Cuba left without power as Hurricane Ian heads to Florida | First Thing

Island's electricity grid collapses after hurricane hits, as people in Florida told to evacuate. Plus, Bowie's Starman lyrics fly at auction

Good morning.

Hurricane Ian has caused Cuba's electricity grid to collapse, leaving the entire country without power, as residents in Florida braced for the arrival of an expected catastrophic category 4 storm.

Where is Hurricane Ian heading? The powerful storm is heading directly for Florida's south-western coast, after striking Cuba with winds of 125mph (205km/h). The storm is expected to intensify in strength as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico and west of Florida's southern tip on Tuesday night, before heading toward the Tampa Bay region.

How is Florida getting ready? Officials put the region under a hurricane warning, alerting people of catastrophic storm surges, high winds and flooding. Businesses in Florida were shuttering and officials ordered 2.5 million people to evacuate before it crashes ashore today.

What did he say? Congress's process for counting the presidential electors' votes was written 135 years ago," McConnell said. The chaos that came to a head on January 6 of last year certainly underscored the need for an update."