These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.

  • Michael Pushes Ahead, Weakens: Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach and Panama City, Fla., on Wednesday afternoon and became the strongest storm to hit the continental United States in decades. The Category 4 storm weakened as it moved inland through the Florida Panhandle into Georgia and was downgraded to a tropical storm early Thursday morning. At least two people have died and more than 800,000 customers have lost power in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. Michael is now heading for the Carolinas, which are still recovering from Hurricane Florence. Read more here.

  • Emergency Astronaut Landing: A NASA astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut were forced to perform an emergency landing after the booster on their rocket suffered an apparent failure minutes after liftoff on Thursday. The Russian Soyuz rocket was headed to the International Space Station but had to make an emergency landing in Kazakhstan. NASA reported early Thursday morning that search and rescue teams have reached the landing site, and the two crew members “are out of the capsule and are reported to be in good condition.” Read more here.

  • Dow Plunges, Markets Quiver: The Dow fell over 800 points on Wednesday, marking the third-worst point decline in history. All 30 Dow stocks were in the red, and major indexes saw their biggest point drop since February. President Trump said on Wednesday that he thought the Fed “has gone crazy” in raising rates. Stocks in Asia and Europe were lower Thursday morning, suggesting the rout may continue. Read more on Cheddar.

  • Election Day Bomb Plot: Federal authorities have charged a New Yorker with building a 200-pound bomb that he allegedly planned to detonate at the National Mall in Washington, DC, on election day. Prosecutors said Paul Rosenfeld, 56, planned to use the bomb to kill himself and draw attention to a political system called “Sortition,” in which public officials are not elected, but chosen at random. The FBI discovered the bomb in Rosenfeld’s basement during a raid on Tuesday. Read more here.

  • Missing Journalist Update: U.S. intelligence officials reportedly have obtained more evidence to implicates the Saudi regime in the disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered an operation to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia from his home in Virginia and detain him, according to U.S. intelligence intercepts of Saudi officials. Turkish officials believe that Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi government, was killed inside of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct. 2. Read more here.

  • Limo Crash Arrest: The operator of the limousine company involved in the crash that killed 20 people was arrested on Wednesday in upstate New York, just four days after the accident. Almost immediately after the crash, investigators focused on the limousine company, which has repeatedly violated safety protocol. George P. Beach II, the superintendent of the State Police said, “The sole responsibility for that motor vehicle being on the road this Saturday rests with Nauman Hussain.” Hussain, 28, has pleaded not guilty to criminally negligent homicide and was released on bail Wednesday. Read more here.

  • National Coming Out Day: Facebook has unveiled a new feature that allows users to choose the “Came Out” option as a “Major Life Event” on their profiles. This feature was added to recognize National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11. See it here.

  • AT&T v. Netflix: The wireless carrier announced on Wednesday that it will launch its own streaming service to rival Netflix. The new service will be HBO-focused and feature other content from AT&T’s recent acquisition, HBO parent company WarnerMedia. The move comes as tech giants like Apple and Amazon begin to produce and distribute their own content. The service will be available next year. Read more on Cheddar.

  • Channing & Jessie J: Channing Tatum has been dating singer Jessie J for several months, US Weekly reported Wednesday. The “Magic Mike” actor and Jenna Dewan, his wife of nine years, announced their split six months ago. Read more here.

  • Squirrel on a Plane: The Orlando PD removed a woman from a Frontier Airlines plane on Tuesday night after she brought a squirrel on board as her “emotional support animal.” The woman refused to get off the plane when she was informed that rodents, including squirrels, weren’t permitted on Frontier flights. Read more here.

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