Counting the cost of British Columbia’s toxic drug crisis

MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Isaac was a Category 2 storm far from land in the North Atlantic on Saturday, while Tropical Storm Joyce continued its path over open water well to the east of the Caribbean.

Isaac had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph) and was about 645 miles (1,040 kilometers) west-northwest of the Azores archipelago, which lies west of mainland Portugal. It was moving toward the northeast at 18 mph (30 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.

Far to the south, Joyce had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph), and its center was about 1,080 miles (1,735 kilometers) east of the Northern Leeward Islands, which are on the eastern ring of the Caribbean. It was heading to the west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph), the hurricane center reported.

Neither storm posed any threat to land, forecasters said, and both were expected to weaken in the coming days.

Hurricane Helene, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm early Friday, left an enormous path of destruction across the southeastern United States and has left at least 56 dead.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Tim Walz’s dual role as Minnesota’s governor and Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate was on full display Saturday as he attended a tailgate with Michigan football fans before going on the field to meet with Minnesota’s coach.

Walz visited Ann Arbor to watch the University of Michigan and University of Minnesota teams play in what is expected to be his final major campaign appearance before Tuesday’s vice presidential debate.

Earlier in the day, Walz was greeted at the airport by University of Michigan students, who had arrived in a bus bearing a banner that read “Put Me In, Coach!” Michigan won the game against Walz’s home state school.

Walz has leaned into his background as a football coach and teacher while on the campaign trail as the Democrats look to drum up enthusiasm among young voters, with Walz having made multiple recent visits to university campuses.

The visit comes before the debate on Tuesday between Walz and Donald Trump’s running mate, Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. After Saturday’s game, Walz traveled to northern Michigan for final debate prep before the faceoff.

Harris, meanwhile, held a fundraiser in San Francisco on Saturday, telling a crowd full of raucous supporters that “so much is on the line in this election,” as she talked about abortion bans in states and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that granted broad immunity to presidents.

“I am convinced,” she said. “The American people are convinced that it is time to turn the page.”

She said the American people were ready for “leadership that is optimistic,” and that’s why her supporters, including Republicans like former Vice President Dick Cheney “are supporting our campaign because they want an American president who works for all the American people.”

Trump held a rally Saturday in Wisconsin, and attended a college football game, too — the prime-time matchup between Georgia and Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Harris campaign launched a new ad to air during the game that needles Trump on the prospect of a second presidential debate. Harris has said she would attend another debate; Trump has ruled it out.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been playing the role of Vance in Walz’s debate prep sessions, which so far have taken place at a downtown Minneapolis hotel, according to a person familiar with the arrangements who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private events.

Michigan is one of the key battleground states in November’s presidential election. While Harris has made multiple visits to Detroit since launching her campaign in July, Walz has focused his efforts on other areas of the state, including a recent trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second-largest city.

“No one is winning this state right now,” Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan told reporters just before Walz’s arrival Saturday. “We are a purple state. Donald Trump hasn’t won this state and Kamala Harris hasn’t won this state.”

Walz has continued to engage with young voters in the campaign, including a recent visit to Michigan State University. In 2022, Michigan saw the highest youth voter turnout rate nationwide as Democrats made historic gains in the state. Energizing similar voters could be crucial for Harris this year.

Following the vice presidential debate, Walz and Harris will campaign together on a bus tour through central Pennsylvania on Wednesday.

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AP writers Will Weissert in San Francsico and Meg Kinnard in South Carolina contributed to this report.

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MOUNT AIRY, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson said Saturday that he was treated for burns he suffered when he accidentally touched an exhaust pipe at a truck show while campaigning for governor.

Robinson was making an appearance Friday evening at the Mayberry Truck Show in Mount Airy when he was injured, campaign spokesperson Mike Lonergan said in a statement.

Robinson was treated at Northern Regional Hospital in Mount Airy for second-degree burns, Lonergan added.

Lonergan later referred to a video posted on X in which Robinson, with a bandaged left hand, told supporters during a campaign event what happened.

Robinson said he had been riding in a “big rig” in a show parade. Supporters approached him as he was getting out of the truck, he said, and while trying to avoid running into them, he put his hand on the truck’s extremely hot exhaust pipe.

“It burned my hand, but I am fine,” Robinson said.

Robinson, the lieutenant governor since 2021, is running against Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Stein, the current attorney general. Current Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, was barred by term limits from seeking reelection this fall.

Many Republicans have distanced themselves recently from Robinson following a Sept. 19 CNN report alleging he posted strongly worded racial and sexual comments on an online message board. A dozen staff members on his campaign or his Lieutenant Governor’s Office have quit in the report’s fallout.

Robinson, who has faced criticism previously for inflammatory comments, has denied writing the messages CNN says were written over a decade ago and has hired a law firm to investigate.

Mount Airy, located about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Charlotte near the Virginia border, is where the late television star Andy Griffith grew up. The community served as the inspiration for the fictional town of Mayberry in “The Andy Griffith Show” that aired during the 1960s. City leaders have embraced that history with homages and festivals associated with the show.

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