Happening Today: Hurricane Irma, Apple, Common Germ, Troy Gentry, Liam Neeson

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As Irma Dissipates, Battered Florida Assesses Scope of Damage

Aid rushed in to hurricane-scarred Florida, residents began to dig out and officials slowly pieced together the scope of Irma's vicious path of destruction across the peninsula. Even as glimmers of hope emerged from parts of the state forecasters once worried would be razed by the storm, the fate of the Florida Keys, where Irma rumbled through with Category 4 muscle, remained largely a question mark. Communication and access were cut and authorities dangled only vague assessments of ruinous impact. A Navy aircraft carrier was due to anchor off Key West to help in search-and-rescue efforts. Drinking water supplies in the Keys were cut off, fuel was running low and all three hospitals in the island chain were shuttered. The governor described overturned mobile homes, washed-ashore boats and rampant flood damage. A stunning 13 million people, two-thirds of the third-largest state's residents, plodded on in the tropical heat without electricity, and nearly every corner of Florida felt Irma's power.

Oil Will Keep Flowing, But U.N. Sanctions Hit North Korea Hard

North Korea will be feeling the pain of new United Nations sanctions targeting some of its biggest remaining foreign revenue streams. But the Security Council eased off the biggest target of all: the oil the North needs to stay alive, and to fuel its million-man military. Though the United States had proposed a complete ban, the sanctions by the U.N. Security Council to punish North Korea for its sixth nuclear test cap Pyongyang's annual imports of crude oil at the same level they have been for the past 12 months: an estimated 4 million barrels. Exports of North Korean textiles are prohibited, and other nations are barred from authorizing new work permits for North Korean workers, putting a squeeze on two key sources of hard currency. The measures were approved unanimously. The measures to punish Pyongyang for its Sept. 3 nuclear test also ban the country from importing natural gas liquids and condensates, and limit the import of refined petroleum products to 2 million barrels a year.

Apple May Test the Bounds of iPhone Love by Unveiling a $1,000 Model

Apple is expected to sell its fanciest iPhone yet for $1,000, crossing into a new financial frontier that will test how much consumers are willing to pay for a device that's become an indispensable part of modern life. The unveiling of a dramatically redesigned iPhone will likely be the marquee moment when Apple hosts its first product event at its new spaceship-like headquarters. True to its secretive ways, Apple won't confirm that it will be introducing a new iPhone, though a financial forecast issued last month telegraphed something significant is in the pipeline. In addition to several new features, a souped-up "anniversary" iPhone — coming a decade after Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs unveiled the first version — could also debut at an attention-getting $999 price tag, twice what the original iPhone cost. It would set a new price threshold for any smartphone intended to appeal to a mass market.

Infected Puppies Put 9 in Hospital, Sicken 30 More

Puppies carrying a common germ have infected 39 people, putting nine of them into the hospital, federal health officials told NBC News. The cases are all linked to puppies sold in seven states by the pet store chain Petland, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The infection, called Campylobacter, is common in dogs and it can pass to people easily. “The ill people are from seven states (Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin),” the CDC said. The illnesses go back nearly a year, to September of 2016. Dogs infected with Campylobacter might look perfectly well, but they can also have diarrhea, vomiting, or a fever. In people, symptoms include diarrhea, sometimes bloody; fever; stomach cramps; nausea and vomiting.

Mechanical Problems Reported Before Crash That Killed Country Singer

Authorities say the pilot of a helicopter carrying country music performer Troy Gentry reported the aircraft was experiencing mechanical problems shortly before it crashed in New Jersey, killing the two men. The helicopter went down in a wooded area as it approached the Flying W Airport in Medford. Gentry was one-half of the award-winning country music duo Montgomery Gentry. The crash occurred hours before they were due to perform at a resort housed at the airport. Radio communication between emergency responders show the pilot was planning to make an emergency landing and was hovering in the air while waiting for the fire department to arrive.

Liam Neeson Says His Days as an Action Hero Are Over

Special set of skills or not, Liam Neeson says he's finished making thrillers. In an interview, Neeson said that he plans to stop even though it's hard to turn down the lucrative offers he gets thanks to his box-office success in the three "Taken" films, as well as other thrillers. Neeson believes he's simply getting too old to be an action hero. Neeson still has two upcoming revenge thrillers he's already shot: "Hard Powder," in which he plays a snowplow driver who faces off with drug dealers, and "The Commuter," with director Jaume Collet-Serra, who also directed Neeson in "Unknown," ''Non-Stop" and "Run All Night." But, Neeson said, those will be his last. Instead, Neeson has turned back to dramatic work.