Editors

USA TODAY

Obama to hit campaign trail for first time since leaving office

Former president Barack Obama is set to return to the campaign trail Thursday for the first time since leaving the White House. The 44th U.S. president is scheduled to attend a rally in Richmond for Virginia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam. Since leaving office, Obama has mostly remained out of politics, but hasn't shied away from criticizing President Trump and Republicans when it comes to rollbacks of his signature policies such as Obamacare. Earlier this month, Trump tweeted his support for Northam's Republican opponent, Ed Gillespie.

Florida prepares for violence at white nationalist event

Florida's governor has declared a state of emergency as hundreds of law enforcement officers gather at the University of Florida in advance of a Thursday event by white nationalist Richard B. Spencer. Activists are calling for the university to cancel classes Thursday, fearing potential violence as both alt-right and anti-fascist groups, known as Antifa, have talked on social media about using violence during their demonstrations. Spencer organized an August rally in Charlottesville, Va., that turned deadly.

Black Monday: Can a 1987-style stock market crash happen again?

Thursday marks the 30th anniversary of "Black Monday," the biggest one-day stock market drop in Wall Street history. Today, with the Dow is trading at its highest level in history, it's hard to remember how on this day in 1987 the blue-chip index was engulfed by panic, plummeting a record 22.6%. That makes it a good time to ask: What would it take to spark a replay of Black Monday? Probably a computer-driven event such as cyber attack or a trading algorithm run amok, experts say, although a market panic is also possible. But most pros don't see the current market as nearly as vulnerable as it was before the 1987 crash.

Atmospheric river poised to deliver heavy rain, snow to Northwest

Regions in the Northwest are at risk of flash flooding Thursday as a 5,000-mile long atmospheric river is poised to funnel gigantic amounts of rain and snow. Made visible by clouds, the ribbons of water vapor, known as atmospheric rivers, can extend thousands of miles and provide fuel for massive rainstorms and subsequent floods along the West Coast. While a few periods of rain are in store for Northern California late Thursday through Friday, widespread, fire-quenching rainfall is not expected, AccuWeather said.

Amazon closes bidding on new HQ2

Want Amazon's second headquarters in your city? Then you better get your town to hurry. Bidding for Amazon's second headquarters, or HQ2, closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Thursday. Many cities see HQ2 as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to grab an economic golden ticket, with Amazon promising to bring more than 50,000 jobs to its new office space. Cities around the country have gone all out to lure the retail giant, with Tucson, Az. sending Amazon a 21-foot saguaro cactus while Stonecrest, Ga. offered to create a city named after the company if selected.

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