transforming communities through mindfulness, restorative practices and youth leadership. Others point to seeking change through economic actions like theBlack-church led boycott of Targetafter the retail giant quashed its diversity initiatives. The company's first-quarter sales fell 3.8%, compared to analysts' estimates of a 1.08% decline. They are looking to find innovative ways to protect residents through technology, such as Selwyn Jones, a Floyd relative who developed the MYTH app, which would send out a panic alert to a person's emergency contacts when they're involved in a police interaction in real time. Kay Harris, 72, who lived in Asbury Park, N.J., through the city's race riots in the 1960s, said federal oversight is critical, but balancing the scales may have to come from other branches of government, such as the courts. "We cannot depend on the local precincts to do it themselves. I mean that is why we are in the position we are in right now," she said. "That doesn't mean that all police officers are unethical, but there are just too many rogue police officers who do just what they want." Asbury Park, for instance, settled at least five suits in roughly a decade involving allegations of racial discrimination. The victims were awarded $1.9 million in defense and settlement costs, city officials say. "If (Trump) is the law and order president, then he should ensure then law and order is followed appropriately," Harris said. "He is trying to roll things back to the 1950s." The Trump administration's decision to walk back reform efforts came days before the fifth anniversary ofFloyd's murderon May 25, 2020. That timing wasn't lost on Justin Thamert, of Foley, Minnesota, a town about 65 miles north of Minneapolis, who said emotions remain raw. "I don't think anybody's gotten over it," he said. The 34-year-old mechanic, who voted for Trump last fall, said the Biden administration turned its back on law enforcement and made officers feel afraid to do their jobs. But he isn't sure federal authorities should abandon reform efforts in Minneapolis, which include minimizing the need to use force; investigating allegations of employee misconduct; and providing confidential mental health wellness services to officers and other public safety personnel. "I wouldn't shut the door," Thamert said. "I think (Minneapolis) will need help. I don't agree with them completely pulling out." Leaders in the cities where Taylor and Floyd died have been quick to pledge, regardless of the Trump administration's reversal, that they will seek to continue implementing changes to their law enforcement operations. Minneapolis was "making more progress towards the reforms" than most other municipalities in the country under a consent decree,Mayor Jacob Freynoted, citing arecently released independent evaluator's report. The report found the department had reduced its backlog of use-of-force cases under review from more than 1,100 to about 400 in the last six months. "The people in this city have demanded change for years and we're going to make sure we get this done," Frey told USA TODAY. Like many local officials, Frey, a Democrat, who is seeking reelection this year, has walked a political tightrope in the wake of controversial police encounters. He was criticized by Trump as a"very weak radical left mayor"in 2020 for his handling of the unrest that engulfed the city, but was slammed by left-leaning activists for opposing a2021 ballot initiativethat sought radical change and completely overhaul the police department with a new public safety agency. The plan would have shifted oversight from the mayor's office to the city council. However, 56% of voters rejected that idea. Frey said Minneapolis is standing by thecourt-ordered reforms, emphasizing thathomicides and shootings are down. The city is rolling out new use-of-force measures, improving community engagement and making sure its work is transparent and accountable, he said. "So Donald Trump can do whatever he wants," Frey continued. "The bottom line is, regardless of what the White House does, we are moving forward, anyway." Similarly, Louisville officials immediately used the DOJ's decision to unveil a214-page planmirroring similar goals set by the Biden administration. It calls for hiring an independent monitor for up to five years who will help develop a plan covering use of force, community policing, misconduct investigations and behavioral health response. "We as a city are committed to reform," said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, a Democrat seeking reelection next year, at a May 21 press conference. There are some omissions in Louisville's new plan, however. The trimmed-down local plan removed a line about the use of Tasers that mandated officers learn about "the risks to persons exhibiting signs of mental illness, substance use, or experiencing behavioral health crisis,"according to the Courier-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. Antonio Brown, 39, participated in the Louisville protests almost daily in the summer of 2020. He said his faith in federally supported police reforms waned after Trump was reelected. "I'm not surprised by what Trump's administration is doing, but I do wonder what our mayor is going to do, because he ran on change," Brown said. Other city officials and local activists have expressed skepticism about Greenberg, whocontested some findingsin the original2023 federal reportthat determined the Louisville police department "unlawfullydiscriminates against Black peoplein its enforcement activities." Critics point out that the independent monitor's contract under the local plan is only renewable for up to five years, for instance. Greenberg alsohasn't committed to rehiring the city's inspector general, who is charged with examining police misconduct and hasbutted heads with Louisville policesince 2021. "It's definitely going to get worse if we don't see any change," said Brown, a machine operator at a local manufacturing company. "This is why we came outside –for reform. So if we don't get reform... I'm not going back in." As advocates on both sides of the police accountability debate decipher what Trump's about-face means for those communities, some are now focusing on what his administration might do next as allies seek toredefine the summer of 2020. Conservative activists have publicly lobbied for the president topardon Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officerconvicted of Floyd's murder. Trump previously said that he wasn't considering pardoning Chauvin. But, Minneapolis officials said they are prepared for an emergency response with state and federal authorities while calming the waters. Frey pointed out, for example, that even if Chauvin were to be pardoned by Trump from his 21-year federal sentence, that would not free the former officer for his 22-year state sentence for second- and third-degree murder.By law, Trumpdoesn't have the powerto pardon state sentences. In recent weeks, Trump's suppoters have publiclycalled for the samereprieve to be extended toformer Louisville police detective Brett Hankinson, one of three officers whoraided Taylor's apartmentin 2020. He faces a life sentence after beingfound guilty last fall by a federal juryof violating the 26-year-old ER technician's civil rights. Right-leaning advocates notedHankison was acquitted on state chargesin 2022, and spotlight that no one was injured as a result of his gunfire on the night Taylor was shot to death. "Hankison should be completely (absolved) of any wrongdoing," Brandon Tatum, a former Arizona police officer turned YouTube political commentator, told his roughly 1.6 million Instagram followers on May 14. Tatum argued Hankinson is more deserving of a pardon than Chauvin, adding that he reached out to leaders in Congress to contact the White House on behalf of the former Louisville officer. Johnson, of the law enforcement defense fund, has called on the Trump administration to take a closer look at other casesthey describe as "politically motivated,"including a 2023 case involving a Massachusetts police sergeant facingfederal chargesfor filing a false report. He said his group has not actively advocated for Hankinson's pardon, but that it does, "believe he is a good candidate for clemency." Trump has already wielded his executive authority in such a manner during his first week in office when hepardoned two Washington, D.C. police officersconvicted last fall in thedeath of 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown, who was riding a moped on a sidewalk without a helmet when he ignored instructions to stop. Jerrod Moore, 44, an Atlanta construction inspector, said federal authorities investigating these type of case could have done more to weed out bad officers. He said changes coming from the national level have proven to be unreliable, and that he wouldn't be surprised if Trump pardoned more police officers convicted of violating people's constitutional rights in the coming years. "He's very selective about who he wants to pardon, and if he does, it will be an officer in one of the more egregious crimes," Moore said. "It's very clear who his target audience is. Look who he's pardoned already." Contributing:Charles Daye,Stephanie Kuzydym,Josh Wood,Keely Doll,Marc Ramirez,USA TODAY Network This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump, DOJ moves signal shift for police accountability after Floyd

byRoger Fisher

in

May 26, 2025

'Cracking heads': Trump, DOJ moves signal end of reforms after George Floyd movement

'Cracking heads': Trump, DOJ moves signal end of reforms after George Floyd movement WhenGeorge Floydwas killed by a Minneapolis pol...

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Palestinians in Jerusalem brace for annual march by nationalist Israelis

Palestinians in Jerusalem brace for annual march by nationalist Israelis

JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian shopkeepers closed up early and police lined the narrow alleys of Jerusalem's Old City Monday, as Arab residents braced for an annual march that often becomes a rowdy and sometimes violent procession of ultranationalist Jews. The march commemorating Jerusalem Day — which marks Israel's capture of east Jerusalem, including the Old City and its holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 Mideast war — was set for later in the day. The event is threatening to inflame tensions that are already rife in the restive city amid nearly 600 days of war in Gaza. Jerusalemlies at the heart of the conflictbetween Israelis and Palestinians, who each see the city as a key part of their national and religious identity. It is one of the most intractable issues of the conflict and often emerges as a flashpoint. Last year's procession, which came during the first year of the war in Gaza, saw young ultranationalist Israelis attack a Palestinian journalist in the Old City and call for violence against Palestinians. Four years ago, the march helped set off an 11-day war in Gaza. Tour buses carrying young ultranationalist Jews lined up near entrances to the Old City, bringing hundreds from outside Jerusalem, including settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Dozens of people inside the Old City could be heard chanting "Death to Arabs." Police said they would maintain order and urged the public to refrain from taunting and violence. Increased Jewish visits to a flashpoint holy site Israel's far-right National Security MinisterItamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the country's police force, visited a flashpoint hilltop compound holy to Jews and Muslims, where the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are located today. Perceived encroachments by Jews on the site have set off widespread violence on a number of occasions going back decades. "We are marking a holiday for Jerusalem," Ben-Gvir said Monday at the site, accompanied by other lawmakers and a rabbi. "There are truly many Jews flooding the Temple Mount. How nice to see that." Beyadenu, an activist group that encourages Jewish visits to the site, said dozens of people had ascended to the holy compound Monday draped in the Israeli flag, and had prayed there. Since Israel captured the site in 1967, a tenuous understanding between Israeli and Muslim religious authorities at the compound has allowed Jews — who revere the site as the Temple Mount, the location of the biblical temples — tovisit but not pray there. Ben-Gvir says he is changing that status quo. Palestinians already say it has long been eroding because of an increase in Jewish visits to the site. "Today, thank God, it is possible to pray on the Temple Mount," Ben-Gvir said at the site, according to a statement from his office. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said in the past there has been no change to the status quo. Police said that Monday's march would not enter the site. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its eternal, undivided capital. Its annexation of east Jerusalem is not internationally recognized. Palestinians want an independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital. For many in Israel, Jerusalem Day is a joyous occasion that marks a moment of redemption in their country's history, when access to the key Jewish holy site of the Western Wall was restored and the city was unified. But over recent years, the Jerusalem Day march in the city has become dominated by young nationalist and religious Israelis and on some occasions has descended into violence. ___ Follow AP's war coverage athttps://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

byRoger Fisher

in

May 26, 2025

Palestinians in Jerusalem brace for annual march by nationalist Israelis

Palestinians in Jerusalem brace for annual march by nationalist Israelis JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian shopkeepers closed up early and police...

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All your questions about the 2025 hurricane season answered

All your questions about the 2025 hurricane season answered

Early forecasts say the 2025 Atlantic hurricane seasonwill bring months of danger for millions of Americans, and the time to prepare starts well before the storms form. Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the most dangerous storms can quickly explode in intensity, so understanding forecasts, hurricane dangers and preparedness should be top-of-mind for residents well before storms start forming. There's plenty to learn. (For example, did you know that hurricane hazards extend well beyond the famous "cone of uncertainty"?) Here's a primer on what to know as hurricane danger ramps up in 2025. In the Atlantic Basin, which includes storms that form in the Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of America (formerly known as Gulf of Mexico),hurricane seasonlasts from June 1 until Nov. 30. In fact, 97% of all tropical cyclones in the Atlantic form during the season. The peak of the Atlantic season is typically from mid-August until mid-October. In the eastern Pacific Basin, hurricane season starts on May 15and lasts until Nov. 30. Federal forecasters on May 22 predicted a 60%chance of an above average season. (A typical year averages about 14 tropical storms, seven of which spin into hurricanes, based on weather records that date from 1991 to 2020.) Specifically, NOAA is forecasting a range of 13 to 19 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, 6 to 10 are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 5 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). Experts fromColorado State Universitysaid in their initial forecast released in early April that anactive Atlantic hurricane seasonis likely. They predicted as many as 17 storms. Of those 17 storms, researchers said that nine will become hurricanes. A forecast fromAccuWeather, which also came out in April, called for 13-18 named storms, of which 7-10 will be hurricanes. Last year, 18 storms formed, including devastatingHurricanes HeleneandMilton. Florida, by a wide margin. Since accurate hurricane records began in 1851, more than 120 hurricanes have made landfall in the state of Florida. Texas is second, with 66 hits. And according to NOAA, 40% of all U.S. hurricanes have hit Florida. Check with your local government to see if you live in an evacuation zone. Have a plan for where you would go if you need to evacuate and share that plan with friends or loved ones. Plan to travel only as far as you need to. Write a family emergency plan with your family and/or close friends to decide how you would contact each other in an emergency, where you will go and what you will do. Keep copies on your phone, in your emergency supplies and share with family. Put together a basic emergency kit, with water and shelf stable foods for up to a week,flash lights, back up batteries, a first aid kitand moist towelettes. Review your insurance policies to ensure if you have adequate coverage, including flood coverage. Store insurance policies, photos of your home and its contents and other important papers in a safe place, in electronic files and/or share copies with family members. For more suggestions,visit NOAA's hurricane preparations page. According toNOAA, for all United States hurricanes, Hurricane Katrina (2005, $201.3 billion) is the costliest storm on record. Hurricane Harvey (2017, $160.0 billion) ranks second, Hurricane Ian (2022, $119.6 billion) ranks third, Hurricane Maria (2017, $115.2 billion) ranks fourth, and Hurricane Sandy (2012, $88.5 billion) ranks fifth. A rapid strengthening of a hurricane, when wind speeds increase by at least 35 mph in 24 hours. It occurs when a tropical storm or hurricane encounters an extremely conducive environment for strengthening, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. That environment consists of very warm water, low vertical wind shear and high levels of midlevel moisture. Storm surge, the massive amount of water that builds up and comes ashore during a hurricane, is often the deadliest and most destructive threat from these storms. It is characterized by water being pushed toward the shore by the force of the winds moving around the storm, NOAA said. Storm surge has accounted for about half of all the deaths in hurricanes since 1970, according to the National Hurricane Center. It caused most of the 1,800 deaths in Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Andrea Barry Chantal Dexter Erin Fernand Gabrielle Humberto Imelda Jerry Karen Lorenzo Melissa Nestor Olga Pablo Rebekah Sebastian Tanya Van Wendy This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:2025 Atlantic hurricane season guide: Forecast, start date and names

byRoger Fisher

in

May 26, 2025

All your questions about the 2025 hurricane season answered

All your questions about the 2025 hurricane season answered Early forecasts say the 2025 Atlantic hurricane seasonwill bring months of dange...

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