Combined dispatches

Gabrielle becomes a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Bermuda.The National Hurricane Center said three NOAA aircraft (two P3's and one G-IV) were conducting research missions into Gabrielle this afternoon.

A federal judge in Miami has dismissed part of a lawsuit over the legal rights of detainees at the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as "Alligator Alcatraz" and transferred the remaining case to a different jurisdiction. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz dismissed part of the suit and moved the case to a different jurisdiction. He ruled that claims about detainees lacking confidential access to lawyers or hearings were moot. The Trump administration recently designated the Krome North Processing Center near Miami for their cases. Civil rights attorneys had sought a preliminary injunction to ensure detainees have access to lawyers and hearings.

A federal judge considered whether detainees have been denied their legal rights at a temporary immigrant detention center in the Florida Everglades. This is the second lawsuit challenging practices at the facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” On Monday, civil rights attorneys in Miami asked a judge to ensure detainees have confidential access to their lawyers. They also want the judge to identify an immigration court with jurisdiction over the center. Florida officials dispute claims that attorneys have been unable to meet with clients. Government attorneys said at the start of the hearing that they would designate a Miami-area immigration court for the Everglades detainees.

An American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River. There were multiple fatalities, according to a person familiar with the matter, but the precise number of victims was unclear as rescue crews hunted for any survivors.Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter, an Army official said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday cautioned about potentially record snow and dangerous road conditions as freezing temperatures were expected to sweep across northern Florida later Tuesday and Wednesday morning. By mid-day, snow was falling across the northwestern tier of the state with roadways in some areas such as Escambia County and Santa Rosa County becoming slick with the wet, white and freezing precipitation.

An area stretching from Texas to Tennessee braced Wednesday for the expected arrival of freezing rain and snow, as some other parts of the country that already received an arctic blast this week prepared to go another round with the plunging polar vortex.Weather forecasting service AccuWeather said the winter storm, forecast to bring snow and ice to more than 20 states, will cause major travel impacts and disruptions that will be felt across the country this week.Meanwhile, millions of Floridians are feeling the big chill this week after multiple cold fronts prompted freeze warnings, weather advisories, wind chills advisories and more across many parts of the Sunshine state.

Vice President Kamala Harris picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz is the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, an ex-Army National Guard leader and a former teacher.

The Florida Supreme Court on Monday upheld the state’s ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which means a subsequently passed six-week ban can soon take effect.The court that was reshaped by former presidential candidate and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ruled that the 15-week ban signed by DeSantis in 2022 can take effect. The ban has been enforced while it was being challenged in court. A six-week ban passed in the 2023 legislative session was written so that it would not take effect until a month after the 2022 law was upheld.The Court also ruled that the proposed constitutional amendment that would enshrine abortion access will be on the state’s November ballot.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered more than 250 law enforcement officers and soldiers to the Florida Keys on Wednesday to help stop what he anticipates to be an increase in Haitian migrants fleeing violence in their country.The Republican governor said in a news release he is sending a mix of 39 officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 23 officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 48 members of the Florida National Guard, 30 Florida Highway Patrol troopers and up to 133 members of the Florida State Guard.

This weekend turn your clocks forward and test your smoke alarms to prevent home fire tragedies. Home fires claim seven lives every day in U.S.