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Good Wednesday afternoon. “Life-threatening” Hurricane Francine is zeroing in on the Gulf Coast, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump came face to face at a 9/11 memorial after their fiery debate, and a wildfire in California has exploded 10 times in size and destroyed dozens of homes.

Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown.

Hurricane Francine expected to make landfall in Louisiana with “life-threatening” storm surge

Hurricane Francine is closing in on the Gulf Coast, where the Category 1 storm is on track to make landfall In Louisiana any time between now and 8 p.m. ET, according to forecasters.

Francine is expected to bring up to 10 feet of “life-threatening” storm surge to areas in Louisiana, and as much as a foot of rain across southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, far southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, the National Hurricane Center said.

As of the latest NHC update, the storm was about 95 miles southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, with sustained wind speeds of 90 mph. It’s moving northeast at 16 mph.

A hurricane warning is in effect for most of the Louisiana coastline, and a storm surge warning has been issued from western Louisiana all the way to the Mississippi and Alabama border.

The governors of both Louisiana and Mississippi have declared states of emergency, and some communities are under mandatory evacuation orders.

Follow Hurricane Francine’s path with our live tracker.

Harris and Trump shake hands at 9/11 memorial after contentious debate

Just hours after they met for the first time on the debate stage, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump came face to face once again and shook hands at the 9/11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero in New York City.

The encounter appeared cordial, a sharp contrast to last night’s contentious showdown between the two candidates in Philadelphia.

Harris, while sidestepping some big questions on the economy and immigration, repeatedly got under Trump’s skin, needling him over his crowd sizes, mentioning his multiple criminal indictments, and saying that world leaders are mocking him as a “disgrace.”

A visibly agitated Trump lashed out at Harris, veering off course to push a debunked conspiracy theory about Haitian migrants in Ohio eating pets, and doubling down on false claims that Democrats who support abortion rights want to “execute” newborn babies.

The Harris campaign challenged Trump to another debate in October. But Trump, claiming he won last night’s faceoff, cast doubt on a second showdown. “Why would I do a Rematch?” he wrote on social media.

After the debate, Harris picked up the support of Taylor Swift, who signed her endorsement as “Childless Cat Lady,” a dig against Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.

California’s Bridge Fire explodes in size, arson suspect arrested in separate blaze

The Bridge Fire burning across two counties in Southern California grew 10 times in size in a matter of 24 hours, destroying at least 39 homes and forcing evacuations.

The inferno exploded from 4,000 acres early Tuesday to 46,000 acres by evening, according Cal Fire. It is currently 0% contained.

Three people are trapped and in need of rescue five miles west of Mt. Baldy due to the Bridge Fire, including an off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department sergeant, authorities said.

The Bridge Fire is one of three major infernos raging in southern California, along with the Line Fire and the Airport Fire.

On Tuesday, a 34-year-old man was arrested for allegedly starting the Line Fire, which has now burned more than 34,000 acres and is currently threatening more than 65,000 homes and other buildings.

U.S. inflation cools to 2.5%, keeping Federal Reserve on track to cut rates

The consumer price index rose at a 2.5% annual pace in August, the slowest rate in more than three years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Inflation has cooled significantly since it peaked at 9.1% in June 2022, the highest level since 1981, but some categories like housing remain frustratingly high for potential buyers.

Today’s report keeps the Federal Reserve on track to cut its key interest rate, which is currently around 5.3%, at its meeting next week.

What else we're watching:

Royal Caribbean has confirmed the death of one of its guests, following reports that a 12-year-old boy was killed after falling from the balcony of one of its cruise ships.

Justin Timberlake has reached a plea deal in his DWI case and will appear in court Friday in the Hamptons, prosecutors confirmed.

A traveler was forced to pay thousands of dollars in airline fuel costs after his alleged unruly behavior forced a flight to be diverted.

Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app.

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