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As the death toll and devastation from Hurricane Helene soars in the southeast, both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are being briefed by officials on Monday, as the destructive storm is smack in the middle of the White House race with just over five weeks until Election Day.
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Trump made a stop in Valdosta, Georgia, to receive a briefing on the devastation, assist with relief distribution, deliver remarks, and take a few questions from reporters.
“I’ve come to Valdosta with large semi-trucks, many of them, filled with relief aid. A tanker truck filled up with gasoline, a couple of big tanker trucks filled up with gasoline, which they can’t get now. And we’ll be working to distribute it throughout the day,” Trump highlighted.
Harris headed back to Washington, D.C., on Monday morning, cutting short a western campaign swing. The White House said the vice president would travel to Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters once she arrives in the nation’s capital, where she will be briefed on the impact of the hurricane and the federal response to support rescue and recovery efforts.
HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON HELENE’S HAVOC
A van flows in floodwaters near the Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 28, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday night in Florida’s Big Bend with winds up to 140 mph.(Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
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Over 120 people have been killed by Helene since the hurricane made landfall in Florida late Thursday before tearing a path of destruction through the interior Southeast. The storm sparked millions of power outages and billions of dollars in property damage as it smashed through the southern Appalachian Mountains and into the Tennessee Valley.
SCENES FROM THE STORM’S PATH OF DESTRUCTION
Among the hardest hit states were North Carolina and Georgia, two of the seven key battlegrounds whose razor-thin margins decided President Biden’s 2020 election victory over Trump and are expected to determine the outcome of the 2024 showdown between Harris and Trump.
Trump at a Sunday rally in battleground Pennsylvania took aim at the administration and Harris over the storm, accusing the president of “sleeping” at his beach house in Delaware as the storm blasted the Southeast.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks outside the Chez What furniture store as he visits Valdosta, Ga., a town impacted by Hurricane Helene, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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And speaking with reporters as he arrived in Valdosta, the former president charged that “the federal government is not being responsive.”
Trump was briefed by FEMA as well as state and local officials. And he toured a furniture store heavily damaged by the storm.
But after criticizing the federal storm response minutes earlier, Trump said in remarks to a larger crowd assembled that “at a time like this when a crisis hits, when our fellow citizens cry out in need, we’re not talking about politics now. We all need to get together and get this solved.”
Biden returned to the nation’s capital on Sunday afternoon to monitor federal relief efforts.
The White House noted that over 3,300 federal workers have been deployed to support storm response efforts in the impacted states, and at least 50,000 personnel from across the country and Canada are responding to the massive power outages in affected areas.
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Biden told reporters the federal government is giving states “everything we have” to assist with their response to the storm and that “we’re not leaving until the job is done.”
CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN
Biden said he would tour the storm-damaged areas later this week as long as his presence on the ground would not hamper rescue and recovery efforts.
“I’m committed to traveling to the impacted areas as soon as possible, but I’ve been told that it would be disruptive if I did it right now. We will not do that at the risk of diverting or delaying any of the response assets needed to deal with this crisis,” he told reporters on Monday.
Trump, at his Sunday rally, attacked Harris for attending “fundraising events with her radical left lunatic donors” in California this weekend. He argued that Harris “ought to be down in the area” where the storm caused destruction.
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On Monday, Trump repeated the dig, saying “the vice president, she’s out someplace campaigning looking for money.”
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a rally on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024 in Las Vegas.(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The White House said Harris spoke Sunday with the governors of Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina and that “the Vice President intends to visit impacted communities as soon as it is possible without disrupting emergency response operations.”
In a Saturday statement, Harris said that she and the president “remain committed to ensuring that no community or state has to respond to this disaster alone.”
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The response by elected officials to natural disasters can vastly impact their political fortunes on the campaign trail.
Trump faced criticism early in his White House tenure as Puerto Rico struggled to recover from a powerful storm. The then-president was criticized for throwing paper towels to the crowd as he stopped by a relief center during a storm-related visit to the island.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Jeff Hafley became the 12th full-time head coach in Miami Dolphins history following the firing of Mike McDaniel in January.
Most of the previous coaches began their careers with a decent roster to work with. That isn’t the case for Hafley, who, like Brian Flores, will begin his NFL career with a gutted roster full of question marks but a better hope for the future.
Hafley will be safe in his job for at least three seasons, barring something unforeseen. Stephen Ross likes the direction the team is heading, and he understands that patience is needed. In 2019, his patience with Flores was quickly lost for many reasons.
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Hafley will face one of the toughest schedules in the NFL this year. He isn’t likely to get off to a quick start in his coaching career. Looking at other former Dolphins’ coaches, it will be interesting to see how he stacks up, despite the roster.
Jeff Hafley has a tough road to make a first year impact as the Miami Dolphins head coach
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Cam Cameron – 0-13
To be fair to Cameron, he did open his first and only season as the Dolphins’ HC with an overtime loss to the then Washington Redskins. Cameron started with 13 consecutive losses before beating the Ravens two weeks before the end of the season. Six of his losses were by three points.
Brian Flores – 0-7
Flores and the Dolphins’ management team gutted the roster. The epic 2019 rebuild never materialized on the field, but the Dolphins were not expected to do much that season. Flores’ hardliner decisions were a huge change to the previous coaching staff, eventually wearing thin.
The Dolphins managed to finish the year with five wins, which was a bigger accomplishment than many had believed possible. This is the season that Hafley will be compared to the most. He is inheriting the same level of roster experience, with a tough schedule. Five wins would be an exceptional start.
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George Wilson – 0-5
Wilson spent the majority of his career coaching the NFL’s Detroit Lions before switching to the AFL’s Dolphins. He would spend three years coaching the Dolphins, but his first season wouldn’t see a victory until week six against the Broncos. Wilson lost his first five games, with the closest being a 5-point loss in week two to the Jets. Miami would beat the Broncos and Oilers in back-to-back weeks, then beat the Oilers again in the final game of the season, to finish 3-11.
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Tony Sparano – 0-2
In what remains one of the best turnarounds in NFL history, Sparano inherited Cameron’s 1-11 roster. He led the Dolphins to an AFC East title and the playoffs in his first season, but he didn’t get off to a great start early.
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Sparano’s Dolphins lost their first two games, but the implementation and debut of the WildCat would change their fortunes. Miami won nine of its final 10 games to finish 11-5.
Adam Gase – 0-2
Gase was supposed to be the next offensive genius. For a short time, he appeared to be heading in the direction of proving everyone right. The Dolphins got off to a slow start in his first season, eventually finishing 10-6. Miami took second place in the AFC East and earned a playoff spot, but the Dolphins lost in the Wild Card round to the Steelers.
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Joe Philibin – 0-1
The start of Joe Philbin’s career in Miami was much like his final year, uninspiring. Miami lost their first game, but managed to turn the season into something promising. They finished 7-9, but had opportunities. Philbin wasn’t a bad coach; he just wasn’t a good one either.
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Dave Wannstedt – 0-1
Wannstedt had the rare privilege of taking over a well-built roster. After spending a season working under Johnson as a Dolphins coach, he took over after Johnson abruptly retired from the league. He would win his first game, lose his second, and then run off four consecutive wins. Miami won the AFC East in 2000 and advanced to the playoffs, where they lost to the Raiders. They finished 11-5.
Don Shula – 0-1
Shula got off to a fast start after leading the Colts to Super Bowl III. The loss to the Jets was the catalyst for his departure. In Miami, Shula would become a legend. Taking over for Wilson, Shula lost his first game as the Dolphins’ HC.
The 27-14 drubbing of the Boston Patriots would lead to a four-game winning streak, followed by a three-game losing streak. In traditional Shula fashion, the Dolphins would turn it all around and run off six straight victories, earning them their first playoff appearance in franchise history with a 10-4 record.
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Jimmy Johnson – 3-0
Many fans believed it was time for a coaching change, and so did owner Wayne Huizenga. Shula retired, and Johnson was the big-name hire. Johnson wasn’t able to develop the Dolphins into a dynasty as he did with the Cowboys; in fact, he couldn’t get them deep into the playoffs.
To a lesser degree, Johnson began making wholesale changes to the Dolphins roster to build it in his own vision. His first season was an average .500 at 8-8, but his quick start had fans believing the right decision was made. Johnson’s team won three straight to kick off the coach’s career in Miami, but they would only win five games the rest of the year.
Mike McDaniel – 3-0
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McDaniel was the complete opposite of Flores. He inherited a good football team in need of direction. He was another offensive guru who didn’t come in kicking down doors like Flores, but instead brought a youthful energy that the players immediately gravitated toward.
Under McDaniel, the Dolphins would rattle off 9 wins and squeak into the playoffs, where they lost to the Bills by three, without their starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. McDaniel’s exuberance was greatly needed, but as the seasons continued, his energy wasn’t enough to win games when the players needed more discipline. McDaniel couldn’t find the right balance between the two.
A new restaurant at the Forum Peachtree Corners is aiming to reframe what Persian dining in metro Atlanta can look and taste like. Created by Pooya Naraghi, Golestan leans into tradition, drawing heavily from Naraghi’s upbringing and the kind of cooking typically reserved for family tables.
The Naraghi family is best known for their Midtown Mexican restaurant El Valle, created in partnership with chef Luis Damian, but Pooya says Persian cuisine has always been the long-term goal.
The dining room
“It’s close to my heart,” he says. “Before opening Golestan, the best Persian food I ever ate was my mother’s,” he says. “We want to bring those authentic, home-cooked flavors and traditions to our guests.”
The 5,000-square-foot space pairs homegrown inspiration with a polished, modern setting. Persian rugs suspended overhead, colorful tilework on the floor, florals abound, and arched doorways nod to traditional design, while an open kitchen puts the focus on the chefs at work. The result is what Naraghi describes as elevated but welcoming.
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“We don’t want to modernize it too much; it’s what would you experience in Tehran in the ’70s and ’80s in terms of portions, flavors, and plate composition,” Naghari says.
Chef Victor Gonzalez Rodriguez is in the kitchen, bringing more than 20 years of experience in cooking Persian cuisine. The lamb shank, slow-braised until tender in a turmeric and dried lime broth, is a personal favorite of Naraghi, who grew up eating versions of the dish at home. Starters like mirza ghasemi, a smoky eggplant dip with tomato and garlic, are served with house-made flatbread, herbs, feta, and walnuts, nodding to the communal way Persian meals are often shared. Guests can order individual plates or ask for their food served on a shareable platter of rice dishes, kebabs, and sides. It’s a style intentionally reminiscent of dining in Iran decades ago, with an emphasis on generous portions and balance rather than reinvention.
A selection of cocktails including Leila’s Lips (front left) and Saadi’s Old Fashioned (front right)
Courtesy of Orion Media
The beverage program weaves Persian ingredients and influences throughout. Cocktails, developed in collaboration with mixologist Daryush Noorbehesht, highlight flavors such as saffron, pistachio, quince, barberry, and sour cherry. Drinks like Leila’s Lips showcase the menu’s balance of tart and aromatic elements. The wine list leans international, with selections from New Zealand, California, France, and Italy alongside lesser-known Lebanese bottles chosen for their compatibility with Persian flavors like cardamom and black tea. Beer spans both local drafts—including SweetWater and Creature Comforts—and a Persian-inspired label, Back Home Beer, brewed by an Iranian-American using family recipes.
For Naraghi, Peachtree Corners was a strategic choice. He saw a gap in the market and an opportunity to introduce something new to the neighborhood. Ultimately, Naraghi’s ambitions extend beyond one location. The name Golestan means “garden of roses,” and reflects a vision of gathering, hospitality, and growth.
“We want guests to feel as though they’ve been welcomed into someone’s home,” he says.
