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WEATHER
*Sunshine & clouds today high 77
LOCAL
*The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Irma will remain at Category 4 or 5 for the next couple days as passes north of the Dominican Republic and Haiti today, it will be by Turks & Caicos and parts of the Bahamas tonight. Then it will likely head north toward Florida. The storm is expected to hit Florida on Sunday. The Governor says he plans to activate 7,000 National Guard soldiers by Friday.
NATIONAL
Irma Is Expected To Make Two Landfalls-
The latest forecast track from the National Hurricane Center shows Hurricane Irma making landfall in southeastern Florida in the next three to four days. It's expected to be at least a Category 4 hurricane at that time. The track then takes it north in the Atlantic to another landfall in South Carolina.
The 5 a.m. Eastern advisory, shows Irma remained at Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph and higher gusts of around 220 mph. It was moving west-northwestward off the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. A hurricane watch will likely be issued later today for portions of South Florida and the Florida Keys. All of Florida remains in the forecast cone.
Reports from the Caribbean say nine people have died due to the massive storm.
Meanwhile, North Carolina is preparing for Irma. Governor Roy Cooperis declaring a state of emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Irma. Cooper said the declaration will allow officials to get resources in place to get ready for the possibility of Irma's arrival. It will go into effect this morning.
Source: WBBH
Donald Trump Jr. Testifies Privately To Senate Panel Today-
Donald Trump Jr. will be questioned in a closed-door meeting at the Capitol today.
The younger Trump has agreed to take questions from the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The meeting, originally scheduled for July, will be headed by tough questioner, GOP Senator Charles Grassley.
The panel is investigating Russian interference in the presidential election. Trump Jr. will be pressed about a meeting he attended with a Russian attorney last year. The meeting was billed as a chance to get some dirt on Hillary Clinton. He later dismissed the meeting as a waste of time.
Source: The Week
*Facebook Admits Selling Ads To Russian Company During Presidential Election-
Facebook is acknowledging it sold ads of a politically divisive nature to a Russian company during the U.S presidential election.
Facebook representatives told congressional investigators today that it traced the ads to a Russian "troll farm" that has a history of promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda. The ads totaled about 100-thousand-dollars and some specifically named GOP nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
On a blog post late yesterday, Facebook's chief security officer Alex Stamos said they were cooperating with the investigation into Russian meddling in the election and the ads have been shut down. The reps said the ads keyed on divisive issues such as immigration, gay and gun rights, and racial discrimination, but not the backing of a specific candidate.
This revelation now leads investigators to the question of whether any American insiders helped the Russians.
Meanwhile… Facebook is accused of inflating the number of people who can see its ads. For example, it claims a potential reach of 41 million 18- to 24-year-olds when Census data shows a total of only 31 million people in that age bracket. Facebook says the numbers “aren’t designed to match the population estimates.”
Source: Washington Post
*The last commercial plane out of Puerto Rico became a social media sensation.
Delta Flight 302 risked flying into Hurricane Irma to reach Puerto Rico. That plane was basically empty except for crew, which managed a quick turn-around on the ground and jetted 173 passengers off the island to New York’s JFK International.
(People)
SPORTS
*Cards beat the Padres 3-1, they are 2 games back from the 2nd wildcard spot, they play the Padres again tonight, it's an away game!