Hurricane Larry, Idas damage out East, American Crime Story: 5 things to know Tuesday

Hurricane Larry could push severe swells to East Coast

Forecasters are keeping a wary eye on a storm Tuesday that’s making its way across the Atlantic. Hurricane Larry was causing big waves to form about 1,000 miles east-northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea by Monday afternoon, and a series of smaller, developing storms could create more big problems for battered Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. The National Weather Service said the hurricane probably won’t make it to the USA, but “significant” swells will, reaching much of the East Coast by midweek and affecting the shoreline through the end of the week. The storm is “likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the weather service said. Meanwhile, Louisiana and Mississippi continue cleanup efforts after Hurricane Ida rolled ashore more than a week ago. Almost 500,000 Louisiana customers remained without power Monday. 

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Biden to survey Ida devastation in New York, New Jersey

President Joe Biden will travel to Manville, New Jersey, and Queens, New York, on Tuesday to survey the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Ida and its remnants. More than 60 people were killed by the storm; many drowned in cars or were swept away by flood waters. Ida is the deadliest hurricane the U.S. has seen in four years and the deadliest storm in the Northeast since 2012’s catastrophic Superstorm Sandy, which killed more than 100 people. In the South, where Ida swept across Louisiana and Mississippi as a Category 4 monster, hundreds of thousands were still without power early Tuesday. Biden visited hard-hit Louisiana on Friday where he met with Gov. John Bel Edwards and other local officials to tour a neighborhood inundated by storm surge flooding. 

GOP senators push Biden to release details on Afghanistan withdrawal

A group of 26 GOP senators are calling on President Joe Biden to release information by 5 p.m. Tuesday on the number of Americans, green card holders and special immigrant visa applicants who remain in Afghanistan. The coalition, led by Sen. Tom Cotton, wrote in a letter to the president: “Americans need to see that the United States will not abandon them to terrorists abroad forever.” They also criticized Biden for the “poorly-planned” withdrawal. More than 123,000 people were flown out of Afghanistan since Aug. 14, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and between 100-200 U.S. citizens remain in the country. In an address last week, Biden stressed that his administration is committed to continuing its evacuation efforts. “For those remaining Americans, there is no deadline,” he said. 

South Lake Tahoe residents return as Caldor Fire stalls

South Lake Tahoe residents who left the area under threat of wildfire last week will continue to return Tuesday as crews slowed the Caldor Fire from advancing.  However, authorities warned that residents of the scenic forest area weren’t out of the woods yet, with risks ranging from smoky, foul air to belligerent bears. Since mid-August, the Caldor Fire spread across nearly 340 square miles of dense national parks and forests, tree-dotted granite cliffs and scattered cabins and hamlets in the northern Sierra Nevada. But in recent days the winds eased and thousands of firefighters took advantage of the better weather to hack, burn and bulldoze fire lines, managing to contain 44% of the perimeter by Monday. In California, more than 14,500 firefighters were battling 14 active fires. Since the year began, more than 7,000 wildfires have devoured 3,000 square miles, Cal Fire said.

FX’s ‘Impeachment: American Crime Story,’ debuts

The third installment of Ryan Murphy’s “American Crime Story,” debuts Tuesday, centered on President Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky. The FX anthology series focuses on sensationalized true crimes that have defined the American experience. “Impeachment” brings the scandal to light from the perspective of three of the women involved: Linda Tripp, who secretly recorded her friend Lewinsky discussing the affair; Paula Jones, who was suing Clinton for sexual harassment at the time; and Lewinsky. But despite the show’s moments of brilliance, USA TODAY’s TV critic Kelly Lawler writes that “Impeachment” ends up as a glossy, well-acted series without much to say.