10 things you need to know today: October 28, 2012

Motorists head north on the Loop Parkway in Lido Beach, N.Y., as Hurricane Sandy approaches on Oct. 27.

(Image credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

1. SUPERSTORM SANDY COULD WREAK HAVOC ACROSS NORTHEAST

Hurricane Sandy has left 58 people dead in the Caribbean, and is making its way north to the U.S. where it could affect an 800-mile swath from the East Coast to the Great Lakes. The so called Frankenstorm is expected to be unusually powerful in the area because it is expected to meet with a winter storm plus a cold front, and high tides from a full moon. Officials warned people to be prepared for rain to begin late on Sunday, to be followed by several days of rain, high winds, and possibly snow. Forecasters say the danger is not limited to coastal areas, and that they are more worried about inland flooding from storm surge. States of emergency were declared from North Carolina to Connecticut. Delaware ordered mandatory evacuations for coastal communities by 8 p.m. Sunday. Sandy's winds were still at 75 mph as of Sunday morning. [ABC News]

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A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Canada on Saturday night, triggering a tsunami warning for the coastal areas of British Columbia, Hawaii, and southern Alaska. The warning was later downgraded to a watch for British Columbia and Alaska. Officials said the earthquake was one of the worst in the region since 1949, but luckily the impact of the tremor was minimal. [Associated Press]

President Obama spoke in New Hampshire on Saturday, telling voters there that the state's four electoral votes "could make the difference. We don't know how this thing is going to play out," he added. Obama won the state by a 10-point margin in 2008, but polls show a tight race this year. Meanwhile, Romney stumped in Florida, and had to cancel a visit to Virginia due to oncoming Hurricane Sandy. Instead, the GOP challenger will head to Ohio. [Politico, (2)]

Iowa's largest newspaper, the Des Moines Register, endorsed Mitt Romney for president on Saturday, the first time the paper has endorsed a Republican candidate in 40 years. "Voters should give Mitt Romney a chance to correct the nation's fiscal course and to implode the partisan gridlock that has shackled Washington and the rest of America," the paper said. The endorsement could give Romney an advantage in winning the state's six electoral votes. Recent polling has shown a tight race in the state, with Obama holding a slight edge in several recent polls. [The Hill]

Former pop star Gary Glitter, who is a convicted pedophile, was arrested in London on Sunday in connection with the ongoing investigation into alleged sexual abuse by the late BBC television star Jimmy Savile. Glitter was allegedly arrested "on suspicion of sexual offenses." Savile, who died in 2011, became the subject of the vast investigation after 300 people recently came forward alleging Savile had assaulted them over his long career with the BBC. [New York Times]

A new Associated Press poll shows that in the four years that President Obama has been in office, racial prejudice has increased slightly. In all, 51 percent of Americans now express explicit anti-black attitudes, compared with 48 percent in a similar survey in 2008. When measured by an implicit racial attitudes test, the number of Americans with anti-black sentiments jumped to 56 percent, up from 49 percent. The AP survey was conducted with researchers from Stanford University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Chicago. [Associated Press]

According to a Hong Kong newspaper, the family lawyers for Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has denied a New York Times report that Wen's family has amassed $2.7 billion "in hidden riches." The paper, the South China Morning Post, printed a letter from the lawyers saying that the premier's family members haven't conducted any illegal business activities, do not hold shares in any companies, and that Wen has never been involved in his family's business activities or allowed those activities to influence his policies. A spokesperson for The New York Times said the paper is standing by its story. [Associated Press]

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