PBS News Hour

JOHN YANG: Good evening.

I'm John Yang.

President Biden and the First Lady got a first hand look today at the damage Hurricane Idalia left behind in northern Florida.

They surveyed the devastation by helicopter, toured hard hit Live Oak, Florida on foot, and were briefed by federal and local officials on recovery efforts.

The Bidens were joined by Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott, but Governor Ron DeSantis was notably absent.

An aide to DeSantis, who's running for the Republican presidential nomination, said that the logistics of a meeting with the president would interrupt recovery operations.

A week after landing the first spacecraft near the moon's South Pole, India is setting its sights on the sun.

This morning, India launched a spacecraft that's to travel nearly 1 million mile over 125 days to a point in space where it will have a clear view of the sun.

There it's to study the sun's upper atmosphere and other phenomena like solar winds.

And we have two passings of note politician and diplomac Bill Richardson died last night.

He was a two term New Mexico governor and a 14-year member of the U.S. House.

During the Clinton administration, Richardson was Energy Secretary and U.N. ambassador.

In recent years as a private citizen, he negotiated the release of Americans wrongly held in places like North Korea and Russia.

WNBA star Brittany Griner's family publicly thanked Richardson after her release last year from a Russian prison.

Bill Richardson was 75.

And parrot heads may be raising a margarita tonight to honor singer songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who died last night.

Buffett parlayed a laidback vibe into a multimillion dollar business empire that includes restaurants, resort hotels and a clothing line.

His music offered island escapism, reminding listeners there's always an open spot at the bar.

His 1977 breakthrough hit song was Margaritaville, whose easy Caribbean rhythm is a portrait of a beach bum drinking the day away.

Jimmy Buffett was 76 years old.

Still to come on PBS News Weekend, a look at how artificial intelligence is an issue in the Hollywood writers and actors strikes.

And more young Americans are taking up shooting sports.